Change Summary

• New requirement added for minimum rated 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit for dwelling unit garage receptacles.

Expert Analysis

A new requirement, which was added to the required branch circuits for dwelling units, calls for at least one dedicated branch circuit for garage receptacle outlets only. This 120-volt branch circuit must have a minimum rating of 20-amperes. An exception was also added to allow readily accessible outdoor receptacle outlets to be supplied from the branch circuit as well. Many of the appliances and tools used in today’s dwelling unit garages are rated at 12- to 16-amperes or higher and demand, at least, a 20-ampere rated branch circuit. A 15-ampere rated branch circuit in the modern dwelling unit garage is typically not sufficient for these loads. This requirement was originally proposed at 210.52(G)(1) for dwelling unit garage receptacle outlets, not the branch circuit supplying these receptacle outlets. 210.11(C)(4) is a more appropriate location for this requirement as 210.11(C) deals with required branch circuits for dwelling units. Lighting outlets in the dwelling unit garage are still required to be supplied by general lighting circuits and are not allowed to be supplied from this newly required 20-ampere rated receptacle outlet branch circuit. The thought process here is to protect the illumination of the garage area in the event of an outage on the 20-ampere rated receptacle outlet branch circuit. The added exception will allow readily accessible receptacles located outdoors to be supplied from this garage branch circuit.

For areas where more power is required for appliances and tools, Leviton’s 20-Amp GFCI is a great solution. The device is rated at 20-Amp, 125-Volt with 20-Amp Feed-Through. It is Tamper-Resistant and offers back and side wiring with self-grounding clip included. Available in non-TR versions and available in several popular colors.