Also, did you find placing your outlets in a certain position - vertical vs. horizontal - was better?

Hi - I was also focused on hiding outlets (we have a slab backsplash and I did not want outlets throughout) - we did under cabinet outlets everywhere except where the coffee pot and toaster would be placed (I did not want a cord hanging down in those locations). On the advice of GWers, I went with horizontal outlets down low where the backsplash hits the counter - I am really happy with how it turned out. HTH!

The visible outlet in my kitchen is to the left of the black tray, centered over the DW. I needed an outlet here. Since I did not want to break the visual flow of the backsplash, it involved: finding a receptacle that was close in color (Lutron Satin Colors Palladium), buying a mirrored outlet plate and stripping off the mirror with Muriatic acid (plain glass plates are now available); and back painting the outlet cover and the screws to match. (I had to buy a quart of oilbase paint to paint two screws). Crazy, but I would do it again.

What about code for outlet placement? You know, like 2' from either side of the sink, etc. Can someone speak to general code requirements?

The general National Electric Code (NEC) requirement for kitchen counter space is that no place on the counter can be more than 24 inches from a receptacle measured parallel to the wall, and ALL counter receptacle must be GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protected.

Sinks do not count, ranges do not count, etc. in the receptacle spacing.

It can get touchy if windows come down to the counter.
There is no exception in the NEC for having the required receptacles, and they cannot be placed face up in a counter.

Any section of counter more than 12 inches wide requires a receptacle.

There are limits on counter overhang for receptacles under the counter (though it is pretty large) and how far below the counter the receptacles can be.

You can use things like plug-mold on a GFCI protected circuit placed on the bottom of the upper cabinets (or on the wall just below the upper cabinets, or on an angle under the upper cabinets).

Receptacles inside appliance garages do not count.

The kitchen counters must be supplied by at least two 20 amp 'small appliance branch circuits' that can only be used for the counter receptacles (you can feed 120 V to a gas stove, a clock, or a refrigerator).

Lighting, dishwashers, garbage disposals, trash compactors, and other permanent equipment are NOT allowed on the small appliance circuits.

Kitchens have a lot of specific rules in the NEC.
Some places have even more local rules, a few fewer rules.

Thanks Brickeyee. That's what in was hoping someone would post. I hope this isn't a hijack, but I need clarification. My cleanup sink window is 6' wide. Must I have an outlet every 2' in that area too? So I have to figure out how I can get outlets in there?

We have angled plugmold and love it. However, on on our big island (18') we have outlets on either end plus two in the mid-ish range. Anyway, hard to describe without posting a pic of our kitchen but we were not sure how the inspector would handle it when he came. He didn't batt an eyelash . Actually, he commented that he thought we had a ton of electrical! So...not like this will help you but...just chiming in.

If I got it right it goes like this: outlets for countertops have rules to follow, and other circuits for truly permanent equipment do not have these rules to follow. This means fridges, DW, GD, IHW, compactors, lights, whatever. Usually under the countertop, because hidden. The rules for these other circuits are : 15A, and without spacing requirements, and not GFCI. Outlets inside appliance garages are in this category and not seen as countertop circuits.

brickeyee explained the 24" distance rule for the countertop circuits. These are called small appliance circuits. (I'll guess it's because you move small appliance around and change them out from time to time.) They are 20A, and GFCI, and spaced every 24" (or closer) as brickeyee wrote in his first sentence. This spacing is calculated excluding appliance garages, excluding the strips of counter behind sinks, cooktops and ranges, and excluding any piece of counter only 12" across ((but if the strip of counter next to your sink is 13" or 14" I think you could justify not having an electrical outlet there too, as it's still a water zone and not practical for appliances)).

Their outlets can be placed high or low on the wall. ((There must be a maximum height or else some people would hide one by putting it behind a high wall clock.)) They can go under the front edge of the counter. The rules don't mention plugmold so nobody knows how to handle it in terms of the rules.

A kitchen must have at least two of these 20 amp GFCI "small appliance branch circuits". Based on one sentence brickeyee wrote, it appears that a fridge can be plugged into one of these circuits. Quote: ".... (you can feed 120 V to a gas stove, a clock, or a refrigerator)."

I went from 2 circuits in my entire apartment to 7, just by bringing up the kitchen to code. (The old kitchen was pilot lit cooktop and oven so no electricity there except for the oven timer). You knew the toast was done when the lights got brighter.

brickeyee - Does the NEC specify a minimum height for horizontal outlets on a backsplash?

There is no minimum height (though there is a maximum).

No receptacle can be face up in the counter though.

That is why islands sometimes get a 'tombstone' receptacle standing up above the counter.

The NEC doe snot mention plugmold since it is a commercial system.

It can be used to fulfill the counter rules if the other rules are followed (spacing, height, overhang if under the counter, 20 amp #12 wiring, etc.).
Plugmold can be fed from a GFCI receptacle on the LOAD side, or from a GFCI circuit breaker.

The code just says "receptacles" it does not say any particular type of receptacle (beyond it needing to be 120 V).

Thank you for raising this issue. Very timely for me! Due to my layout, I will not have an outlet between my huge sink (Stages 45) and pillar on my pennisula, 34 inches apart (see photo). Upon first review (after the rough-in) the inspector stated that I would need to have an outlet, and suggested a "pop up" model on the other side of the DW. Asthetically, I refuse to cut into my soapstone counter for an outlet so close to the sink. But more importantly, for safety reasons, I do not want an outlet so close to the sink. I don't want to see my 9 year old DS making milk shakes and the blender falling into the sink. I am hopeful that the inspector will offer a waiver becuase I doubt he has never seen a sink as huge as the Stages 45. But if he is adamant, then for safety reasons, I will opt not be up to city code, which will be very ironic indeed!

Does the NEC code about having an outlet within 24" along the countertop apply to islands and peninsulas?

I believe YES, the code requirement does apply to pennisulas and islands, which is why I am possibly out of compliance. The issue is - with the dishwasher where it is, I just don't have any place to put the outlet.

Thanks, 10KDiamond. I was hoping it applied only if you have walls or columns along an end.

In my 1970s "before" kitchen, we have no outlets along our 60" peninsula. If we keep a peninsula in the end, I'm not sure I want to go to the trouble of putting them in. On the other hand, it's sounding like we may have to do some upgrades on the electrical in there anyway.

10K--can they fine you or something if you don't comply? I've never heard what the repercussions are for non-compliance. Always wondered.

They can sure make it difficult if you go to sell your house and it is on record that you failed electrical inspection much less what it might mean for your homes fire insurance..

Oouuuuu. I don't care about the resale value as I'm not planning to sell, but the insurance part bothers me.

I am rebuilding after a fire.

I can tell you they don't fine. If you get someone with a bug up his bummy, they'll FAIL you, which means you have to have someone come in and fix the failure points. In this area, they can keep you out of your home if you don't comply. There are rules for a reason, although this one does seem a bit overkill.

Consider putting an outlet on the side of your island if your inspector insists. If you have a licensed electrician and you refuse to comply, you'll have to sign a waiver, I'm sure, because it's his head (and license) on the block.

Anyway, the things I did do, for which I'm already grateful, is that I made all my outlets quads. Kitchens and baths are traditionally electrically inefficient.

I also put almost all my lights on dimmers and in parts of the house other than the kitchen, motion sensors. Laundry, closets, bathrooms, hallways, mud room, garage, attic.

Years ago, a year after we originally moved into this house, I made my husband put motion sensors on these areas because he wouldn't turn a light off if I held a gun to his head. I dropped our power bill by $30. Comparing it to the previous year. So when rebuilding, I did it again.

Your kitchen looks lovely. Good luck with the inspection.

We did what Laurainlincoln described. That is, we put plugmold stips (or low-profile outlets in some places) under the upper cabinets, and we put outlets in the backsplash only behind where we knew we would be putting the toaster and coffee maker. This is the best of both worlds, because you don't have to look at any outlets, and the appliances that are out all the time have no cords dangling from under the cabinets. In the island, we only put them under the overhang.

10K, can you get away with putting an outlet under your overhang opposite the sink? We put ours there (see pic), and it has come in very handy for laptop chargers.

cfmuehling - Thanks for the nice words.

I too am rebuilding after a fire - but only the kitchen was damaged. Sounds like you are rebuilding much more? I am so sorry! Anyway I didn't even need to pull permits for my fire damage, but took the opportunity to do some major work to the kitchen layout. The house is otherwise livable, so it's not as if I need a CO from the City. I will not be fined, but if the inspector doesn't give the green light he simply makes a note of it in the city's record. My contractor says that given the size of the sink and my safety reasoning, he thinks that there is a possibility that the inspector will say OK and I will pass the inspection. I am very sensitive to safety issues after having the fire.

The fact is, the kitchen is upscale and attractive, the house's location is an A+ in my city, so the placement of an outlet so close to the sink, while may be the "code," is irrationally unsafe and shouldn't affect resale. I don't have a problem with a prospective buyer knowing this when I resell the house. Heck, if they need an outlet placed into the soapstone counter inches from the sink, in order to get a mortgage, or for personal reasons, I'll be happy to pay for it at that time. :)

Dimmers are great, I agree!

I'm sorry to hear you've experienced the same thing. I don't think it really matters how big it is, it's just horrendous.

I think I reacted to the rather blythe response to not being up to code. I absolutely understand the reasoning behind it, and agree with you! But so many people don't get what inspectors do and the absolute power they wield. God forbid one is constipated the morning they show up at your house and your bathroom isn't done. They can literally shut down a job and bar someone from their own home.

I envy you the soapstone. I've wanted to do that in my kitchen since we moved here, before the fire. But I'm doing this alone and on a yoga teacher's income. That will remain on my dream list.

I did, however, get all my appliances, fixtures, lights, and a whole boatload of stuff with the first insurance payment. Including in that a loan, which afforded us (then) 32 solar panels and a solar water system. My point in this is that I have an absolutely fabulous, Koehler "Hawthorne" farm, undermount sink in Roussalaine Red. I can't remember how to spell that. Anyway, I still dream of it sitting under beautiful soapstone. [lol]

Gotta have dreams or nothing happens. :)
Keep up the beeee-u-tee-ful work.

Christine

I'm surprised that a fridge can be plugged into one of the countertop circuits.

So far, I haven't seen any mention if these are double circuits. The countertop ones and the others.

Thanks for all of the fantastic suggestions and photos! As always, the folks on this forum are incredibly helpful. I learned so much from these posts (no surprise!). Thanks again for sharing your experience :-)

I also wanted to thank everyone for all the great info. I cannot find an easy place to order plugmold online. Anybody? Also, what and where can I find "low profile" outlets?

While searching for low profile, I did come across these nifty switches for the first time:
{{!gwi}}

They are by Forbes & Lomax, a British company. I have no idea on the price.

"can they fine you or something if you don't comply? "

They can do a whole lot more than fine you. Worst case - If you do electrical work without a permit, they can require you to bring it up to current code in a fixed period of time. If you don't comply, they can deem it unfit for occupancy and have you removed.

"I'm surprised that a fridge can be plugged into one of the countertop circuits."

It can be, but that would be unusual in any new construction. Electrical code is a set of MINIMUM safety requirements. You aren't going to burn your house down putting the fridge on a small appliance circuit. You MIGHT cause annoyance for yourself every morning though when you trip that breaker making coffee and toast at the same time.

Anyway, it is usually a good idea to "overbuild" your electric. It should last decades without major repair, so you want to have enough spare capacity to handle whatever new gadgets come out in the next 30 years. The cost to put things on separate circuits or install extra outlets is usually pretty minimal during construction or a major rehab.

This is what our angled plugmold looks like. We chose this route to avoid more cuts in our backsplash. We don't leave anything permanently plugged in (most of that stuff is in the pantry or put away after use). If you have something you want to leave out, you will see an unsightly black cord.

{{gwi:1564238}}

Also we have 2 sockets in our island. One is a mocket and the other is hidden beneathe the overhang. The mocket outlet is the outlet I use the most in the kitchen as all my prep work is done on the island. Even though it is visible and I did not initially want it, the practicality has won me over.

Undercounter outlet, which is not easily visible, especially with the kitty distraction I've got going on:

{{!gwi}}

Somewhere, either online or in a magazine, there is a close-up photo of this blue, A&C island from Crown Point Cabinetry, and it shows both this view and the opened little panels under the counter, which, in the view linked, are closed and covering outlets. The device is among the best cabinet features that I have seen. My cabinet people flat out refused to do anything like it. Perhaps someone less exhausted than I can search out the photos I have seen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Find the outlet . . .

We realize this thread is about 4 years old, but let's see if we can make it easier to find what kitchendetective was referring to. You can find this neat feature, along with our other organization options, on our Organize page: Crown Point Cabinetry Organize page