For Electricians · Free · No Email Required

NEC 2026 Code Translator

The 2026 NEC moved load calculations out of Article 220 and into Article 120. Type the section number you know and get the one you need, plus what actually changed.

Enter a 2023 section number like 220.41, a 2026 number like 120.82, or a word like dryer, EVSE or optional.

Section number or keyword

2023 NEC	2026 NEC	Covers	What changed	Checked
220.1	120.1	Scope	Scope of the load calculation article. Informational Note 120.1 carries a figure showing the new layout.	ConfirmedECM
220.3	Table 120.4	Specific purpose calculations	References to calculation rules that sit outside the article, such as fixed resistance heaters at 425.4. Became a table.	ConfirmedECM
220.5(A)	120.5(A)	Standard voltages	Unchanged. Use the standard voltages unless another is specified.	ConfirmedECM
220.5(B)	120.5(B)	Rounding	Unchanged. Fractions of an ampere round to whole amperes.	ConfirmedECM
220.5(C)	120.5(C)	Floor area	Outside dimensions, excluding open porches and similar. 2026 confirms non habitable detached structures stay out.	ConfirmedECM
220.5	120.5(D)	DC equivalent	Use VA in place of watts for direct current loads.	ConfirmedECM
220.5	120.5(E)	Continuous loads	NEW statement. Load calculations are not required to apply the 125 percent multiplier. It still applies to conductor and OCPD sizing.	ConfirmedECM
220.60	120.6	Noncoincident loads	Simplified. Only the single largest of the loads that cannot run together goes in the total.	ConfirmedECM
Article 750	120.7	Power control systems	NEW. PCS recognised in its own right. 120.7(A) requires compliance with Article 130, Part II. The PCS setpoint counts as a continuous load.	ConfirmedECM
220.10	120.10	Index to the article	The pointer section telling you where each load type lives.	Pattern
220.12	120.12	General lighting, non dwelling	Unit loads by occupancy. Table 220.12 became Table 120.12.	ConfirmedKeentel
(new)	120.13	Branch circuit load, dwelling	NEW section. Branch circuit quantity for a dwelling still uses 3 VA per square foot, so lowering 120.41 does not reduce the circuit count.	ConfirmedECM
220.14	120.14	Specific branch circuit loads	Outlet and specific equipment loads. Dryers keep the 5,000 VA minimum. The 180 VA per receptacle rule for non dwellings sits at 120.14(I).	ConfirmedKopperfield
220.52	120.52	Small appliance and laundry	Unchanged. 1,500 VA for each 20 A small appliance and laundry branch circuit.	Pattern
220.40	120.40	Feeder and service, general	The general requirement that the calculated load is not less than the sum of the branch circuit loads.	Pattern
220.41	120.41	Dwelling unit, minimum unit load	CHANGED. 3 VA per square foot became 2 VA per square foot for feeder and service calculations. A 33 percent cut.	ConfirmedECM
220.42	120.42	General lighting by occupancy	Non dwelling unit loads. Table 220.42(A) became Table 120.42(A).	Pattern
220.44	120.44	Receptacle loads, non dwelling	The demand factor applied to non dwelling receptacle load. Easy to forget and it is still here.	Pattern
220.45	120.45	Lighting demand factors	Unchanged in substance. First 3,000 VA at 100 percent, up to 120,000 at 35 percent, remainder at 25 percent.	ConfirmedThe Electric Times
220.50	120.50	Motors	Motor loads, routing to 430.24 and 430.25 for the sizing basis. The 25 percent largest motor adder lives here.	Pattern
220.53	120.53	Appliance demand factors	Conceptually unchanged. 75 percent where four or more appliances of 1/4 hp or 500 W and above are present.	ConfirmedKopperfield
220.54	120.54	Electric clothes dryers	CHANGED. Table simplified. Three and four dryers fell from 100 percent to 80 percent, and five fell from 85 to 80.	ConfirmedNFPA errata
220.55	120.55	Ranges and cooking appliances	Unchanged. Columns A, B and C, with Note 1 adding 5 percent per kW above 12.	Confirmednecmastery
220.56	120.56	Kitchen equipment	EXPANDED. Now takes in instantaneous electric water heaters alongside commercial kitchen equipment, so they qualify for demand factor treatment.	ConfirmedKopperfield
220.57	120.57	Electric vehicle supply equipment	CHANGED. Was the larger of 7,200 VA or nameplate. Now the nameplate rating where it is known, otherwise 7,200 VA. Calculated at 100 percent, not 125.	ConfirmedMike Holt
220.61	120.61	Neutral load	Feeder and service neutral, including the 70 percent reduction on the portion above 200 A.	Pattern
220.82	120.82	Optional method, dwelling unit	CHANGED. First tier fell from 10 kVA to 8 kVA at 100 percent. Remainder still 40 percent.	ConfirmedECM
(new)	120.82(D)	Optional method, EVSE	NEW. EVSE is calculated at 100 percent on top of the tiered load instead of being run through the 40 percent remainder.	ConfirmedMike Holt
220.83	120.83	Existing dwelling unit	CHANGED. Multi table structure replaced by one table. New load demand factors added: new EVSE 80 percent, new central electric resistance heat 80 percent, all other new load 50 percent.	ConfirmedMike Holt
220.84	120.84	Optional, multifamily	Optional calculation for a multifamily dwelling.	Pattern
220.85	120.85	Two dwelling units	Where two dwelling units are supplied by one feeder or service.	Pattern
220.86	120.86	Optional, schools	Optional calculation for school buildings.	Pattern
220.87	120.87	Existing loads	CHANGED. Loads being removed may now be subtracted when you evaluate whether new load fits.	Confirmedtrueloadapp
220.88	120.88	Optional, new restaurants	Optional calculation for new restaurants.	Pattern
220.100	120.100	Farm loads, general	Part covering farm load calculations.	Pattern
220.102	120.102	Farm, individual buildings		Pattern
220.103	120.103	Farm, total load		Pattern
220.110	120.110	Health care, receptacles	Demand factors brought in from Article 517 in the 2023 reorganisation.	Pattern
220.120	120.120	Marinas and docking facilities	Demand factors brought in from Article 555 in the 2023 reorganisation.	Pattern

Confirmed means the mapping is corroborated by a named published source. Pattern means it follows the 220.X to 120.X renumbering but I have not seen it individually confirmed in print, so check it in the book before you cite it. Adoption and publication are different dates. Confirm which edition your AHJ enforces, and remember local amendments override the national text.

The change that fails inspections

Under the 2026 NEC a dwelling uses two different unit loads, and they are not interchangeable. Feeder and service sizing uses 2 VA per square foot under 120.41. Branch circuit quantity still uses 3 VA per square foot under the new 120.13, which was added specifically so that lowering the service figure would not quietly reduce the number of circuits a house gets.

Use 2 for both and you will short the circuit count. Use 3 for both and you will oversize the service and lose the benefit of the change. The two numbers live in the same calculation and do different jobs.

What else actually moved

The optional method tier dropped from 10 kVA to 8 kVA at 100 percent under 120.82, so more of the load falls into the 40 percent band. EV charger rules changed twice over: 120.57 now accepts the nameplate rating where it is known rather than forcing the larger of 7,200 VA or nameplate, and the new 120.82(D) adds EVSE at 100 percent on top of the optional method tier instead of running it through the remainder.

For retrofits, 120.83 is where the code does the most work. The old multi table structure is replaced by a single table plus demand factors for newly added load: EV charging equipment at 80 percent, new central electric resistance heat at 80 percent, and everything else new at 50 percent. Those apply to the new load only, never to what is already there. And 120.87 now lets you subtract loads you are removing when you work out whether the new load fits.

Why the table says Confirmed or Pattern

Most of what is written online about the 2026 renumbering is generated, and some of it is wrong. While building our load calculation workbook we found three pages that contradicted each other on a single table number. So every row here carries a label. Confirmed means a named source backs it. Pattern means it follows the renumbering convention and nothing more.

That is a less confident page than the ones competing for this search. It is also an honest one, and if you are citing a section on a permit submittal the difference matters.

Before you use any of it

Publication is not adoption. Plenty of jurisdictions are still enforcing the 2020 or 2023 NEC, and many that have adopted the 2026 edition have amended it locally. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before you put a section number on a drawing, and keep in mind that the licensed person signing the work owns the result.

Common questions

Did the 2026 NEC really renumber Article 220?

Yes. Load calculations moved out of Article 220 and into Article 120, in Chapter 1. Nearly every section number changed, and most of them follow the pattern 220.X becomes 120.X.

What is the biggest calculation change in the 2026 NEC?

The dwelling unit load for feeder and service calculations fell from 3 VA per square foot to 2 VA per square foot under 120.41. On a 2,000 square foot house that is 6,000 VA down to 4,000 before demand factors.

Do branch circuits still use 3 VA per square foot?

Yes, and this is the trap. Feeder and service sizing uses 2 VA per square foot under 120.41, while branch circuit quantity still uses 3 VA per square foot under the new 120.13. Two different unit loads in the same dwelling. Use 2 for both and you will short the circuit count.

What changed for EV chargers?

Two things. Under 120.57 the minimum was the larger of 7,200 VA or nameplate, and it is now the nameplate rating where it is known. And the new 120.82(D) adds EVSE at 100 percent on top of the optional method tier instead of running it through the 40 percent remainder.

Does this mean I should use the 2026 NEC on my next job?

Only if your jurisdiction has adopted it. Publication and adoption are different dates, plenty of places are still enforcing the 2020 or 2023 edition, and local amendments override the national text. Confirm with your AHJ before you submit anything.

Running the calculation, not just the number

This page tells you where a section went. If you need to actually produce a load calculation an inspector will accept, the Residential Load Calculation Workbook runs both the 2023 and 2026 editions off a single switch, applies the right unit load, tier and demand factors for the edition you pick, and prints a permit sheet with the code basis on it.

See the workbook →