Basement stairway
What's wrong here?
- The stairway light has a switch at the top but none at the bottom
- A receptacle is required at the bottom landing of the stairway
- Stairway lighting must be a ceiling-mounted luminaire, not a wall fixture
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
The stairway light is controlled only by the switch at the top; there is no wall switch at the basement level, and this stair has 13 risers.
Correct choice: 1. The stairway light has a switch at the top but none at the bottom
210.70(A)(2)(3) requires that where lighting outlets are installed for an interior stairway with six or more risers between floor levels, a listed wall-mounted control device (an ordinary wall switch qualifies) be provided at each floor level, and at each landing level that includes an entryway, to control them. Here someone coming up from the basement has to climb thirteen risers in the dark to reach the only switch. The usual fix is a pair of three-way switches. The exception to 210.70(A)(2)(1) through (3) permits remote, central, or automatic control (an occupancy sensor covering the stair, for example) in stairways, but none is shown here.
How to fix it
Install a second switch at the foot of the stairs and convert both to three-way switches (with a 3-conductor cable between them), or use a listed occupancy or remote control arrangement that controls the light from both levels.
Code reference
NEC 2023 210.70(A)(2)(3) — Additional Locations
Where lighting outlets are installed for an interior stairway with six or more risers between floor levels, a listed wall-mounted control device is required at each floor level, and at each landing level that includes an entryway, to control them. An exception permits remote, central, or automatic control of lighting in hallways, stairways, and at outdoor entrances.
Drills citing 210.70(A)(2)(3)
2026 NEC:same rule and number. No 2026 change to the stairway rule turned up: a listed wall-mounted control device is still required at each floor level and at each landing level with an entry, for interior stairways with six or more risers, and the remote, central, or automatic control exception remains. Some sources word the landing condition as 'a stairway entry'; whether that is new 2026 wording is not confirmed, and it would not change this answer. Confidence: low
Minnesota
Minnesota adopted the 2023 NEC without amendment as the Minnesota Electrical Code (Minn. Rules 1315.0200; Minn. Stat. 326B.35), effective July 1, 2023, so no Minnesota amendment to 210.70 exists. The Board of Electricity has since adopted the 2026 NEC, also without amendment, for permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026; this drill follows the 2023 text, which governs permits filed before that date.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- A receptacle is required at the bottom landing of the stairway. No receptacle is required at a stair landing. The 10 ft rule in 210.52(H) covers hallways, not stairways, and the receptacle an unfinished basement needs under 210.52(G)(3) can be anywhere in that space.
- Stairway lighting must be a ceiling-mounted luminaire, not a wall fixture. 210.70(A)(2) requires lighting outlets controlled by listed wall-mounted control devices; it does not say whether the luminaire is on the wall or the ceiling.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. With six or more risers between floor levels, the stairway lighting needs a wall-mounted control at each floor level with an entryway (210.70(A)(2)(3)). There is none at the basement end.