Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) are an important electrical fire prevention and safety requirement of the National Electrical Code (NEC®), which first required them in 1999. AFCIs help protect individuals and families from injuries and/or death by detecting dangerous arcing in damaged electrical wires and shutting down an electrical system before a fire can start
In the 2026 edition of the NEC®, Section 210.12 requires arc-fault circuit-interrupter (AFCI) protection for all 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices in almost every room of a residential home including dwelling unit kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, or similar rooms or areas.
Nationwide, residential and electrical code adoption committees have continued to update individual state code requirements to the NEC®.
This section of AFCISafety.org provides additional factual materials for code committees, state leaders and others to consider as individual code standards are reviewed and updated to meet the 2026 NEC® AFCI requirements.
- AFCI Issue Brief | One-pager
- AFCI Infographic-Mythbusters | One-pager
- AFCI Infographic
- Seeing Is Believing Video