Receptacles outdoors and near tubs and showers
Outdoor receptacles generally must be weather-resistant (WR) and in weatherproof enclosures, with in-use covers in wet locations. With limited exceptions, no receptacle may go inside a tub or shower, or within 3 ft of its edge from the floor to 8 ft above the rim.
What the code requires
In damp locations, such as covered porches and canopies protected from beating rain, the enclosure must be weatherproof with the plug out and the cover closed. All 125- and 250-V nonlocking receptacles there must be listed weather-resistant (WR).
In wet locations, 15- and 20-A, 125- and 250-V receptacles need an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not a plug is inserted. Any outlet box hood must be listed and identified as extra-duty, and 15- and 20-A nonlocking receptacles must be WR. Hinged covers in damp and wet locations must open at least 90°, or fully, once installed. All other wet-location receptacles must also be WR, in an enclosure that is weatherproof with the plug in if the plugged-in equipment is left unattended, or with the plug removed if it is attended while in use, such as a portable tool.
No receptacle may be installed inside a tub or shower, or within 3 ft (900 mm) horizontally of the tub or shower edge. The zone runs from the floor to 8 ft (2.5 m) above the rim or threshold and includes the space over the tub. Space separated by a floor, wall, ceiling, room door, window or fixed barrier is outside the zone.
On the job
- Bubble covers that cannot open 90° because siding or trim is in the way are a common correction.
- Standard receptacles that are not WR, installed under covered patios, do not pass.
- Inside the 3 ft tub or shower zone, a dwelling may have one readily accessible receptacle for an electronic toilet or bidet seat, only if it is not between the toilet and the tub or shower.
Exceptions that matter
- In a bathroom too small for the full zone, the required receptacle may be placed on the farthest wall, opposite the tub rim or shower threshold.
- In a dwelling, one readily accessible receptacle for an electronic toilet or bidet seat is allowed in the zone, as long as it is not between the toilet and the tub or shower.
- Receptacles installed for hydromassage bathtubs under 680.73 are allowed.
- Weight-supporting ceiling receptacles (WSCR) are allowed for listed luminaires that use a weight-supporting attachment fitting in damp locations under 410.10(D).
- 15- and 20-A, 125- through 250-V wet-location receptacles subject to routine high-pressure washing need to be weatherproof only with the plug removed.
What changed in 2023
The 2023 NEC added the 90° cover-opening rule, extended the weather-resistant requirement beyond 15- and 20-A receptacles in damp and wet locations, redefined the tub and shower zone to run from the floor to 8 ft above the rim, added exceptions for hydromassage tubs and weight-supporting ceiling receptacles, and changed where the bidet receptacle may go.
Related sections
- NEC 210.8
- NEC 406.4(D): Replacing receptacles: GFCI, AFCI and TR rules
- NEC 410.10(D): Light fixtures over tubs and showers
- NEC 422.18
- NEC 404.4: Switches in wet locations and near tubs
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