6.4 Lighting Outlets and Switch-Controlled Circuits

Required Lighting Outlets in Dwellings

Quick Answer: NEC 210.70(A) requires a switch-controlled lighting outlet in every habitable room, bathroom, hallway, stairway, attached garage, and outdoor entrance of a dwelling. In habitable rooms other than a kitchen or bathroom, a switch-controlled receptacle may substitute for the lighting outlet under 210.70(A)(2) Exception No. 1. Stairways need switching at each floor level so the stairs can be lit from top and bottom.

210.70(A) — Dwelling Units

The base rule covers these locations:

Note that the kitchen and bathroom are explicitly excluded from the switch-controlled receptacle exception. In these rooms the switch must control an actual lighting outlet.

210.70(A)(2) Exception No. 1 — Switch-Controlled Receptacle

In habitable rooms other than kitchens and bathrooms, a switch-controlled receptacle may substitute for a required lighting outlet. The exception is widely used in bedrooms, living rooms, and dens where overhead lighting is not desired. Field wiring typically splits one half of a duplex receptacle to the wall switch and leaves the other half always-hot.

Two conditions apply:

1. The switched receptacle must still meet the spacing rules of 210.52(A).
2. The circuit feeding the switched receptacle must comply with all branch-circuit rules (conductor ampacity, OCPD, GFCI/AFCI per 210.8 and 210.12).

Stairway Switching — 210.70(A)(2)(c)

A stairway between floor levels must have a switch at each floor level so a person can turn the lights on at one level and off at the other. 3-way switches are the traditional solution. The exception allows remote-control, low-voltage, or wireless switching systems that provide multi-location control.

The exam usually asks whether a single switch at the bottom of a stairway satisfies 210.70(A)(2)(c). It does not — a switch is required at each level.

210.70(B) — Guest Suites

In guest suites of hotels, motels, and similar occupancies, at least one switch-controlled lighting outlet is required in each:

• Sleeping room
• Bathroom
• Hallway
• Entry area

This rule parallels the dwelling rule but applies to transient occupancies. Note that a guest suite is a sleeping unit with attached bathroom and possibly a kitchenette — distinct from a single hotel sleeping room, which falls under 210.70(B)(1) and Article 526/527 provisions for transient occupancies.

210.70(C) — Attics, Crawlspaces, and Utility Spaces

In attics, underfloor spaces, and utility rooms used for equipment requiring servicing, a lighting outlet controlled by a wall switch must be installed near the equipment. A switch near the access opening and a light over the equipment is the typical layout. The switch must be located at the point of entry to the space.

210.50 — Other Than Dwellings

For non-dwelling occupancies, 210.50 requires that lighting outlets be provided in all rooms and spaces where people may be present. Specific occupancies have additional rules:

• 210.50(A) — lighting outlets shall be controlled by wall switches unless the space is continuously lit (e.g., a 24/7 lobby).
• 210.50(B) — stairways, hallways, and passageways need switching at each end.
• 210.50(C) — the rule parallels 210.70(C) for attics and utility spaces.

210.7 — Multiwire Branch Circuits

A multiwire branch circuit (Article 100) consists of two or more ungrounded conductors sharing a single grounded (neutral) conductor. It is common in kitchens (split-wired receptacles) and in residential 120/240 V services.

210.7 requires that all conductors of a multiwire branch circuit be simultaneously disconnected at the point of origination. The practical effect:

• A 2-pole breaker is required, or
• Single-pole breakers with listed handle ties (acceptable only when the multiwire circuit supplies only line-to-line loads like a 240 V water heater, or when the receptacle is split-wired and the neutral is shared).

The rule prevents a dangerous condition where one hot conductor is de-energized but the shared neutral still carries current from the other, energizing the neutral at the disconnected side.

240.15(B) reinforces this: handle ties are permitted for simultaneous disconnect only when the circuits share a neutral. A handle-tied 2-pole arrangement is also required for GFCI and AFCI breakers on multiwire circuits because the neutral passes through the sensor — a 2-pole GFCI breaker monitors both hots and the neutral together.

Multiwire Branch Circuit Pitfalls

• Losing the neutral — on a multiwire circuit the loss of the shared neutral can put series loads across 240 V and burn out equipment. Maintenance tip: pigtail the neutral at each receptacle so a failed receptacle does not break the neutral path.
• Loading balance — the ungrounded conductors should be connected to opposite phases of the panel to keep neutral current near zero.
• GFCI/AFCI breakers — must be 2-pole on a multiwire circuit; single-pole GFCI breakers cannot share a neutral.

Worked Example — Stairway Lighting Circuit

A two-story dwelling has a stairway between the first and second floor. Design the lighting circuit per 210.70 and 210.7.

Required lighting outlet: one overhead light in the stairway.

Switching per 210.70(A)(2)(c): a switch at the first floor landing and a switch at the second floor landing — typically a 3-way circuit. A 14/2 home run to the first switch, 14/3 traveler cable between the two 3-way switches, and 14/2 switch leg to the light.

Circuit rating: 15 A breaker per 240.6(A), 14 AWG copper conductor per Table 310.16 (60 °C column = 15 A), 240.4(D)(4) cap 14 AWG at 15 A — compliant.

AFCI: 210.12(A) requires AFCI on the 15 A lighting circuit. Use a combination AFCI breaker at the panel.

GFCI: not required in a stairway (no water, no damp location) unless local conditions apply.

Common Exam Traps

• Kitchen switch-controlled receptacle — not allowed under 210.70(A)(2) Exception 1. The switch in a kitchen must control a lighting outlet.
• Bathroom switch-controlled receptacle — also not allowed under the exception.
• Single switch at the bottom of a stairway — fails 210.70(A)(2)(c). A switch is required at each level.
• Two single-pole breakers on a multiwire circuit with no handle tie — fails 210.7. A handle tie or 2-pole breaker is required.
• Switch-controlled receptacle that does not meet 210.52(A) spacing — the switched receptacle still has to satisfy the spacing rule.
• GFCI breaker on a multiwire circuit — must be 2-pole; single-pole GFCI breakers cannot share a neutral.
• Attic light switch at the equipment but not at the entry — 210.70(C) requires the switch at the point of entry, with a light over the equipment.

Putting It All Together

Required lighting outlets tie together several rules you have seen in this chapter:

1. 210.70 tells you where a lighting outlet and switch are required.
2. 210.52(A) tells you where receptacles are required, including any switch-controlled receptacle used in lieu of a lighting outlet.
3. 210.7 and 240.15(B) govern the disconnecting means for multiwire branch circuits.
4. 210.8 and 210.12 govern protection (GFCI and AFCI) for the lighting/receptacle circuits.
5. 210.19/210.20 govern sizing of those circuits, and 240.4(D) caps the smallest conductors.

A single exam scenario can chain three or four of these rules — read the question carefully and work each rule in sequence.