2026 Code Year: NEC 422

National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 422 mandates electrical appliance’s safety standards. See if anything changed in the 2026 edition of the NEC.

What is NEC 422?

National Electrical Code Article 422, and all of its subsets, outline the electrical safety requirements for electrical appliances that can be used in any location (at home, work, or on the go). It has one subsection, 422.5, that details the Ground Fault Protection requirements to be included on/in electrical appliances.

What is NEC 422.5?

NEC Article 422.5 offers very similar Ground Fault Protection guidelines as NEC Article 210.8. Both Codes require Agency Listed Class A (5 mA +/-1 trip level) Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protection for their named places & appliances. The difference is, NEC 422.5 dictates what specific appliances & named locations require GFCI protection as an integral part of the equipment/circuit (such as integrated in hardwired equipment or a part of the attachment plug of the appliance itself), while NEC 210.8 requires GFCI protection for the Outlet and/or Receptacle supplying electricity to the named appliance or location. There are two subsections of NEC 422.5; Subsection A, that names specific appliances that require integrated GFCI protection, and Subsection B, which offers named locations that need GFCI protection.

What is NEC 422.5(A)?

NEC 422.5(A) names 7 different electrical appliances, rated up to 150 volts to ground, up to 60 Amps, single and/or 3-phase that require Class A GFCI protection. The appliances include:

1. Automotive vacuum machines
2. Drinking water coolers & bottle fill stations
3. Plug-in and hardwired high-pressure spray washing machines
4. Tire inflation machines
5. Vending machines
6. Sump pumps
7. Dishwashers

While there are more electrical appliances that are required to have Class A GFCI protection (such as the receptacle for an oven in a commercial kitchen, following NEC 210.8(B)) these 7 named appliances require GFCI protection somewhere. This includes GFCI integration into the appliance itself, whether it be inside the appliance or as a component of its attachment plug, or GFCI protection in the branch-circuit overcurrent device (x. A breaker) or receptacle supplying electricity to the appliance, regardless of locations named in the Various NEC articles.

What is NEC 422.5(B)?

NEC 422.5(B) dictates the 5 ways in which an Agency Listed GFCI can be integrated on any of the previously named 7 Appliances. The 5 ‘types’ & locations are:

1. Within a branch-circuit overcurrent device
2. A device or outlet within the supply circuit
3. An integral part of an attachment plug
4. Within a supply cord that is no more than 12in (300mm) from the attachment plug
5. Factory installed within the appliance

These locations work in conjunction with many different Code standards in the NEC. If your electrical appliance isn’t named in Subsection A, you may still be required to GFCI protect the receptacle supplying the electrical equipment, such as a pool pump motor according to NEC 680.59.

What does this Code mean?

NEC 422.5 mandates what specific electrical appliances require Agency Listed Class A GFCI protection, and where it can be integrated. There were no updates to the specific named electrical appliances or locations in the 2026 Code cycle, but it is still a very important NEC standard for protecting people from electric shock harm with GFCI protection!