Dwelling Unit, Receptacle spacing Requirement

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Deka

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Electrical Instructor
Hi guys,
I'm here looking at my 2017 NEC,
Recently I've seen, on more than one Electrician Chat sites,
that, in a residential setting, a 24 inch or greater wall space requires a receptacle.
At NEC 210.52(a)1 states "Receptacles shall be installled such that no point measured horizontally along the floor line of any wall space is more than
6 ft. from a receptacle."
at 210.52(a)2 states "As used in this setion, a wall space shall inclued the following:"
"1. Any space ...2ft or more in width, including space measured around corners, and unbroken along the floor line by doorways and similar openings, fireplaces, and fixed cabinets that do not have countertops or similar work surfaces."
So to my understanding, the 2 ft. mentioned here, qualifies as "Wall Space." Nothing in this section of code states that a receptacle is required for a 2 ft. section.
In contrast, referring to countertops, 210.52(c)1 states "A receptacle outlet SHALL BE INSTALLED at each wall countertop and work surface that is 12 in. or wider.
A receptacle requirement is specifically mentioned for a 12 in. or wider countertop.
So, is there another code reference in the NEC that requires a receptacle, in a dwelling, for a 2 foot wall space?
And if not, does anyone know the source of this 2 ft. rule?
Thank you.
 
Don't confuse countertops with walls. The rules are different.

That said, you provided the answer to your own question. If a "wall" is 2 feet wide, then it counts as a "wall space." Therefore no point along that wall space can be more than 6 feet from a receptacle. The only way to make sure that a point within the 2 foot wall space is within 6 feet of a receptacle is by putting a receptacle within the 2 foot wall itself.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Thank you Charlie.

And just to give an example, lets say I have a door and 2 foot space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet.
If I where to put a receptacle in the next 2 feet, after the cabinet, I would satisfy the requirement of having a receptacle within a 6 foot reach. (210.52a1) ???
 
charlie b said:
Don't confuse countertops with walls. The rules are different.

That said, you provided the answer to your own question. If a "wall" is 2 feet wide, then it counts as a "wall space." Therefore no point along that wall space can be more than 6 feet from a receptacle. The only way to make sure that a point within the 2 foot wall space is within 6 feet of a receptacle is by putting a receptacle within the 2 foot wall itself.

Welcome to the forum.
Click to expand...
A 2' wall section is big enough for a small table with a lamp on top. Now... where to plug it in.... If you measure that 2' of wall, around the corner and down the next wall, you'd better come across an outlet by 4' on the second piece of wall. If you come to a doorway, game over-- you need an outlet.

Since most items these days only come with a 6' cord, spacing outlets 12' apart along the wall guarantees that your 6' electrical item will find an outlet without extension cords.

I have a short wall at home-- the layout is > doorway X wall (about 3-4') X doorway<. The house came without an outlet on that wall. It has one now, and the small table with the lamp on it doesn't use an extension cord across a doorway.
 
Deka said:
And just to give an example, lets say I have a door and 2 foot space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet.
If I where to put a receptacle in the next 2 feet, after the cabinet, I would satisfy the requirement of having a receptacle within a 6 foot reach. (210.52a1) ???
Click to expand...
You're asking whether the cabinet divides the wall into two separate wall spaces. If the cabinet is attached to the structure, then the answer is yes, according to your own quote:

"1. Any space ...2ft or more in width, including space measured around corners, and unbroken along the floor line by doorways and similar openings, fireplaces, and fixed cabinets that do not have countertops or similar work surfaces."

An attached cabinet breaks the floor-wall line.


Question for you: What would be the objection to having a receptacle in such a space with a known obstruction?
 
Thank you guys for yours replies.
But I don't think I'm explaining myself well.
The following residential example:
If I have a door and 2 foot wall space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet.
If I where to put a receptacle in the next 2 feet of wall space, after the cabinet, I would go as far as to say that I would satisfy the requirement of having a receptacle within a 6 foot reach, according to (210.52a1) And that I wouldn't need to have a recep. in that first 2 ft. section, next to the door.
I would be respecting 210.52a2, which states that a 2 ft. wall space qualifies as "wall space"
And i would also be respecting 210.52a1, in that no point on the wall, would be farther than 6 ft from a recep.
Does anyone see a problem with this explanation?
Again I would like to know, if the NEC does require a receptacle in a 2 ft. wall space, what is the reference
Thx guys,
and i appreciate your patience.
 
Deka said:
And just to give an example, let's say I have a door and 2 foot space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet. If I where to put a receptacle in the next 2 feet, after the cabinet, I would satisfy the requirement of having a receptacle within a 6 foot reach. (210.52a1) ???
Click to expand...
If I understand your example, no it would not satisfy the requirement. Look at the way 210.52(A)(2)(1) is worded: ". . . unbroken along the floor line by doorways . . . and fixed cabinets." In your example, the floor line, starting at the door, going along the 2 foot wall, is suddenly broken by the presence of the cabinet. You must put one receptacle in the 2 foot wall, and start counting up the wall space on the other side of the cabinet. They don't want the owner to put a floor lamp next to the 2 foot wall and have to run its cord in front of the cabinet.
 
Deka said:
Again I would like to know, if the NEC does require a receptacle in a 2 ft. wall space, what is the reference?
Click to expand...
As I said in post #2, you already gave us the reference in post #1.

If a wall is at least 2 feet wide, then at least 1 receptacle is needed. If a wall is 12 feet wide and you put one receptacle in the center, then that receptacle is within 6 feet of any point on the wall. So you only need that one. But if you put a receptacle 3 feet from the edge of a 12 foot wall, then part of that wall will be more than 6 feet from that receptacle, so you would need to install a second receptacle. Finally, if a wall is 13 feet wide, then you will need at least 2 receptacles.
 
Thank you Charlie.
What your saying, more or less makes sense, I don’t suppose you know of any references that spell that out, do you?
So I teach an electrical class, with a bunch of 1st year apprentices.
And this is one of our quiz questions, The reference to the question simply says 210.52.
And the textbook they use doesn’t specifically spell out the 2 ft. rule either.
I wish I had a neat and clean reference for them.
Even a non-NEC reference, would be better than nothing.
Thank you.
 
Deka said:
If I have a door and 2 foot wall space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet.
If I where to put a receptacle in the next 2 feet of wall space, after the cabinet, I would go as far as to say that I would satisfy the requirement of having a receptacle within a 6 foot reach, according to (210.52a1) And that I wouldn't need to have a recep. in that first 2 ft. section, next to the door.
Click to expand...
I did get that from your previous example, and my answer remains the same:

If the cabinet is fixed in place, the first wall space is a separate wall space, and must have a receptacle.

If the cabinet is free-standing, it's not a consideration, as it's furniture, and a cord could lay behind it.
 
Deka said:
I wish I had a neat and clean reference for them.
Click to expand...
I have been trying to get you to understand that you already have one. Are you asking for a reference that clearly states that 2 foot wall needs a receptacle? To that I would answer that it needs one because it is, in the words of 220.52(A)(2)(1), ". . . 2 ft or more in width. . . ."

Are you instead asking for a reference that explains why they put that rule in the NEC? I would say to look at PaulMmn's answer in post #4.
 
There is also another out. The beginning of the parent section A limits the scope to "In every kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, parlor, library, den, sunroom, bedroom, recreation room, or similar room or area of dwelling units". So if that wall and cabinet was in a hallway or bathroom, it would not need a receptacle. But in a normal room, the 2' section of wall needs a receptacle. Test questions are often missing relevant details unless they specified the room type for this one.
 
The above picture is a visual of the NEC rules Charlie has been explaining to you. Sometimes visuals help, hope this helps you understand
 
Deka said:
If I have a door and 2 foot wall space next to that door. After that 2 foot space, I have a 24" floor to ceiling cabinet.
Click to expand...
This is all of the relevant information needed to determine if the 2' of wall space between the door and the fixed cabinet requires a receptacle. The answer is yes. Whatever is happening on the other side of the cabinet is not relevant.
 
NEC 90.4 also carries a bit of weight here. If one is going to challenge or nit-pick wording in the NEC the AHJ might be a hard hill to climb on this one. A public input might be called for if the rule is not perfectly clear. I think the rule is plenty clear enough in light of the way it has been interpreted and applied since I entered the trade in 1974 anyway.
 
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