Clarification on 220.14(I) Applicability to receptacles not required by 210.52

[the_delighted_sparky]

I'm trying to clarify a long-running debate regarding 220.14(I) and its applicability to dwelling units.

From what I understand, 220.14(J) covers receptacles specifically required by 210.52—namely general-use, small appliance, and laundry receptacles. Those loads are accounted for under the general lighting load using the 3 VA/ft² calculation.

However, optional receptacles—like those in an attic, workshop, bar area, or unfinished basement—aren’t required by 210.52. If that’s the case, wouldn’t they fall back under 220.14(I) and be calculated at 180 VA per yoke?

Some claim that 180 VA never applies in a dwelling, and that all 15A/20A general-use receptacle loads are included in the 3 VA/ft² calc, regardless of location or requirement. But I can’t find a section in the NEC that says 220.14(I) is completely excluded from all dwelling unit receptacles. In fact, 220.14(I) starts with “except as covered in (J),” which suggests it does apply to any receptacle not explicitly covered by (J).

So my questions are:

1. Are there any official references, CMP notes, or Handbook excerpts that clearly explain whether 180 VA per yoke should or should not apply to optional receptacles in dwellings?


2. If 220.14(I) is not intended to apply to any dwelling receptacles, why doesn’t the NEC explicitly state that?



I’m not trying to stir the pot or play code lawyer—I just want to understand how to apply this properly in the field, especially when going beyond the minimum code requirements.

Thanks in advance for any clarification or citations.

 

[the_delighted_sparky]

Just following up for anyone reading later — wanted to clarify where I was coming from and what I’ve learned.

My original take was based on older NEC editions where 220.14(I) seemed to apply when a receptacle wasn’t covered under 220.14(J). Since (J) directly references 210.52 — which lays out the minimum required receptacles — I assumed any optional ones, like attic, workshop, or basement plugs, would fall back under (I) and be counted at 180 VA each.

That interpretation held up in earlier code structures, but after digging deeper into the 2023 NEC, it’s clear the language has evolved. Specifically, 220.41 now pulls all general-use receptacles in a dwelling unit — not just the required ones — into the 3 VA/sq ft general lighting load. So the 180 VA per yoke from (I) doesn’t apply anymore in residential unless you're dealing with something like a dedicated appliance or specialty load.

I was going off literature from previous cycles, but now that I’ve seen how the code fits together in 2023, I get where the misread came from.

Hopefully this helps anyone else sorting through the same question. I appreciate the depth of discussion around this stuff — it’s how we all get sharper.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

You had to look to (J) to find that the 3 va covers all general use receptacles in dwelling units.
From the 2011 code. The language changed a bit in the newer codes, but the meaning is the same.

(J) Dwelling Occupancies.
In one-family, two-family, and multifamily dwellings and in guest rooms or guest suites of hotels and motels, the outlets specified in (J)(1), (J)(2), and (J)(3) are included in the general lighting load calculations of 220.12. No additional load calculations shall be required for such outlets.

• (1) All general-use receptacle outlets of 20-ampere rating or less, including receptacles connected to the circuits in 210.11(C)(3)
• (2) The receptacle outlets specified in 210.52(E) and (G)
• (3) The lighting outlets specified in 210.70(A) and (B)

 

[tortuga]

You had to look to (J) to find that the 3 va covers all general use receptacles in dwelling units.
From the 2011 code. The language changed a bit in the newer codes, but the meaning is the same.

(3) The lighting outlets specified in 210.70(A) and (B)

That moved to 220.41 "Dwelling units, Minimum Unit Load" in my 2023 book
One thing that has not changed over time is it only covers the lighting outlets specified in 210.70.

 

[the_delighted_sparky]

Thanks for that clarification, Don. That actually helps a lot.

I think where I got tripped up was how (J) was structured in earlier code cycles — it seemed like it only applied to the required receptacles listed in 210.52, so I figured any optional ones fell outside that scope and defaulted to (I). But after spending more time with the 2023 code and looking at how it’s all worded now, I can see the intent was always to include all general-use receptacles in the 3 VA/ft² load, not just the minimum required ones.

I really try to fully understand things before dismissing them, so my goal here was never just to be “right” — I was genuinely trying to break down the literature and logic. This seemed to be a common point of confusion among a lot of electricians, so I wanted to work through it thoroughly.

I appreciate the correction and insight — it definitely helped clear things up.

 

[tortuga]

Yeah it makes it so to calculate the load on a existing branch circuit I need the square footage served, not just count the number of outlets.
Say I have a small job to wire a 200 sqft addition for a home office being built off the master bedroom , two lights and 5 receptacles.
There is an existing 15A branch circuit supplies the master bedroom and a hall.
The existing bedroom is 400 SQFT and the hall 50 sqft.
Can I tap off the existing circuit?

 

[wwhitney]

There is an existing 15A branch circuit supplies the master bedroom and a hall.

Is there only one? If so, then no, a 15A 120V circuit at 3 VA/sq ft can only supply 600 sq ft. But if there is more than one, you can divide the 650 square feet between them.

Interestingly, in the 2026 NEC Second Draft, the minimum unit load in 120.41 (renumbered from 220) is 2 VA/sq ft, reduced from 2023 NEC 220.41's 3 VA/sq ft. But 2026 NEC 120.13 still specifies that the number of branch circuits be based on 3 VA/sq ft. So for 15A branch circuits, you'd still need one per 600 sq ft, but each branch circuit could cover up to 900 sq ft.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[tortuga]

Is there only one? If so, then no, a 15A 120V circuit at 3 VA/sq ft can only supply 600 sq ft.

Yeah just one, in that case it requires a new AFCI circuit.

But if there is more than one, you can divide the 650 square feet between them.

Yeah then if you really look closely dividing up the square footage to the way a house is actually wired could get quite a bit more complicated than just counting up outlets. Fortunately most inspectors don't look that close and just take your word for it that you evenly divided up the loads.
Here is generic SFD floor plan for a quick example and I drew three 15A circuits, call them red, green and blue, and they serve the areas (in square feet) marked in the rectangles, I made the red circuit smaller due to a known fixed window AC, if the small bedrooms 2 & 3 are divided evenly the green circuit may seem to serve more than 600 SQFT.