A caller recently asked if all 125-volt (V), 15- and 20-ampere (A) receptacles in a commercial kitchen were required to be ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected, even where part of a listed assembly. I answered with an absolute yes; I said there are no exceptions that permit unprotected receptacles. He asked when this had been added to the National Electrical Code (NEC) and what had prompted the requirement for all 15- and 20A, 125V receptacles to be GFCI-protected.


While the timeline was easy to determine by looking into previous editions of the NEC, the research into the rationale was more difficult to explain. In addition, I said that the 2017 NEC will contain new GFCI requirements for commercial, industrial and other nondwelling-unit applications.


Proposals to require receptacles to be GFCI-protected in commercial kitchens started in the 1986 NEC Report on Proposals (ROP) and Report on Comments (ROC) but were not accepted until the 2002 NEC. Between the 1987 and the 2002 NECs, the only GFCI requirements for commercial and industrial installations in 210.8(B) (in other than dwelling units) were 125V, 15- and 20A receptacles in bathrooms and on rooftops. During that same time frame, there was also only one exception in 210.8(B). It dealt with receptacles that were not readily accessible and were supplied from a dedicated branch circuit for electric snow-melting or deicing equipment installed in accordance with Article 426. In effect, the requirement covering all 15- and 20A receptacles in commercial kitchens was very broad, especially since the 2002 NEC did not contain a definition of a kitchen.


The 2005 NEC's 210.8(B)(2) further specified kitchens as commercial and institutional kitchens. A new definition stated, “For the purposes of this section, a kitchen is an area with a sink and permanent facilities for food preparation and cooking.” 


In the 2008 NEC, the definition was moved from 210.8(B)(2) to Article 100 because kitchens are covered in more than one article of the NEC.


The informative text in the 2014 NEC Handbook, developed by the National Fire Protection Association, appears immediately after the mandatory requirement for GFCI protection in 210.8(B)(2). It states, “The GFCI protection requirement for kitchen receptacles applies to all 15- and 20A, 125V receptacles, whether or not the receptacle serves countertop areas.”


It also states that “accident data provided from the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) database related to electrical incidents in non-dwelling kitchens reveal the presence of many hazards, including poorly maintained electrical apparatus, damaged electrical cords, wet floors, and employees without proper electrical safety training. Requiring GFCI protection in kitchens located in other than dwelling units protects personnel exposed to conditions that are conducive to electric shock accidents. These areas include kitchens in restaurants, hotels, schools, churches, dining halls, and similar facilities.”


The GFCI requirement for commercial kitchens will not be changed in the 2017 NEC.


2017 NEC changes


In 210.8, a new sentence in the introductory text states, “For the purposes of this section, when determining the 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.”


This helps the user determine the length of the flexible cord to the receptacle. For dwelling units, “sinks” has been modified to read, “where receptacles are installed within 6 feet from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink,” to clarify the location of receptacles.


In 210.8(B), new text states, “All single phase receptacles rated 150 volts to ground or less, 50As or less; and three-phase receptacles rated 150 volts or less, 100 amps or less installed in 210.8(B)(1) through (10), shall have ground fault circuit interrupter protection for personnel.”


New 210.8(B)(9) requires receptacles located at or below-grade level in crawl spaces to be GFCI-protected. A new 210.8(B)(10) states that receptacles in unfinished portions or areas of the basement not intended as habitable must be GFCI-protected.


New 210.8(E), “Crawl Space Lighting Outlets,” states, “GFCI protection shall be provided for lighting outlets not exceeding 120 volts installed in crawl spaces.”


This GFCI protection applies to lighting outlets for dwelling-unit and nondwelling-unit crawl spaces.