Dryer hookup in a new house
What's wrong here?
- A 3-wire NEMA 10-30 receptacle was installed on a new dryer circuit
- The dryer receptacle must be mounted at least 48 in. above the floor
- The washer receptacle must be on the same circuit as the dryer
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
A 3-wire NEMA 10-30 dryer receptacle was installed on a new branch circuit, so the dryer frame is grounded through the neutral instead of an equipment grounding conductor.
Correct choice: 1. A 3-wire NEMA 10-30 receptacle was installed on a new dryer circuit
Since the 1996 NEC, the frames of clothes dryers and ranges must be connected to an equipment grounding conductor (250.140, via 250.134 or 250.138). Grounding the frame to the grounded (neutral) conductor survives only as the 250.140 Exception, for existing branch circuits that have no equipment grounding conductor in the outlet box. A new circuit therefore needs a 4-wire circuit and a 4-wire NEMA 14-30 receptacle. With a 10-30, an open or loose neutral puts the dryer cabinet at line voltage to anything grounded, like the washer or the water valves next to it. In a 2023 dwelling laundry area this 240 V receptacle also needs GFCI protection under 210.8(A)(11).
How to fix it
Run 10/3 with ground (or verify the new cable already has an EGC), replace the 10-30 with a NEMA 14-30R, install a 4-wire cord on the dryer, and remove the dryer's neutral-to-frame bonding strap per the manufacturer's instructions. Provide GFCI protection for the circuit.
Code references
NEC 2023 250.140 — Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers
Frames of electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, clothes dryers, and their outlet or junction boxes must be connected to the equipment grounding conductor per 250.134 or 250.138. The Exception lets the frame be grounded to the grounded conductor only on existing branch circuits with no equipment grounding conductor in the box, and only when all four listed conditions are met (including a neutral not smaller than 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum).
Drills citing 250.140NEC 2023 110.3(B) — Installation and Use
Listed or labeled equipment must be installed and used in accordance with the instructions included in the listing or labeling; dryer instructions require removing the neutral-to-frame bonding strap when a 4-wire cord is used.
Drills citing 110.3(B)NEC 2023 210.8(A)(11) — Dwelling Units: Laundry Areas
In dwelling units, all 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles in laundry areas that are supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground require GFCI protection for personnel.
Drills citing 210.8(A)(11)
2026 NEC:same rule and number. The 2026 Article 250 overhaul moved the over-1000 V rules (old Part X) to new Article 270 and revised 250.4 and GEC splicing, but no summary reported a change to 250.140 for range and dryer frames. Not confirmed against the 2026 text. Confidence: low
Minnesota
Minnesota adopts the NEC without section amendments. The 2023 NEC applies to permits filed July 1, 2023 through Aug. 16, 2026, and the 2026 NEC to permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026 (Minn. Stat. 326B.35; Minn. Rules 1315.0200; DLI electrical codes and standards page). No Minnesota change to 250.140 or 210.8(A) is known.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- The dryer receptacle must be mounted at least 48 in. above the floor. The NEC sets no mounting height for a dryer receptacle; the manufacturer's instructions usually place it low behind the dryer.
- The washer receptacle must be on the same circuit as the dryer. Backwards: the laundry receptacle needs its own 20 A circuit (210.11(C)(2)) and the 240 V dryer is on its own individual branch circuit.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. The 3-wire grounded-neutral dryer hookup is allowed only on existing branch circuits (250.140); this house is new.