Dormitory Unit Defined

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Keri_WW

Senior Member
The 2014 NEC was recently adopted in my area, so I am now having to deal with the added provisions for "Dormitory Units." First off, I find it rather bizarre and intentionally shady that this was not added to the Article 100 definitions. The vast majority of dorm designs I've worked on through the years have just been a room with a closet and no provisions for cooking or restrooms and all wiring has been done in hard conduit. In my opinion I think the rooms I am working on would not require AFCI; however, my opinion is only worth so much. I am planning on posing the question to the AHJ shortly, but wanted to see what everyone else has been running into in regards to this.

Thanks,
Keri :D:D
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
It seems that the NEC is interested in protecting people who would be sleeping in a dormitory unit hence the more defined requirement for AFCI protection. The NEC doesn't care if these actually meet the definition of a dwelling unit.

210.12(C) Dormitory Units. All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets installed in dormitory unit bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, closets, and similar rooms shall be protected by a listed arc-fault circuit interrupter meeting the requirements of 210.12(A)(1) through
(6) as appropriate.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
If you accept that AFCI's do what their maker's say they do, then installing them in dormitories does make some sense.

If you don't accept that AFCI's do what their maker's say they do then installing them in any application doesn't make much sense.

NEC unfortunately is sold on my first statement above.
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
Under the bldg code a dorm and an apartment are the same thing.

Under the LSC (nfpa 101) a dorm is "...a bldg or space in a bldg in which group sleeping accommodations are provided for more than 16 persons who are not members of the same family in one room, or a series of closely associated rooms, under joint occupancy and single management,with or without meals, but without individual cooking facilities."

Hope that helps.
 

jumper

Senior Member
Under the bldg code a dorm and an apartment are the same thing.

Under the LSC (nfpa 101) a dorm is "...a bldg or space in a bldg in which group sleeping accommodations are provided for more than 16 persons who are not members of the same family in one room, or a series of closely associated rooms, under joint occupancy and single management,with or without meals, but without individual cooking facilities."

Hope that helps.

Well done.:thumbsup:
 
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