I have 4 wires in the ceiling box-red, black, white and copper ground
There are 3 in the fixture- black, white and ground. How do I wire them?

How many switches for this ceiling box? Usually a red and a black would indicate 2, wired so a fan and light can be controlled separately. If you have 2 hot leads, connect black to black, white to white and grounds, cap off the red and put back in ceiling box.

Ma, now that a Neutral is required at most switch outlets, the presence of a three wire cable might mean that there is only one switch.

Red to the supply of the switch, black return and Neutral at the switch outlet.

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Ma, now that a Neutral is required at most switch outlets, the presence of a three wire cable might mean that there is only one switch.

Red to the supply of the switch, black return and Neutral at the switch outlet.

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If all he has in the ceiling is black, red and white, how is this possible?
What you describe is a switch loop which would obviously require at least two cables in the ceiling.
Also, this rules is very new so it would only apply in a brand new home under built under the most recent NEC.

Stan -

If there is only one cable in the ceiling outlet box then obviously it is not a switch loop as you say.

However, that leaves the only other possibility, an fan/light fed by a switch. Pigtail Black to the switch supply and to the ceiling outlet box. Red from the switch to the supply for the light (Blue) and White (Neutral) to the ceiling outlet for the Neutral return of the fan/light.

Can you at least agree that this possibility exists?

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Stan -

If there is only one cable in the ceiling outlet box then obviously it is not a switch loop as you say.

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I was replying to this:

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now that a Neutral is required at most switch outlets, the presence of a three wire cable might mean that there is only one switch.

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With only a balck, red and white in the ceiling how is a switch loop possible? Unless there is another box somewhere.