NEC Article 210 Branch Circuits for Apprentices: Required Circuits, GFCI, AFCI and Load Limits (2026 NEC)

Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. This page explains Article 210 in our own words and does not reproduce NEC text. Read the actual rules in your own 2026 NEC; for real installations, follow the code adopted by your authority having jurisdiction, local amendments, equipment instructions and your licensed supervisor.

Which NEC applies in Texas

TDLR adopted the 2026 NEC as the Texas electrical code effective September 1, 2026, with a limited exception for GFCI protection on certain outdoor outlets (TDLR rule adoption notice). The adopted rule, 16 TAC §73.100(b), adopts “Exception No. 2” to NEC 210.8(F), the exception for listed HVAC equipment, without an expiration date. The 2026 NEC’s own version of that exception was set to expire on September 1, 2026. The Texas Register adoption notice says the rule was adopted without changes to the proposed text (Texas Register adoption, August 28, 2026; Texas Register proposal with the rule text, March 20, 2026).

TDLR’s exam page says Texas electrician exams are open book with the 2026 NEC, and questions are based on the TDLR-adopted edition (TDLR exam page). Whether exam questions reflect the Texas HVAC exception is not stated. Check TDLR if it matters for your test.

Article 210 map

Topic	Where to look (2026 NEC)	What an apprentice should know
Circuit rating	210.18	For a conventional branch circuit, the overcurrent device determines the branch-circuit rating. Conductor ampacity, load requirements, equipment limitations, and applicable NEC exceptions must also be checked
GFCI protection	210.8	Lists the locations that need GFCI protection, including many dwelling locations and outdoor outlets
Required dwelling circuits	210.11(C)	Small-appliance, laundry and bathroom circuits, each 20 amperes
AFCI protection	210.12	Covers 120-volt, 15- and 20-ampere dwelling circuits feeding most living areas, bedrooms included
Conductor size	210.19	Conductors carry 125% of the continuous load plus the noncontinuous load
Receptacle rating	210.21	A single receptacle on an individual circuit must be rated at least as high as the circuit
Permissible loads	210.23	Limits on one cord-and-plug load, and on fastened-in-place equipment sharing a circuit
Receptacle locations	210.52	Wall spacing, kitchen countertops, bathrooms, outdoors and more
Lighting outlets	210.70	Where a dwelling needs a switched lighting outlet

Use this map to find the relevant rules in your 2026 NEC; the full code provisions and applicable exceptions govern actual installations.

A City of Denison summary highlights two changes to study in the 2026 NEC: GFCI protection for dwelling outdoor outlets now reaches circuits up to 60 amperes instead of 50, and receptacles may not be placed within 24 inches below the countertop surface of a kitchen island or peninsula, with an exception for receptacles in drawers. These are highlights from the city’s summary; use the adopted code text for installation details (City of Denison 2026 NEC summary).

How to classify a dwelling branch circuit

Ask four questions in order:

1. What does it serve? General lighting, small-appliance receptacles, laundry, bathroom, a single appliance, or something else.
2. What is its rating? Check the rating of the overcurrent device protecting the circuit, then confirm the conductors and equipment suit it.
3. Where are its outlets? The room list in 210.8 decides GFCI; the list in 210.12 decides AFCI. Many dwelling circuits need both.
4. What load will it carry? Determine whether a load meets the NEC definition of a continuous load, generally one expected to operate at maximum current for three hours or more. Then check the applicable branch-circuit load limits and exceptions.

Worked examples

Example 1: kitchen countertop receptacles

A straight 10-foot (120-inch) countertop along one wall, in a new house.

1. Classification: small-appliance branch circuit, 20 amperes. A dwelling kitchen needs at least two of them.
2. Protection: kitchen countertop receptacles need GFCI protection, and kitchen outlets need AFCI protection.
3. Spacing: no point along the countertop wall may be more than 24 inches, measured horizontally, from a receptacle outlet. So the end receptacles sit no more than 24 inches from each end, and receptacles sit no more than 48 inches apart.
4. To find the minimum number of receptacle outlets for this straight, uninterrupted countertop, use the maximum coverage length: 24 inches at each end plus up to 48 inches between adjacent outlets. Solving 24 + 48 × (n − 1) + 24 ≥ 120 gives a minimum of three outlets. Their actual locations must still satisfy the spacing rule.
5. Check: receptacles at 24, 60 and 96 inches. The farthest any point gets is 24 inches at the ends and 18 inches in each gap (the 36-inch gaps split in half). Three works.

Example 2: a continuous lighting load

An outdoor lighting circuit carries 13 amperes for more than 3 hours at a time.

1. Conductor ampacity needed: 13 × 1.25 = 16.25 amperes.
2. Under the usual small-conductor overcurrent-protection rule (240.4(D)), 14 AWG copper is limited to a 15-ampere device unless a specific NEC provision permits otherwise. This example requires at least 16.25 amperes before selecting the final conductor and protective device, so 14 AWG is too small here.
3. 12 AWG copper on a 20-ampere breaker works: the overcurrent device follows the same 125% sizing, 16.25 rounds up to the standard 20-ampere size, and 12 AWG copper may be protected at 20 amperes.
4. Check from the other side: for a typical circuit whose overcurrent device is not listed for 100% continuous loading, a 20-ampere circuit can generally carry up to 20 × 0.80 = 16 amperes of continuous load, and 13 is less than 16. Check the equipment listing and code exceptions.

Example 3: sharing a 20-ampere circuit

A 20-ampere, 120-volt circuit supplies bedroom lighting and receptacles. For this simplified exercise, assume someone proposes adding permanently connected, fastened-in-place equipment rated at 11 amperes.

1. For a cord-and-plug-connected load that meets the applicable conditions of Section 210.23, this exercise uses an 80% individual-load limit: 20 × 0.80 = 16 amperes. Confirm the specific equipment and circuit conditions before applying that limit.
2. Fastened-in-place equipment on a circuit that also feeds lighting or other outlets: at most 50% in total, 20 × 0.50 = 10 amperes.
3. In this simplified example, 11 amperes exceeds the 10-ampere limit calculated for the specified fastened-in-place equipment. Actual room air conditioners have additional requirements, including Article 440 and applicable branch-circuit provisions, which must be checked separately.

Check yourself

These practice questions are our own. Cover the answers and try them with your code book.

1. A 20-ampere breaker feeds 10 AWG conductors, upsized for voltage drop. What is the circuit rating? Answer: 20 amperes. The breaker sets the rating.
2. A 15-ampere multiple-outlet circuit supplies one cord-and-plug load that is subject to the 80% individual-load limit. What is the largest load? Answer: 12 amperes (15 × 0.80).
3. A 9-ampere continuous load needs what minimum conductor ampacity before adjustments? Answer: 11.25 amperes (9 × 1.25).
4. A 7-foot (84-inch) countertop wall: how many receptacles at minimum? Answer: 2. Check: 24 + 48 × (n − 1) + 24 ≥ 84 gives n − 1 ≥ 0.75, so n = 2, at 24 and 60 inches.
5. Who decides whether a Texas outdoor HVAC outlet needs GFCI protection? Answer: The Texas-adopted code. TDLR kept the listed-HVAC exception to 210.8(F) without an expiration date.

FAQ

Sources checked October 2026

• TDLR rule adoption notice, 2026 NEC: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/news/rulemaking/2026/09/01/commission-adopts-rules-12/
• Texas Register, adopted amendment to 16 TAC §73.100 (August 28, 2026): https://www.sos.texas.gov/texreg/archive/August282026/Adopted%20Rules/16.ECONOMIC%20REGULATION.html
• Texas Register, proposed amendment to 16 TAC §73.100 (March 20, 2026): https://www.sos.texas.gov/texreg/archive/March202026/Proposed%20Rules/16.ECONOMIC%20REGULATION.html
• TDLR exam page: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/elecexam.htm
• PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for TDLR (updated 9/15/2026): https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/1682
• City of Denison, 2026 NEC significant changes: https://denisontx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4131/2026-National-Electrical-Code-Significant-Changes
• NFPA 70 (NEC), 2026 edition, read in your own copy: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-70-standard-development/70