Outdoor living area electrical requirements

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thepond57

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I live in Morris County, New Jersey. I have an existing three season screened-in porch which is attached to the back of the house. There is no heating or cooling. I obtained a permit to have an electrician add lighting and ceiling fans to the ceiling of the screened-in porch. When the electrical inspector came out to perform his inspection, he passed the work that had been done in the ceiling but he said that I need an electrical outlet on each wall of the porch. I already have an existing outlet inside the porch along the back of the house which I understand is code. I was under the impression that the only requirements for a screened-in porch is that it be structurally sound. I was under the impression that there are no specific electrical requirement for what's considered an outdoor living area. Can someone elaborate.
 

charlie b

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Note to the membership: I believe this thread is not an attempt by a do-it-yourself person to obtain assistance with an electrical installation. Therefore, it is not outside the forum rules.

To the originator: I believe that the inspector is right, and that your electrician should have known this was a requirement. The reference is NEC article 210.52(A). That article requires outlets to be installed along the walls of certain types of rooms. A “sunroom” is included in the list, and so too is the phrase, “or similar room or area.” I would say that this requirement does apply to your three season room. What the rule then goes on to say is that no point along the walls should be more than 6 feet from a receptacle outlet. You don’t count the doorways, but probably the rest of the walls would count.
 

cowboyjwc

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We do not consider a screened in porch to be habitalbe space (no heating), so we would not make you install outlets per the NEC requirements.
 

david luchini

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I'd agree with Charlie that the receptacle requirements of 210.52(A) would apply.

Along the same lines, the 3VA per SF of lighting per 220.12 would apply to enclosed porches (but not to open porches.)
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
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Henrico County, VA
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This sounds like something the building department might have to rule on for the electrical department to make its decision.

Is this a habitable room? I agree that the lack of HVAC says it isn't, but that may not be the basis. I'd start with building.
 

jwjrw

Senior Member
A screened in porch where I am is just a porch. The existing outlet is all we would be required to have. I've done several with outlets and have never been asked to meet the requirements of 210.52(a).

A sunroom would be be a "room". So it would need to meet 210.52(a)
 

david luchini

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Is this a habitable room? I agree that the lack of HVAC says it isn't...

I don't see anything that ties "habitable" to "HVAC." If this was a dwelling unit in Hawaii that didn't require heating because of the climate, didn't have cooling because of the costs, and achieved ventilation requirements through natural means (in other words, no HVAC systems), would it not be "habitable?"
 

charlie b

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I don't see anything that ties "habitable" to 210.52. The essence of the issue is the word "similar." Is this three season room "similar" to any room in the list? I suppose this is a building department question, more than an electrical department question.
 

construct

Senior Member
We do not consider a screened in porch to be habitalbe space (no heating), so we would not make you install outlets per the NEC requirements.

Our jurisdiction treats them the same way. However, if the room is enlosed with windows, allowing for the ability to be heated, we would require the receptacles as per 210.52(A).

There could be an argument made that just because it is a screen room with no heat does not mean the home owner won't run appliances or utilization equipment out there.
 

cowboyjwc

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Simi Valley, CA
I don't see anything that ties "habitable" to 210.52. The essence of the issue is the word "similar." Is this three season room "similar" to any room in the list? I suppose this is a building department question, more than an electrical department question.

A screened in porch where I am is just a porch. The existing outlet is all we would be required to have. I've done several with outlets and have never been asked to meet the requirements of 210.52(a).

A sunroom would be be a "room". So it would need to meet 210.52(a)

This is how we look at it.

And of course since it is a screened in porch those of you that require the outlets are making sure that they are all GFCI protected and that the lights are rated for damp location too, since when you remove the windows you have no protection from the weather.:)

Now Charlie is not totally incorrect, since bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage and utility spaces are not considered habitable spaces. But simply putting up some plywood around the bottom of your patio and adding some screening does not make it a room it simply makes it, as jw said, an enclosed patio, but still a patio.
 

petersonra

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Location
Northern illinois
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engineer
A porch is a porch, and it's intellectually dishonest to claim that it is really a sun room, even if it is enclosed.

I think you could convert a porch into a room that does meet the standards set in 210.52(A).

If an enclosed porch is a room requiring all these outlets, how is an enclosed gazebo not also subject to the same requirements?
 
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