I was reading the 2023 NEC and found something about AFCI requirements that blew my mind

I was looking through the new code book a buddy left at the shop last Tuesday and saw that basically every room in a house now needs AFCI protection. I thought it was just bedrooms and living areas but they added kitchens and laundry rooms too. Has anyone else run into this on a recent rough-in and had to go back and swap breakers? I'm trying to figure out if the inspectors near me are actually enforcing it yet.

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_miller2511d ago

Yeah I noticed this same thing reading through the new code too. It feels like every few years they add another layer to these rules and pretty soon every outlet in the house will need its own special breaker. The thing that gets me is these changes seem to come from some big safety study in a lab somewhere, not from what actually happens in real houses day to day. My guess is most inspectors are still figuring out how strict to be with it, so I'd call the local building office before swapping everything out. Just seems like another way they keep pushing up the cost of new builds for minimal real world benefit.

robertb4711d ago

And before long we'll need a permit just to plug in a toaster.