Special Occupancies and Residential-Specific Requirements
Domain 6 applies general rules to the rooms inspectors examine hardest: kitchens, bathrooms, garages, basements, and pool areas. The questions usually hinge on which circuit may serve which outlet.
Kitchens and laundry
210.11(C)(1) requires two or more 20 A small-appliance branch circuits for kitchen, pantry, and dining receptacles; these circuits may serve only receptacle outlets plus permitted loads such as a clock or range hood. 210.11(C)(2) requires a 20 A laundry circuit. Countertop receptacles must meet 210.52(C) spacing and be GFCI protected under 210.8(A).
Bathrooms
210.11(C)(3) requires a 20 A branch circuit supplying bathroom receptacles. It may supply only bathroom receptacles, or other outlets in that same bathroom if the dwelling has only one bathroom. All bathroom receptacles require GFCI protection per 210.8(A)(1).
Garages, basements, and outdoors
210.52(G)(1) requires at least one receptacle in an attached garage, and 210.8(A) requires GFCI protection for garage receptacles, including a ceiling receptacle for a door opener. Unfinished basements and crawl spaces follow similar GFCI rules. 210.70(A)(2)(a) requires a lighting outlet in the garage, and equipment rooms need one as well.
Pools and hot tubs
Article 680 governs. 680.22 requires at least one GFCI receptacle within 6 to 20 ft of the pool wall, 680.21(C) requires GFCI protection for pool pump motors, 680.12 requires a disconnecting means within sight of the equipment and at least 5 ft from the pool wall, and 680.26 requires equipotential bonding of shells, metal parts, and perimeter surfaces with a solid copper conductor. Outdoor hot tubs follow 680.42.
Worked example
A house has three bathrooms. Each bathroom gets GFCI receptacles, but the 20 A bathroom circuit may not leave any bathroom. So each bathroom needs its own circuit, or bathrooms may share a circuit only if every outlet on it is a bathroom receptacle.
Traps
Tapping bathroom receptacles from a bedroom circuit; omitting GFCI on a garage ceiling receptacle; confusing the 20 A bathroom circuit rule with the 6 ft sink rule; forgetting bonding on a pool with a vinyl liner and metal handrails.