GFCI Outlet Requirements by Room

GFCI protection is required wherever the combination of electricity and a good path to ground makes electrocution plausible. In practice that means water, earth, or concrete.

The list has expanded with nearly every code cycle. What follows is the general shape of current requirements for dwelling units — but your jurisdiction's adopted NEC edition and local amendments govern, and they lag or lead the national model by years in either direction. If you're pulling a permit, the inspector's list is the one that counts.

Where GFCI protection is required

The scope has expanded with every recent code cycle — this reflects the general direction, and your jurisdiction's adopted edition governs.

The pattern behind the list: GFCI is required wherever a person can be in contact with a grounded surface — plumbing, damp concrete, earth — while touching an appliance. Recent editions have also extended coverage to many 240-volt dwelling receptacles, which is what brings EV charging receptacles into scope.

Where protection is required

Bathrooms

All receptacles. No exceptions, no distance qualifier. Bathrooms were among the first locations required, and remain the clearest case.

Kitchens

Receptacles serving countertop surfaces have been required for a long time. Recent code cycles extend the requirement to all receptacles in a dwelling-unit kitchen, which pulls in the refrigerator, the dishwasher, and the disposal.

Kitchens also need at least two 20-amp small-appliance branch circuits dedicated to the countertop receptacles — a separate requirement from GFCI, and the reason a kettle and a toaster don't trip each other in a properly wired kitchen.

Garages and accessory buildings

All receptacles at grade level in garages and in accessory buildings with a floor at or below grade. Concrete floors are an excellent path to ground, and garages hold power tools and wet cars.

Outdoors

All receptacles. Outdoor receptacles also need weather-resistant devices and, in wet locations, a cover rated for use while a cord is plugged in — an "in-use" or bubble cover. A cover that only protects the receptacle when nothing is plugged in doesn't satisfy a wet location.

Recent cycles have also extended requirements to outdoor outlets serving equipment, not just receptacles.

Basements and crawl spaces

Unfinished basements and crawl spaces at or below grade. Recent code cycles have extended this to all basement receptacles, finished or not, in dwelling units.

Laundry areas

All receptacles in laundry areas. Washing machines and water are a predictable combination.

Near sinks — the rule that catches people

Receptacles within 6 feet of the outside edge of a sink, bathtub, or shower stall require protection — anywhere in the dwelling.

This is the sleeper requirement. A wet bar in a den, a receptacle beside a utility sink in a workshop, a receptacle near a basement laundry tub: all covered, in rooms that otherwise wouldn't be on the list.

Pools, spas, and boathouses

Extensive specific requirements beyond general GFCI rules. If you have a pool or spa, this is genuinely specialist territory — Article 680 is one of the most detailed in the NEC.

240-volt circuits

Recent cycles have extended GFCI requirements to certain 240-volt receptacles and outlets in these same locations, which is newer and often surprises people. If you're installing a 240-volt receptacle in a garage or outdoors, ask what your jurisdiction requires.

How do you add GFCI protection?

GFCI receptacle. Protects itself and everything downstream on the circuit. One device can cover a run of outlets. Cheapest option, and the reset button is where you'll be standing.

GFCI breaker. Protects the entire circuit from the panel. Tidier, and better where the first receptacle in the run is inaccessible. Costs more, and the reset is at the panel.

Dual-function breaker. GFCI plus AFCI, for circuits requiring both — kitchens and laundry areas typically do. See GFCI vs AFCI.

Do older homes have to be retrofitted with GFCI?

You're generally not required to retrofit. Requirements bite when:

• You add a circuit
• You replace a receptacle in a location that now requires protection (many jurisdictions require this)
• You replace the panel and circuits are reconnected to current requirements
• You remodel the space

Voluntarily adding protection is cheap. A GFCI receptacle costs a small fraction of a service call, and swapping one is among the more approachable electrical tasks — though it's still work on an energized circuit and worth having done properly if you're unsure.

How often should you test a GFCI?

Press TEST monthly on every GFCI in the house. It should trip. Press RESET.

A GFCI that fails its own test has failed silently, providing no protection and no warning. This applies equally to devices installed last year and devices installed in 1998 — see why does my GFCI keep tripping for what to do when the test result is the problem.

Code reference

The requirements behind this guide, for looking up in your adopted edition:

• NEC 210.8 — ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel, which is where the required locations are listed
• NEC 406.4(D) — replacing receptacles, including the GFCI option for ungrounded circuits

Code editions and local amendments vary by jurisdiction. Confirm the adopted edition with your AHJ before relying on any specific article.

Where to go next

• GFCI vs AFCI
• Why does my GFCI keep tripping
• How many outlets on a 20-amp circuit
• Appliance wattage chart

More in our electrical panel guides.