15A GFCI on 20A circuit

Hi All,

I’m just trying to verify that you can have a 15A GFCI outlet on a 20A circuit such as by the kitchen counter. There is supposedly 20A pass through if it’s protecting outlets downstream. Being that a true 20A plug wouldn’t fit into the GFCI, then there shouldn’t be any safety issue, correct? Any NEC codes about this?

Thanks,
Steve Tuch

Yes. The circuit is required to be 20A, not the individual receptacles.

In most cases, you can have as large a wire as you want on the breaker. But bathrooms and the kitchen require a 20 amp circuit. It’s not 20 amp by definition if it’s on a 15 amp breaker.