Standard Electrical Outlet Spacing

Applicability

• The NEC standards apply to spaces that are living areas. These include foyers, living rooms, family rooms, bedrooms, dens or libraries, dining rooms, kitchens and enclosed additions such as sun rooms. The 2011 NEC requires outlets in bathrooms, basements, garages and outbuildings if they have wiring for electricity. The new code also treats walls behind kitchen counters as livable space, as well as kitchen islands or peninsulas that divide the kitchen from a dining room.

Placement

• The NEC was developed based on standard electrical cords, which are typically 6 feet long. The living areas must have an electrical outlet on each wall. How many depends on the length of the wall. The standards dictate that no wall can span more than 6 feet without an outlet and that no more than 12 feet can lie between two outlets. A 12-foot wall requires two outlets, while a 10-foot wall would need just one, with the outlet placed in the middle.

Accessibility

• While the NEC does not prescribe the height from the floor for electrical outlets, architects understand that positioning outlets higher helps people who have some level of disability to reach them without bending. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires accessible buildings or dwelling units to have the electrical outlets placed between 15 inches and 48 inches above the floor. Homes built before the ADA became law in 1990 may have outlets between 10 inches and 14 inches from the floor.

Options

• When the number of outlets in a home or building is inadequate, people can hire an electrician or someone skilled with wiring to add more. The NEC does not have any limits on how many outlets a dwelling unit can have, as long as the circuit breakers can manage the load. However, building codes require using ground fault interrupters when adding outlets to bathrooms, some locations outdoors and kitchen outlets located over the counters. When people remodel or add on to their homes, they must contact the local buidling department to learn the current wiring requirements necessary for plan approval.