I have a question about GFI’s in the basement. We switched over to the 2020 edition of the NEC about 6 months ago and it used to state that just the unfinished portion of a basement needed GFI protection. Now it is worded like the complete basement needs to be protected. I am looking at NEC section 210.8 and then 2018 IRC E3902.5. Which do you suggest is the correct one to follow. In new home construction is GFI’s required throughout in basement? I have had no problem requiring them on a few new homes but on older basements I get a lot of grumbling.
Thanks,
Gene
Call your local AHJ (authority having jurisdiction). This will be your permitting agency. If they say GFCIs required then that’s what you do, grumbling or no. Permits already pulled may not require them and the AHJ may offer a grace period. Whichever, your local AHJ is the authority in your area, not us.
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Maybe you should contact your boss at Building Codes Enforcement and see what he want’s you to enforce.
This is a Home Inspection site. Your job is to test those GFCI’s, not to dictate your Code on General Contractors.
(6) General Exclusions.
(a) Home inspectors are not required to report on:
- Life expectancy of any component or system;
- The cause(s) of the need for a repair;
- The methods, materials, and costs of corrections;
- The suitability of the property for any specialized use;
5. Compliance or non-compliance with adopted codes, ordinances, statutes,
regulatory requirements or restrictions; - The market value of the property or its marketability;
- The advisability or inadvisability of purchase of the property;
- Any component or system that was not inspected;
- The presence or absence of pests such as wood damaging organisms, rodents,
or insects; or - Cosmetic damage, underground items, or items not permanently installed
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If you’re require to follow the 2020 NEC without exception then this is what is required for any job covered under the 2020 NEC.
210.8(A) Dwelling Units.
All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (A)(11) and supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
(1) Bathrooms
(2) Garages and also accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use
(3) Outdoors
Exception to (3): Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting, deicing, or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permitted to be installed in accordance with 426.28 or 427.22, as applicable.
(4)Crawl spaces — at or below grade level
(5)Basements
Exception to (5): A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.
Informational Note: See 760.41(B) and 760.121(B) for power supply requirements for fire alarm systems.
Receptacles installed under the exception to 210.8(A)(5) shall not be considered as meeting the requirements of 210.52(G).
(6)Kitchens — where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces
(7)Sinks — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink
(8)Boathouses
(9)Bathtubs or shower stalls — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the bathtub or shower stall
(10)Laundry areas
Exception to (1) through (3), (5) through (8), and (10): Listed locking support and mounting receptacles utilized in combination with compatible attachment fittings installed for the purpose of serving a ceiling
luminaire or ceiling fan shall not be required to be ground-fault circuit-interrupter protected. If a general-purpose convenience receptacle is integral to the ceiling luminaire or ceiling fan, GFCI protection shall be provided.
(11)Indoor damp and wet locations
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As a home inspector I’m not inspecting code compliance for anything, quite the contrary, if I see something that I consider a potential safety defect, I write it up.
For example I write up receptacles in unfinished areas of basements, garages, exterior, kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms that aren’t GFCI protected, regardless of when the home was built.
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You’re correct GFCI protection would be require but what about finished basements? That’s what the OP is asking about under a code change for the 2020 NEC.
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Finished or not, basements should have GFCIs because they get flooded often. Your basement is not less likely to get flooded if it’s finished, water doesn’t discriminate.
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With the exception of bathrooms and laundry rooms, I don’t write up finished areas of basements that lack GFCI protection. Although I see new homes being built where the many of 120 circuits anymore are GFCI/AFCI protected.
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It would be noteworthy to point out that the OP is a building inspector not a home inspector. He is the AHJ.
OMG…! We are very technical this morning. Lots of “code talk”(NEC)… Despite the fact we as Home Inspectors are not required to call out in our report Compliance or non-compliance with adopted codes, ordinances, statutes, and/or regulatory requirements or restrictions, sometimes we walk into al old home where several different electrical contractors have put their hands into the electrical system to upgrade, improve, add, etc different features, circuits, etc. However, when in an old (<1975) dwelling, we can never assume that if the electrical installation was upgraded somehow, it does not mean that they cover every thing in the most recent NEC code book. But many buyers, investors or the like assume that we are there to bring order to the party and therefore should “Know” and “Call Out” each and every one of the irregularities in the subject house. Always remember your exposure to Liabilities when you write something in your report. Be carefull how you say it…! or simply use the most powerfull wording I ever learn from my experience: “Further Evaluation by a State Licensed Electrical Master Contractor is Strongly Recommended”. It is not our job to check for NEC codes, to call the local authorities to confirm any recent resolution of the General Assembly, nor we have to buy every year the latest edition of the NEC code and read it. That is the Master Electrician’s Job…! Yeah…! I can cut my hair myself, but the Barber also have to feed a family, therefore I go to his shop once a month to get a haircut" and I let him do his job while I do my Home Inspector job as well.
Well, if he’s the AHJ what is he asking us for. The next question is why is trying to apply recent code to older homes. Building code is not retroactive. If it’s a new basement finish of an older home and new circuits will be pulled they need a permit to current code (at least around here). If he is the AHJ he can make his own rules.
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Thanks for all the feedback. I found my answer with some digging. In the IEBC under 1007.2 it says all unsafe conditions shall be corrected without requiring that all parts of an electrical system comply with NFPA 70. So, it complies with the GFI finished/unfinished basement wiring and the receptacles are not defective all is good.
I can’t answer those questions, I’m just telling you what I know.
For any following along, here are the code cites that troubled the OP.
NEC 2020 210.8A
installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A) (1) through
(A) (11) and supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated
150 volts or less to ground shall have ground-fault circuitinterrupter
protection for personnel.
(1) Bathrooms
(2) Garages and also accessory buildings that have a floor
located at or below grade level not intended as habitable
rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and
areas of similar use
(3) Outdoors
Exception to (3): Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are
supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting, deicing,
or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permitted to be
installed in accordance with 426.28 or 427.22, as applicable.
(4) Crawl spaces—at or below grade level
(5) Basements
Exception to (5): A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed
fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to have groundfault
circuit-interrupter protection.
E3902.5 (2018 IRC)
Unfinished basement receptacles. 125-volt, singlephase,
15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in unfinished
basements shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection
for personnel. For purposes of this section, unfinished
basements are defined as portions or areas of the basement not
intended as habitable rooms. [210.8(A)(5)]
Exception: A receptacle supplying only a permanently
installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system. Receptacles
installed in accordance with this exception shall not be
considered as meeting the requirement of Section
E3901.9. [210.8(A)(5) Exception]
1007.2 (2018 IEBC)
Unsafe conditions. Where the occupancy of an existing
building or art of an existing building is changed, all
unsafe conditions shall be corrected without requiring that all
parts of the electrical system comply with NFP 70.
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I think that that is a pretty broad statement. My current basement has never flooded. My last basement has never flooded. The basement that my bedroom when I was kid did flood but then the whole town was under water for that one.
What’s a basement?..(from Charleston SC)…
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basement
Definition of basement
1**:** the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level
2**:** the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture
LOL…won’t see any of those around here…
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You’re judging the world by your personal, 2-basement, experience?
How often do you drop an electrical appliance into a tub full of water? how about into your kitchen sink?
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Here in GA, sometimes I feel like saying to my clients “Basement (crawlspace) is dry…buy it.” Then walk out.
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