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Building Code Reference

Got a CEC 210.11(C) correction?

Required dwelling branch circuits

For builders in California, Greater Seattle, the Las Vegas area, the Denver area and Kansas City · CrossBeam Permits

What this code requires, how to fix it, and how cities and counties review it

What this code requires

CEC 210.11(C) is the California Electrical Code section that requires every dwelling to have dedicated branch circuits for small appliances, laundry, and bathrooms — separate from the general lighting circuits. At minimum, the code calls for two 20-amp small-appliance circuits in the kitchen and dining area, one 20-amp laundry circuit, and one 20-amp bathroom circuit. These circuits can't be shared with lighting loads or other rooms. Most single-family residential and ADU electrical plans get flagged when these circuits are missing from the panel schedule or load calculation.

How to fix it

  1. Audit your panel schedule for the required circuits

    Pull your panel schedule and look for: (1) two separate 20-amp breakers labeled for small-appliance use in the kitchen/dining area, (2) one 20-amp breaker labeled exclusively for laundry, (3) one 20-amp breaker labeled for bathroom receptacles, and (4) where there is a garage with power, one 20-amp garage receptacle breaker per 210.11(C)(4). If any of these are missing, combined with other loads, or not at 20 amps, mark them for revision before resubmitting. This is a quick scan — most corrections can be spotted in under five minutes on the panel schedule.

  2. Add two dedicated 20-amp small-appliance circuits

    CEC 210.11(C)(1) requires at least two 20-amp small-appliance branch circuits for receptacle outlets in the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, and dining room. Each circuit must be a dedicated 20-amp breaker — 15-amp is not acceptable here. Update the panel schedule to show two breakers labeled 'Kitchen Small Appliance 1' and 'Kitchen Small Appliance 2' (or equivalent). Note on the plans that these circuits supply only kitchen and dining area receptacles — no lighting loads, no other rooms.

  3. Add a dedicated 20-amp laundry circuit

    CEC 210.11(C)(2) requires one 20-amp branch circuit for laundry receptacle outlets. This circuit must serve only the laundry area — it cannot supply any other outlets or lighting loads. Add a 20-amp breaker to your panel schedule labeled 'Laundry.' On the floor plan, show the laundry receptacle connected to this dedicated circuit. If the laundry room is shared with another room (like a hallway closet), make clear in the notes that the circuit only serves the laundry receptacle.

  4. Add a dedicated 20-amp bathroom circuit

    CEC 210.11(C)(3) requires at least one 20-amp circuit for bathroom receptacle outlets. The circuit can supply receptacle outlets in multiple bathrooms, but it cannot supply outlets outside any bathroom — no hallway outlets, and no lighting unless the circuit serves only a single bathroom. Add a 20-amp breaker labeled 'Bathroom Receptacles.' If you have two bathrooms fed from this single circuit, add a note on the electrical plan clarifying that all outlets on this breaker are bathroom receptacles only. This avoids a second correction.

  5. Update the load calculation to reflect the new circuits

    When you add dedicated circuits, your load calculation changes. Update the load calc sheet to include the small-appliance circuits at 1,500 VA each (that's the standard NEC/CEC demand load per 20-amp small-appliance circuit), plus the laundry circuit at 1,500 VA. These are required loads under CEC Article 220 — they must appear in the calculation even if the actual connected load is lower. Skipping this step on a resubmit often triggers a second correction on the load calculation sheet.

  6. Label circuits clearly on the floor plan

    Plan-checkers cross-reference the panel schedule against the floor plan. Make sure each required circuit has a corresponding circuit identifier on the floor plan (e.g., 'SA-1', 'SA-2', 'LY', 'BA') and that those identifiers match the panel schedule exactly. If the floor plan shows receptacles without circuit labels, or if labels don't match the panel schedule, the checker will flag the discrepancy. A clean, cross-referenced set is the fastest path through plan check.

  7. Verify compliance for ADUs and accessory structures

    ADUs are dwelling units under the code and must meet the same 210.11(C) requirements as the main house. A kitchen in an ADU requires two dedicated 20-amp small-appliance circuits. If the ADU has a laundry hook-up, add a dedicated 20-amp laundry circuit. If it has a bathroom, add a dedicated 20-amp bathroom circuit. These can't share a panel or breaker with the main house. Many ADU plan sets get flagged because the plans were adapted from a room addition template that doesn't include a full kitchen or laundry — check this before you submit.

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Why you got flagged

Here's why plan-checkers flag this section. The most common trigger is a panel schedule that doesn't show the three required circuits as separate, dedicated breakers. Some contractors list a single 'kitchen circuit' on the plan without splitting out the two required 20-amp small-appliance circuits — the plan-checker sees one line item where there should be two, and the correction goes out.

The second common scenario is a laundry circuit that's shared with a lighting or receptacle circuit elsewhere in the house. CEC 210.11(C)(2) requires the laundry circuit to serve only that space — nothing else rides on it. If your panel schedule shows 'Laundry/Hallway lights' on a single 20-amp breaker, that's a correction. Same issue comes up in ADU plans when the laundry hook-up is added at the last minute and the drafter doesn't add a dedicated breaker.

Bathroom circuits get flagged for a similar reason. CEC 210.11(C)(3) requires at least one 20-amp circuit for bathroom receptacles, and it can't supply any outlets outside the bathroom. If your plan shows bath receptacles sharing a circuit with a hallway outlet or a lighting circuit, that's a red flag. Multi-bathroom layouts sometimes have one circuit feeding two bathrooms — that's allowed under the code if all the outlets on the circuit are in bathrooms, but the plan has to make that clear or the checker will flag it.

On remodel and addition permits, the correction often surfaces because the existing panel schedule on the as-built drawings doesn't reflect the required circuits. Even if the circuits exist in the field, the plan-checker needs to see them documented. If the electrical plans were drawn from a template that doesn't include a panel schedule, or if the panel schedule was copied from the original permit without updates, the dedicated circuits may simply not appear.

The official code

CEC 210.11(C) — Required Branch Circuits for Dwelling Units (up.codes viewer)

Read the source →

Common questions

Does CEC 210.11(C) apply to ADUs?
Yes. An ADU is a dwelling unit under the California Electrical Code, and 210.11(C) applies in full. That means if the ADU has a kitchen, it needs two dedicated 20-amp small-appliance circuits. If it has a laundry hook-up, add a dedicated 20-amp laundry circuit. If it has a bathroom, add a dedicated 20-amp bathroom circuit. These can't share a panel or breaker with the main house. ADU electrical plans get flagged on this section frequently because the plans are sometimes adapted from a simple room addition template — check that your panel schedule is complete before submitting.
Can one 20-amp circuit cover both bathrooms in a two-bath house?
Yes, with a condition. CEC 210.11(C)(3) allows a single 20-amp circuit to supply receptacle outlets in more than one bathroom, as long as the circuit supplies only bathroom receptacle outlets and nothing outside a bathroom. No hallway outlets, no lighting, no other rooms. If your plan shows a single 20-amp bathroom circuit serving both bathrooms with no other loads, that's compliant. Just make that clear in the notes on your electrical plan so the plan-checker doesn't have to guess.
What amperage is required for small-appliance branch circuits?
20 amps. CEC 210.11(C)(1) explicitly requires each of the two small-appliance branch circuits to be rated at 20 amps. A 15-amp circuit does not satisfy this requirement. The circuits are intended for countertop appliances like toasters, microwaves, and coffee makers, which commonly draw 10-15 amps at startup. The two-circuit minimum prevents overloading from running multiple appliances at once.
Do the small-appliance circuits have to stay inside the kitchen?
No. CEC 210.11(C)(1) covers receptacle outlets in the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, and similar areas. The circuits don't have to stay inside the kitchen walls as long as all the outlets on them are in those listed spaces. What you can't do is run a small-appliance circuit into a bedroom, living room, or hallway. On open-plan layouts where the kitchen and dining area flow together, that's usually fine — just label the circuits on the floor plan to show which receptacles are on which circuit.
Can the laundry circuit share a breaker with the dryer outlet?
No — they're separate. The laundry circuit under CEC 210.11(C)(2) covers the washing machine receptacle outlet. A dryer requires its own dedicated circuit: 240V/30A for an electric dryer (covered separately under CEC Article 422). These are two different breakers in the panel. If your panel schedule lumps the washer and dryer onto a single breaker labeled 'Laundry,' the plan-checker will flag it. Separate them on the panel schedule.
Does a garage laundry hook-up need a dedicated circuit?
Yes. CEC 210.11(C)(2) requires a dedicated 20-amp laundry circuit wherever laundry receptacle outlets are installed in a dwelling, regardless of location. If your remodel moves the laundry from a dedicated room to the garage, the electrical plan needs to show a new dedicated 20-amp circuit for the washer outlet. A utility sink in the garage alone doesn't trigger the requirement, but a washing machine connection does.
What if I forget to show these circuits on my electrical plan?
You'll get a corrections letter citing CEC 210.11(C). That means a resubmit and another review cycle — which typically runs 60 days. The fix is usually straightforward: update the panel schedule to show the dedicated circuits, cross-reference them on the floor plan, and update the load calculation. But you still have to go through the full resubmit process. Getting the electrical plans right before you submit is a lot cheaper than finding out after.

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