Garmaine Staff asked 2 years ago
I live in Florida. According to the Florida Residential Building Codes (2017):
E3703.3 Laundry circuit. A minimum of one 20-ampere-rated branch circuit shall be provided for receptacles located in the laundry area and shall serve only receptacle outlets located in the laundry area. [210.11(C)(2)]
Can this circuit also supply overhead lighting in the laundry room, and also adjacent rooms? I ask because the definition of a receptacle outlet is defined as (Chapter 35):
RECEPTACLE. A receptacle is a contact device installed at the outlet for the connection of an attachment plug. A single receptacle is a single contact device with no other contact device on the same yoke. A multiple receptacle is two or more contact devices on the same yoke.
RECEPTACLE OUTLET. An outlet where one or more receptacles are installed.
At first glance I would say laundry code reads as ...shall serve only receptacle outlets, and those receptacle outlets shall be located in the laundry area.
However, immediately following, the FBC goes on to define bathroom circuits:
E3703.4 Bathroom branch circuits. A minimum of one 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets. [210.11(C)(3)]
Exception: Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same bathroom shall be permitted to be supplied in accordance with Section E3702. [210.11(C)(3) Exception)
This specifically calls out "outlets", which I believe includes overhead lighting — but, in the laundry room, it calls out receptacle outlets.
OUTLET. A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment.
Does this mean that, receptacle outlets excluded, the dedicated laundry circuit can still supply outlets in other rooms? Particularly shared lighting? Can it provide lighting in the laundry room?
EDIT: I guess my confusion comes from the code specifically mentioning a limitation on receptacle outlets but not outlets in general, as to where the bathroom code, which does the same, specifically calls out that Such circuits shall have no other outlets whereas laundry does not make this very specific point.
EDIT 2: Here is the Florida Building Codes