Remodeled hall bath
What's wrong here?
- The only receptacle is more than 3 ft from the outside edge of the basin
- A receptacle may not be installed within 3 ft of a toilet
- The bathroom receptacle must be a combination AFCI/GFCI device
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
The bathroom's only receptacle is beside the door, well over 3 ft from the outside edge of the basin, so the required basin receptacle is missing.
Correct choice: 1. The only receptacle is more than 3 ft from the outside edge of the basin
210.52(D) requires at least one receptacle outlet within 3 ft of the outside edge of each basin, located on a wall or partition adjacent to the basin or basin countertop, on the countertop, or on the side or face of the basin cabinet, never more than 12 in below the top of the basin or countertop. Here the toilet sits between the vanity and the door, which puts the only receptacle more than 4 ft from the edge of the vessel basin. The result is what the picture shows: an appliance cord stretched across the floor past the toilet. Being GFCI protected (210.8(A)(1)) does not make up for the location.
How to fix it
Add a GFCI-protected receptacle within 3 ft of the basin edge, typically on the wall beside the mirror or on the side of the vanity no more than 12 in below the top. Feed it from a 20 A bathroom receptacle circuit per 210.11(C)(3). The receptacle by the door can stay.
Code references
NEC 2023 210.52(D) — Bathrooms
At least one receptacle outlet is required within 900 mm (3 ft) of the outside edge of each basin, on a wall or partition adjacent to the basin or basin countertop, on the countertop, or on the side or face of the basin cabinet, and never more than 300 mm (12 in.) below the top of the basin or countertop. Listed countertop receptacle assemblies are permitted.
Drills citing 210.52(D)NEC 2023 210.11(C)(3) — Bathroom Branch Circuits
At least one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit must supply bathroom receptacle outlets, and that circuit can have no other outlets, except that a circuit supplying a single bathroom may also supply other equipment in that same bathroom.
Drills citing 210.11(C)(3)NEC 2023 210.8(A)(1) — Dwelling Units: Bathrooms
125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in dwelling unit bathrooms require GFCI protection for personnel.
Drills citing 210.8(A)(1)
2026 NEC:renumbered to 210.52(D)(1) and 210.52(D)(2). The 2026 NEC editorially split 210.52(D) into list items with no technical change: (D)(1) still requires a receptacle outlet within 3 ft of the outside edge of each sink (2026 says sink, not basin), and (D)(2) carries the wall, countertop, or cabinet-face location and the 12 in. below-top limit. The answer and fix are unaffected; citing 210.52(D) still points to the right section. Confidence: medium
Minnesota
Minnesota adopted the 2023 NEC without amendment as the Minnesota Electrical Code (Minn. Rules 1315.0200; Minn. Stat. 326B.35), effective July 1, 2023, so no Minnesota amendment to 210.52(D) exists. The Board of Electricity has since adopted the 2026 NEC, also without amendment, for permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026; this drill follows the 2023 text, which governs permits filed before that date.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- A receptacle may not be installed within 3 ft of a toilet. There is no NEC clearance from a toilet. The 3 ft keep-out zone in 406.9(C) applies to the space around a bathtub or shower, not a toilet.
- The bathroom receptacle must be a combination AFCI/GFCI device. 210.12(A) does not list bathrooms among the dwelling areas that need AFCI protection, so a GFCI receptacle (210.8(A)(1)) is all the 2023 NEC requires here. The 20 A bathroom circuit rule in 210.11(C)(3) is about circuit capacity, not device type.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. 210.52(D) requires a receptacle within 3 ft of the outside edge of each basin. The GFCI by the door is more than 4 ft from the basin, on the far side of the toilet.