The California code for electrical outlets sits in Title 24, Part 3 of the California Code of Regulations, known as the California Electrical Code (CEC). It sets minimum rules for where outlets go, how far apart they can be, which circuits must be dedicated, and what kind of shock and fire protection they need. The 2025 edition took effect January 1, 2026, and is built on the 2023 National Electrical Code with California amendments layered on top.1NFPA. Learn Where the NEC Is Enforced2California Department of General Services. Codes
Local city and county building departments enforce the CEC and can adopt amendments stricter than the state baseline. Everything below is the statewide floor. Confirm with your local building department before you start.
Outlet Spacing in Rooms and Hallways
In habitable rooms, no point along the floor line of any wall can be more than 6 feet from a receptacle. In practice, that puts outlets no more than 12 feet apart along a continuous wall. The point of the rule is to eliminate the extension cords that cause residential fires.
“Wall space” means any continuous section of wall 2 feet or wider. Doorways, fireplaces, and built-in cabinets break the run, and the 6-foot count restarts on the other side. Hallways longer than 10 feet need at least one receptacle.
A floor-mounted receptacle can count toward wall spacing only if it sits within 18 inches of the wall. Farther out, it doesn’t satisfy the spacing rule even though it’s in the same room.
Kitchen Outlets
Countertop Spacing
Along kitchen countertops, no point on the wall behind the counter can be more than 24 inches from a receptacle, which spaces outlets no more than 48 inches apart. Any countertop section 12 inches wide or more needs its own outlet. Receptacles cannot be placed directly behind a range or sink.
Islands and Peninsulas
Under the 2023 NEC as adopted by the CEC, receptacles on islands and peninsulas are not strictly required. If you leave one out, though, the code requires you to rough in the wiring and a junction box so an outlet can be added later.3NFPA. Evolution of Kitchen Island and Peninsula Receptacle Outlet Requirements: Updates Through the 2026 NEC If you do install one, it must sit on or above the countertop, no more than 20 inches above it, or be a flush-mount assembly listed for countertop use. Side-of-cabinet mounting below the countertop is no longer allowed.
Small Appliance Circuits
Kitchens need at least two dedicated 20-ampere small appliance branch circuits serving the countertop and dining area receptacles. Those circuits serve only the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, and dining room. They cannot feed outlets elsewhere in the house.
Bathrooms and Laundry Rooms
Bathrooms
Each bathroom needs at least one receptacle within 3 feet of the outside edge of every sink basin. The outlet mounts on a wall or partition next to the sink, on the countertop, or on the face of the sink cabinet, and it cannot sit more than 12 inches below the countertop. Each bathroom receptacle circuit must be a dedicated 20-ampere branch circuit, and every outlet in the room requires GFCI protection.
Laundry Rooms
At least one receptacle must be within 6 feet of the intended laundry equipment location, on its own dedicated 20-ampere branch circuit that powers nothing else. That circuit is separate from the kitchen small appliance circuits and from any bathroom circuit. Combination rooms, such as a laundry-mudroom, still need the dedicated laundry circuit.
GFCI Protection
A ground-fault circuit interrupter detects small current imbalances that mean electricity is escaping to ground, and cuts power in a fraction of a second. GFCI protection is required for all 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles in these locations:
- Every receptacle in a bathroom
- All receptacles serving kitchen countertop surfaces, plus any receptacle within 6 feet of the inside edge of a kitchen sink
- All receptacles within 6 feet of a laundry sink, and generally all receptacles in the laundry space
- All receptacles at or below grade in garages and accessory buildings
- Every exterior receptacle
- All receptacles at or below grade in crawl spaces and unfinished basements
- Any receptacle within 6 feet of the inside edge of a sink bowl in any other room
Every receptacle serving a kitchen countertop needs GFCI protection regardless of its distance from water. The separate 6-foot-from-sink rule picks up outlets that serve other purposes, such as a receptacle behind a freestanding range, when they fall within that radius.
Protection can come from a GFCI receptacle with “Test” and “Reset” buttons, from a GFCI circuit breaker at the panel, or from standard outlets wired downstream of a GFCI device.
AFCI Protection
An arc-fault circuit interrupter guards against fire rather than shock. It detects the electrical signature of an unintentional arc, the kind produced by a damaged cord, a nail driven through a wire, or a loose connection inside a wall, and shuts the circuit down before the arc ignites anything.
AFCI protection is required for all 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets in most habitable areas: kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, dens, libraries, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, and laundry areas. Bathrooms, garages, and outdoor locations are outside the AFCI requirement.
Protection usually comes from a special breaker at the panel. Combination AFCI/GFCI receptacles exist for spaces that need both. In kitchens and laundry areas, dual-function breakers cover both requirements in a single device.
Tamper-Resistant and Weather-Resistant Receptacles
Every non-locking, 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle in a California dwelling unit must be tamper-resistant. These outlets have spring-loaded shutters that block foreign objects unless equal pressure hits both slots at once, which is what happens when a proper plug goes in. The rule covers all new and replacement outlets in habitable rooms. Outlets mounted higher than 5½ feet above the floor are exempt, as are receptacles in dedicated spaces behind appliances that can’t easily be moved.
California’s 2025 code carves out one state-specific exception: mobile homes and manufactured homes are excluded from the tamper-resistant receptacle requirement.4California Department of General Services. 2025 Title 24 California Code Changes
Receptacles in damp or wet locations must be rated weather-resistant and marked “WR” in a spot that stays visible after the cover plate is on. They also need an approved weatherproof cover. A flip-lid cover is acceptable only if nothing will be plugged in while the cover is closed. Otherwise the outlet needs an in-use cover that protects it with a cord plugged in.
Exterior, Garage, and Basement Outlets
Exterior
Every single-family home, and each unit of a two-family dwelling at grade level, must have at least one receptacle at the front of the building and one at the back. Each outdoor outlet must be readily accessible from grade and mounted no more than 6½ feet above grade. All exterior receptacles need GFCI protection and a wet-location weatherproof cover.
Garages
Any garage with electric power, attached or detached, needs at least one receptacle for each vehicle bay. The circuit feeding garage receptacles cannot supply outlets outside the garage. All garage receptacles require GFCI protection.
Unfinished Basements
Each separate unfinished portion of a basement needs at least one receptacle, and those outlets require GFCI protection. Finishing a basement into a habitable room brings it under the 6-foot spacing rule and triggers AFCI protection as well.
When You Need a Permit
An electrical permit is generally required any time you install, alter, or replace part of an electrical system. A like-for-like receptacle swap is usually exempt. Adding a new outlet, running a new circuit, or converting a standard receptacle to a GFCI in a new location requires a permit and a follow-up inspection by the local building department.
California law lets homeowners do electrical work on a home they personally own and occupy as their primary residence, without a contractor’s license. You still have to pull a permit and pass the same inspections a licensed electrician would face, and the inspector can require you to tear out and redo anything that doesn’t comply. For rental properties, even ones you own, the work must be done by a licensed electrical contractor.
Skipping the permit carries real risk. Unpermitted work often surfaces during a home sale when the buyer’s inspector flags it, forcing you to open walls and prove compliance after the fact. If an electrical fire is traced back to unpermitted or non-compliant wiring, a homeowner’s insurance carrier may reduce or deny the claim. Keeping proof of permits, inspections, and upgrades protects both the home and the coverage on it.