Which Rooms Need a Dimmer or Vacancy Sensor Under Title 24?
Two rules split the house. Bathrooms, garages, laundry rooms, utility rooms and walk-in closets need at least one luminaire on an occupancy or vacancy sensor with automatic-off. Living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms need wall-mounted dimming. Hallways and ordinary closets need neither, and every room needs a readily accessible wall switch (Section 150.0(k)2).
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Room by room
- Sensor rooms. At least one luminaire per room, on either sensor type. The other lights in the room can stay on ordinary switches.
- Dimmer rooms. The dimmer can be built into the on/off control. Excepted are a circuit with under 20 watts of controlled lighting, lights on an automatic-off sensor, a ceiling fan’s light on a remote, range hood and bath fan lighting, night, step and path lights under 5 watts, and lit drawers and opaque cabinets that switch off when closed.
- Everything else. Section 100.1 leaves bathrooms, hallways, closets and utility rooms out of habitable space. The compliance manual says a hallway or non-walk-in closet may have a sensor or dimmer, but neither is required.
What the devices must do
A dimmer must cut lighting power by at least 65 per cent at its lowest setting, hold flicker under 30 per cent below 200 Hz, offer a true off and, in a three-way circuit, turn lights off and back on to the set level. A forward phase-cut dimmer on LEDs meets NEMA SSL 7A. A sensor turns lights off or down within 20 minutes of the room emptying and shows a status signal; a manual-on type gives a grace period of 15 to 30 seconds before it restores light (Section 110.9(b)).
Wiring rules that catch projects
- Three-way and four-way switching is allowed, but no other switch may bypass the dimmer or sensor.
- Under-cabinet, under-shelf and display-cabinet lights and switched outlets are controlled apart from the ceiling lighting, and a light built into a fan is controlled apart from the fan.
- Ceiling boxes more than five feet up with no luminaire cannot outnumber the bedrooms, and each is served by a dimmer, vacancy sensor, low-voltage wiring or fan speed control (Section 150.0(k)1E).
- An energy management system or multi-scene programmable control may supply the dimming or sensing, if it also provides the wall-mounted manual control.
When it applies
New homes, additions and any altered lighting. A replaced luminaire brings its controls with it, as replacing light fixtures explains. The kitchen and bathroom pages cover those rooms in depth, and outdoor lighting has its own controls. What a bulb must pass is on JA8 lighting.
Common Title 24 Questions
- When is Title 24 required for a home?
- Does a remodel need Title 24?
- Does a room addition need Title 24?
- What plans are needed for a residential Title 24 report?
- How much does a residential Title 24 report cost?
- How long does a residential Title 24 report take?
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Bedrooms are habitable space, which needs wall-mounted dimming. A luminaire on an automatic-off sensor is excepted from the dimmer rule, so a sensor can stand in.
No. Hallways are outside the habitable space definition, and the compliance manual says a dimmer or vacancy sensor there is allowed but not required.
Only if it provides the dimming or sensing function Section 110.9 specifies and the wall-mounted manual control. Section 150.0(k)2D allows an energy management control system or multi-scene programmable control on those terms.
Explore Building Permit Questions
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- How Big a Solar System Does a New Home Need Under Title 24?
View all Building Permit Questions guides → · Permits and Compliance · Title 24 guide