Dedicated Circuit
Also known as: Dedicated branch circuitSingle-purpose circuit
A dedicated circuit is one that serves a single high-power appliance or specific load, rather than a shared circuit serving multiple outlets across a room. Each dedicated circuit gets its own breaker in the main panel, its own dedicated wire run, and its own outlet (or hardwired connection) at the appliance.
Things that require a dedicated circuit per code: electric ranges, electric ovens, electric dryers, electric water heaters, central air conditioning units, microwaves above a certain wattage, garbage disposals (sometimes), bathroom heaters, EV chargers, sauna heaters, hot tubs, generators, electric heat pumps, induction cooktops.
When you're adding any major appliance — EV charger, induction range, heat pump — code requires its own dedicated circuit. Existing kitchen or laundry circuits weren't designed to share with these loads. A circuit that "works for now" by piggy-backing on an existing one will trip breakers, overheat wires, and eventually fail.
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