Building Code Glossary
Continuous Load: Building Code Definition
How the IRC 2009 define continuous load, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.
On this page
Last updated September 7, 2026 · Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.
Direct answer
Continuous load is a defined term in the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009, in Electrical Definitions. The code's own words are: “A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IRC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 9 chapters of this corpus, most often in Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements (IRC 2009), Roof-ceiling Construction (IRC 2009), Wood (IBC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. Record the jurisdiction, the adopted edition, the application date and any local amendment that rewrites the definition before you use it on a live project, because a term redefined by amendment changes every requirement that depends on it.
Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.
What does this term mean?
Continuous Load — IRC 2009, Electrical Definitions:
A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.
What must be verified before using this guidance?
Continuous Load is defined once in this corpus, in the Electrical Definitions chapter of the International Residential Code (IRC) 2009:
A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.
Where continuous load is used in the code
The term appears in 9 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.
| Chapter | Code | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements | IRC 2009 | 7 |
| Roof-ceiling Construction | IRC 2009 | 5 |
| Wood | IBC 2009 | 4 |
| Wall Construction | IRC 2009 | 4 |
| Accessibility | IBC 2009 | 2 |
| General Plumbing Requirements | IRC 2009 | 2 |
| Structural Design | IBC 2009 | 1 |
| General Regulations | IPC 2009 | 1 |
| Electrical Definitions | IRC 2009 | 1 |
The term in use
How the code actually writes about continuous load, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:
Where a branch circuit or a feeder supplies continuous loads or any combination of continuous and noncontinuous loads, the minimum branch-circuit or feeder conductor size, before the application of any adjustment or correction factors, shall have an allowable ampacity equal to or greater than the noncontinuous load plus 125 percent of the continuous load.
Hip support columns shall have a continuous load path to the foundation and shall be supported at the ceiling line by an interior wall or by an approved design for a supporting element.
Where wall framing members are not continuous from foundation sill to roof, the members shall be secured to ensure a continuous load path.
Continuous Load: what to open, and in what order
Every row is a document this term depends on. The ICC code library and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.
| Check | Where | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Read the definition in the adopted IRC | Electrical Definitions | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements (IRC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Roof-ceiling Construction (IRC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Wood (IBC 2009) | |
| Re-check the requirement that uses it | Wall Construction (IRC 2009) | |
| Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list |
A research aid, not a code determination. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.
Where can you explore related guidance?
- Explore all glossary guidance
- Appliance: Building Code Definition
- Plenum: Building Code Definition
- Outlet: Building Code Definition
- Bathroom: Building Code Definition
Sources and method
Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The ICC code library publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.
Source links
Frequently asked questions
What is the code definition of continuous load?
The International Residential Code (IRC) 2009 defines it in Electrical Definitions as: “A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.
Which parts of the code depend on continuous load?
In this corpus the term is used across 9 chapters, led by Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements in the IRC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.
What does the NEC 125% rule for continuous loads mean?
Loads is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement and restrained dimensional changes. Permanent loads are those loads in which variations over time are rare or of small magnitude, such as dead loads. All …” That is not the same as continuous load, which the IRC 2009 defines as “A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
What is an example of A continuous load?
In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IRC 2009 states, in Electrical Definitions: “A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.” It is defined in IRC 2009. Because it is a defined term, whatever the adopted edition says it means is what every section using it means — so check Chapter 2 of that edition and any local amendment before relying on this wording.
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