210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel.

If the red dashed line measures 6 ft. or less, the receptacle will need GFCI protection.
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If the red dashed line measures 6 ft. or less, the receptacle will need GFCI protection.

Code Change Summary: Additional code language now instructs the user on how to measure when determining if a receptacle must be GFCI protected.

There are many places in 210.8 requiring GFCI protection, but the 6-foot rule only applies when sinks, tubs or showers are involved. Generally, all 15 or 20-amp, single phase, 125-volt receptacles “within 6 ft.” of a sink, tub or shower must be GFCI protected.

To be clear, “Within 6 ft.” includes 6 ft. Something that IS 6 ft. away is also “within 6 ft.” Installing a receptacle as described above at exactly 6 ft. from a sink does NOT exclude it from requiring GFCI protection. If the goal is to install the receptacle at a distance so that it does NOT require GFCI protection, then cut a 6 ft. length of rope. If one end of the rope is touching the closest, inside, top edge of the bowl of a sink then the other end of the rope should NOT be able to make contact with the receptacle.

The gray area and the “what-ifs” have (for the most part) been eliminated. When deciding if a receptacle requires GFCI protection because of its location in reference to sinks, tubs or showers, the 2017 NEC® has the answer:

“The distance shall be measured as the shortest path the cord of an appliance connected to the receptacle would follow without piercing a floor, wall, ceiling, or fixed barrier, or passing through a door, doorway, or window”.

Now, the only gray area is to try and decide what is considered a “fixed barrier” or a “door”.

What the code is trying to accomplish here is simple. Can an appliance with a 6 ft. cord fall into a sink while it is plugged in? If so, the receptacle its plugged into should be GFCI protected.

Below is a preview of Article 210. See the actual NEC® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2017 NEC® edition of NFPA 70.

2014 Code Language:

210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (C). The ground-fault circuit-interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.

2017 Code Language:

210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (E). The ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.

For the purposes of this section, when determining distance from receptacles the distance shall be measured as the shortest path the cord of an appliance connected to the receptacle would follow without piercing a floor, wall, ceiling, or fixed barrier, or passing through a door, doorway, or window.

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210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel.

Below is a Real Question from our Electrical Continuing Education Courses for Electrical License Renewal:

Which of the following is true when measuring the distance from a sink to a 20 amp, 125-volt, single phase receptacle?

A: If the receptacle is within 6 ft. of the sink, it does NOT require GFCI protection.
B: If the receptacle is within 6 ft. of the shower stall, it does NOT require GFCI protection.
C: Distance is measured as the shortest path the cord of an appliance connected to the receptacle would follow without piercing a floor, wall, ceiling, fixed barrier, or passing through a door, doorway, or window.
D: If the receptacle is within 6 ft. of the bathtub, it does NOT require GFCI protection.
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