GFCI required: bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, crawl spaces, basements, sinks (within 6 ft), laundry, indoor damp/wet
2025 RCNYS §E3902 GFCI protection — bathroom, kitchen, garage, outdoor, basement, etc.Description
Ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection is required for 125-V to 250-V receptacles in: (1) bathrooms; (2) garages + grade-level accessory buildings; (3) outdoors; (4) crawl spaces; (5) basements; (6) kitchens; (7) areas with sinks + food prep; (8) within 6 ft of any sink bowl; (9) within 6 ft of bathtub/shower edge; (10) laundry; (11) indoor damp/wet locations; (12) for specific appliances 60 A or less — drinking-water coolers, sump pumps, dishwashers, electric ranges, wall ovens, counter-mounted cooking units.
Why this exists
GFCI is THE first defense against electrocution in wet areas. The list has grown over each code cycle — kitchens, dishwashers, ranges, and the 6-ft-from-sink rule are all relatively recent additions. Architects can specify GFCI breakers (cleaner — single device protects whole circuit) or GFCI receptacles (cheaper but requires manual test).
Measurements
| Property | Operator | Value | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
sinkRange | max | 6 | ft from sink/tub/shower | Distance within which receptacles require GFCI |
applianceAmp | max | 60 | A | Appliance amperage requiring GFCI |
Categories
Applies to
- Jurisdiction: New York State
Source
Solver enforcement
Browsable only — the solver does not currently enforce this directive (no spec-level data to check against). This entry exists so the architect personas can cite it in conversation and the user can read what the rule says.
Related directives
- Garage / dwelling fire separation · IRC R302.6
- Habitable space minimum ceiling height · IRC R305.1
- Egress window net opening dimensions · IRC R310.2
- Stair riser, tread, and headroom · IRC R311.7
- Smoke alarms required throughout dwelling · IRC R314
Last reviewed 2026-05-15.