Workbench receptacle in an attached garage
What's wrong here?
- The garage receptacle has no GFCI protection
- Garage receptacles must be mounted at least 5.5 ft above the floor
- A garage receptacle must be on a dedicated 30 A circuit
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
A standard (non-GFCI) receptacle in a dwelling garage is supplied with no GFCI protection anywhere upstream.
Correct choice: 1. The garage receptacle has no GFCI protection
210.8(A)(2) requires GFCI protection for all 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles in dwelling garages, supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts to ground or less. Garages have concrete floors, wet cars, and handheld power tools, so they are a high shock-risk location. Current editions have no exception for ceiling receptacles or receptacles serving a single appliance like a garage door opener or freezer. Protection can come from a GFCI breaker, a GFCI receptacle upstream, or a GFCI receptacle at this location, but here there is none.
How to fix it
Replace the device with a listed tamper-resistant GFCI receptacle, or install a GFCI (or dual-function) breaker for the circuit and keep the TR receptacle. Test the protection before final.
Code references
NEC 2023 210.8(A)(2) — GFCI Protection, Dwelling Units: Garages and Accessory Buildings
In dwelling units, all 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in garages (and in accessory buildings with a floor at or below grade that are not habitable rooms and are limited to storage, work and similar areas), supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground, shall have GFCI protection for personnel.
Drills citing 210.8(A)(2)NEC 2023 210.11(C)(4) — Garage Branch Circuits
At least one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall supply the receptacle outlets required by 210.52(G)(1) in attached garages and in detached garages with power. That circuit shall have no other outlets, except that it may also supply readily accessible outdoor receptacle outlets.
Drills citing 210.11(C)(4)
2026 NEC:changed: The 2026 NEC split this list item. 210.8(A)(2) now says only "Garages", and accessory buildings moved to a new 210.8(A)(3) limited to non-habitable storage and work areas. The garage GFCI requirement is unchanged, so this drill's answer holds, but the reference summary's accessory-building wording now belongs to (A)(3). Confidence: medium
Minnesota
Minnesota adopted the 2023 NEC without amendment (Minn. Stat. 326B.35; Minn. Rules 1315.0200), so 210.8(A)(2) applies as published to permits filed July 1, 2023 through Aug. 16, 2026. Permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026 fall under the 2026 NEC; see the 2026 NEC note on this drill.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- Garage receptacles must be mounted at least 5.5 ft above the floor. No such height rule exists. 5.5 ft shows up only as a tamper-resistant exception in 406.12, not as a required mounting height.
- A garage receptacle must be on a dedicated 30 A circuit. 210.11(C)(4) requires at least one 120 V, 20 A branch circuit for attached-garage receptacles, not 30 A.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. All 125 V through 250 V receptacles in a dwelling garage need GFCI protection under 210.8(A)(2), and none is provided here.