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Home / Code Guides / Outlet Spacing

Receptacle Spacing Rules — The 6/12 Rule, Countertops & Walls

The NEC’s receptacle-placement logic is simple: no point along a wall should be far from a plug, and countertops get their own denser rules. It all lives in NEC 210.52.

DWELLING RECEPTACLE SPACING — ELEVATIONFIN. FLOORCEILING12' MAX12' MAX12' MAX12' MAX6' MAXfrom cornerWALL LENGTH15"AFF typRULES · NEC 2023 §210.52(A)(1) — "6/12 RULE"1. No point along floor wall line > 6 ft from a receptacle · 2. Max 12 ft between adjacent receptacles3. Every wall space ≥ 2 ft wide requires at least one receptacle · 4. Counters & islands: see §210.52(C)D17
Receptacle spacing in dwelling units — NEC 2023 210.52.Open full diagram →
RequirementModel Code StandardSection
General wall spacingNo point along the floor line more than 6 ft from a receptacle — i.e., receptacles at least every 12 ft of wallNEC 210.52(A)(1)
Short wallsAny wall space 2 ft or wider needs a receptacleNEC 210.52(A)(2)
CountertopsReceptacle for every countertop space 12 in. or wider; no point along the wall line more than 24 in. from a receptacleNEC 210.52(C)(1)
Islands & peninsulasUnder the 2023 NEC, island/peninsula receptacles became optional-but-provisioned (junction box required); under 2017/2020 rules at least one receptacle was required per islandNEC 210.52(C)(2)
Small-appliance circuitsAt least two 20-amp small-appliance branch circuits serving kitchen/dining receptaclesNEC 210.52(B), 210.11(C)(1)
BathroomsReceptacle within 3 ft of each basin edge, on a 20-amp circuitNEC 210.52(D), 210.11(C)(3)
LaundryAt least one receptacle for laundry areas on a dedicated 20-amp circuitNEC 210.52(F), 210.11(C)(2)
OutdoorsOne receptacle front and back of each dwelling, max 6-1/2 ft above grade, plus balconies/decks/porchesNEC 210.52(E)

Worth knowing

  • Doorways, fireplaces, and fixed panels break wall space; sliding-door glass counts as wall space.
  • The 6-ft measurement follows the wall line, around corners — a lamp cord should reach a plug without crossing an opening.
  • Countertop receptacles may not be installed face-up in the counter and, per recent cycles, are measured to the wall line, with limits on below-counter mounting.
  • Which edition applies is a state adoption question — island rules in particular changed materially in the 2023 NEC.
This guide is BuildSpec’s own summary, not code text. It cites the 2021 International Residential Code and the 2023 National Electrical Code as model standards. The IRC 2021 text itself is in the Code Library for signed-in members; BuildSpec publishes no NEC text, which is at nfpa.org. Neither is an adoption record: your state may be on a different edition with amendments — check your jurisdiction page or get an Address Report.
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