Which Outlets Need GFCI, Room by Room, by Code Edition

The NEC 210.8 dwelling list and the other-locations list room by room, the breaker-versus-receptacle choice with the load-side trick, the exemption list, and the AFCI pairing, read by code edition.

NEC 210.8(A) lists the dwelling locations that need GFCI on 120V 15 and 20A receptacles: bathrooms, kitchens, sinks within 6 ft, crawl spaces at or below grade, outdoor locations, basements, garages, attics with a floor, and the 2023 list for appliances, saunas, boathouses, closets, and the laundry area. 210.8(C) allows a GFCI breaker, and a GFCI receptacle on the first outlet protects the outlets wired to its load side.

—The answer for this location
—Breaker or receptacle
—The dwelling list, 210.8(A)
—Other locations, 210.8(B)
—The exemption list
—Wiring, pairing, and testing
How the math works
  • The dwelling list (210.8(A)): on 125V single-phase 15 and 20A receptacles in a dwelling unit: bathrooms; kitchens with all countertop receptacles; outdoor locations; crawl spaces at or below grade; basements; garages and accessory buildings; attics with a floor; sinks within 6 ft of the edge; boathouses; saunas and steam rooms; closets and appliances in the 2023 edition. The list grows with each edition, and the 2017 list is the shortest.
  • Other locations (210.8(B)): bathrooms and toilet rooms, kitchens, lockers, locker rooms, indoor outlying areas, saunas, stalls in a stable, swimming pools, fountains, and similar installed tanks, consumable water locations, and the common-area laundry line. A rental, a shop, a classroom, and a food-service counter run on this list.
  • Device choice (210.8(C)): a GFCI circuit breaker protects the whole circuit and is allowed as a 20A device on a 20A circuit. A GFCI receptacle at the first outlet protects the outlets on its load side. Outlets wired on the line side of a receptacle device are unprotected, and a device at the first outlet is the field answer on a short circuit with three or four outlets.
  • Exemptions (210.8(D)): receptacles more than 6.5 ft above the floor, and the dedicated receptacles for a sump pump, a fire sump and sprinkler system, an alarm and security system, an electric fence, and a centrifuge pool pump in the dedicated equipment space. A dedicated appliance receptacle reads the appliance line; the general outlets in the room stay on the (A) list.
  • GFCI and AFCI are different devices: GFCI (210.8) protects against a ground path through a person at 30 mA. AFCI (210.12) protects against a series and parallel arc in the wiring at the panel. Dwelling bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and laundry circuits are AFCI, bathrooms, kitchens, garages, basements, crawl spaces, attics, and outdoor locations are GFCI, and a combination AF/GFCI device does both on one breaker.
Planning tool on the National Electrical Code 210.8, 210.12, 210.11, and Article 680 as adopted by the authority having jurisdiction. The code edition in force, the local amendment, the transition date between editions, the rental and landlord rules, the pool and spa rules, the inspector interpretation, the permit, the inspection, the licensing requirement, and the contractor registration are jurisdiction calls. A panel with a shared neutral, a multi-wire branch circuit, a 20A circuit on 12 AWG, a switchboard retrofit, a 100A panel, a sub-panel in a detached garage, a generator backfeed, an EV charger, a hot tub, a pool pump, a fountain, a well pump, a sump pump on a dedicated circuit, an RV pedestal, a boat lift, a sauna, a steam shower, a radiant floor, a tankless water heater on a dedicated circuit, an RV sub-panel in a shop are all GFCI and AFCI questions with a device schedule, and a licensed electrician signs the schedule. A GFCI device is not a substitute for equipment grounding, and a GFCI device on an ungrounded circuit is a device that will not operate as designed.

Is GFCI required in a garage?

Yes: every receptacle in a garage and in an accessory building is behind GFCI (210.8(A)(8)) in the 2020 and 2023 editions, and the 2023 edition carries the garage door opener circuit on the list. The garage circuit is 120V 20A with 12 AWG, and a breaker device covers the whole circuit.

Can one GFCI outlet protect the rest of the circuit?

Yes: a GFCI receptacle at the first outlet protects every outlet wired to its LOAD side, which is the field answer on a bathroom, a garage, and an outdoor circuit. Outlets wired on the LINE side stay unprotected, and that is the failure a rough-in inspection catches on a kitchen counter circuit.

Which rooms need GFCI in a house?

Bathrooms, kitchens with every countertop outlet, garages, basements, crawl spaces at or below grade, attics with a floor, outdoor receptacles, sinks within 6 ft of the edge, saunas, boathouses, and in the 2023 edition the closets, the laundry area, and the listed appliances (210.8(A)(1) through (13)). The list is edition-dependent, and a 2017 drawing has fewer GFCI devices than a 2023 drawing.

What is the difference between GFCI and AFCI?

GFCI (210.8) trips on a current leaving the circuit through a ground path at 30 mA, which is what protects a person. AFCI (210.12) trips on the signature of a series and parallel arc in the wiring and the device, at the panel, which is what protects the wiring from an arc fire. Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and laundry circuits are AFCI, and the wet and outdoor locations are GFCI.

Related tools

Receptacle spacingThe 210.52 layout for the same circuits Wire ampacity and derateThe 12 AWG 20A circuit line Electrical service sizeThe panel load behind the device schedule Conduit fill and wire countThe device box and the run