Residential electrical plan review catches many of the same NEC violations as commercial review, but a few specific requirements generate a disproportionate share of the comments. Residential projects (single-family, townhomes, and multifamily dwelling units) have dedicated NEC articles and sections that don't apply to commercial work, and the combination of those residential-specific rules with the general installation requirements produces a predictable set of plan review failures.
This covers the 12 NEC violations that hold up residential electrical permits most often, based on the 2023 NEC (NFPA 70). Many of these also apply to the 2020 NEC, with section references noted where the numbering changed.
Branch circuit and receptacle requirements
1. Kitchen receptacle circuits
NEC Section 210.11(C)(1) requires at least two 20-ampere small appliance branch circuits serving kitchen countertop receptacles. These circuits must supply only the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, and similar areas. No lighting outlets or other loads are permitted on small appliance branch circuits (Section 210.52(B)). Plan reviewers check the panel schedule for two dedicated 20A circuits labeled for kitchen receptacles, then verify on the floor plan that no lighting fixtures or non-kitchen receptacles are connected to those circuits. The most common violation is a single 20A circuit serving both kitchen countertop receptacles and a kitchen ceiling light, or only one circuit shown for the entire kitchen counter.
2. Countertop receptacle spacing
NEC Section 210.52(C) requires receptacles at countertop spaces 12 inches or wider, with no point along the counter wall line more than 24 inches (measured horizontally) from a receptacle outlet. Island countertops and peninsular countertops have their own requirements under 210.52(C)(2) and (C)(3): at least one receptacle is required on each island with a long dimension of 24 inches or greater and a short dimension of 12 inches or greater. Reviewers measure distances on the floor plan, and missing island receptacles and gaps along L-shaped counters are the most frequent violations. Behind-range and behind-sink spaces do not count toward the wall counter spacing requirement.
3. Bathroom receptacle circuit
NEC Section 210.11(C)(3) requires at least one 20-ampere branch circuit for bathroom receptacles. This circuit must supply only bathroom receptacle outlets (no lighting, no exhaust fans, no other rooms). In dwelling units with multiple bathrooms, a single 20A circuit can serve receptacles in more than one bathroom, but it still cannot serve non-bathroom loads. Alternatively, each bathroom can have its own dedicated 20A circuit that also supplies lighting and exhaust within that same bathroom only. Reviewers check the panel schedule for bathroom circuit designations and verify on the floor plan that bathroom receptacles are not on general lighting circuits. Combining a bathroom receptacle with a hallway light on the same circuit is a common violation.
4. General receptacle spacing
NEC Section 210.52(A) requires receptacle outlets in habitable rooms such that no point along the floor line of any wall space is more than 6 feet (measured horizontally) from a receptacle outlet. Any wall space 2 feet or wider requires a receptacle. This includes spaces between doorways, behind door swings, and wall spaces created by room projections. Reviewers measure along the floor line on the plan, wrapping around corners but not crossing doorways, archways, or fireplaces. Common violations include missing receptacles behind entry doors, in short wall segments between closet doors, and in foyers or hallways where wall spaces exceed 2 feet but have no receptacle.
GFCI and AFCI protection
5. GFCI-protected locations
NEC Section 210.8(A) lists the locations in dwelling units where GFCI protection is required for 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles. The 2023 NEC list includes bathrooms, garages and accessory buildings, outdoors, crawl spaces, basements (finished and unfinished), kitchens, areas with sinks where the receptacle is within 6 feet of the outside edge of the sink, boathouses, bathtubs and shower stalls (within 6 feet), laundry areas, and indoor damp and wet locations. Plan reviewers check the electrical plans for GFCI designations at every required location. The most common violations are missing GFCI protection on garage receptacles, unfinished basement receptacles, and outdoor receptacles. The 2023 NEC also requires GFCI protection for 250-volt receptacles in some of these locations, which catches designers still working from the 2020 requirements.
6. AFCI protection
NEC Section 210.12(A) requires arc-fault circuit-interrupter (AFCI) protection for all 120-volt, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets and devices in dwelling unit kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, and similar rooms or areas. The practical effect is that nearly every 120-volt circuit in a dwelling unit requires AFCI protection. Reviewers check the panel schedule for AFCI breaker designations on all applicable circuits. The most common violation is a panel schedule that shows standard breakers on bedroom and living area circuits without AFCI designation. Some designers omit AFCI from kitchen circuits because GFCI is also required there, but both protections are required (dual-function AFCI/GFCI breakers satisfy both).
Service entrance and feeders
7. Service entrance sizing
NEC Section 230.79 requires the service disconnecting means to have a rating of not less than the calculated load per Article 220. For single-family dwellings, the minimum service is 100 amperes (Section 230.79(C)). The standard residential load calculation (Article 220, Part III) starts with the general lighting load at 3 VA per square foot of habitable area, adds small appliance and laundry circuits at 1,500 VA each, adds fixed appliance loads (water heater, dryer, range, HVAC), applies demand factors, and determines the minimum service size. Reviewers check the load calculation on the electrical plans or in the permit application and compare it to the service entrance equipment shown. Common violations include a 100A service on a house that calculates above 100A (typically due to electric range plus electric dryer plus HVAC), a load calculation that omits the laundry circuit or applies incorrect demand factors, and a load calculation based on an older NEC edition's demand factors when the jurisdiction has adopted a newer edition.
8. Feeder and panel sizing for multifamily
In multifamily buildings, each dwelling unit has its own panel fed from a main distribution panel or house panel. NEC Section 215.2(A)(1) requires feeder conductors to have an ampacity not less than the calculated load. For dwelling unit feeders, the optional calculation method in Article 220, Part IV can be used if the dwelling unit has electric cooking equipment and either electric space heating or air conditioning. Reviewers check that each unit's feeder size matches the load calculation, that the main service or distribution panel has adequate capacity for all unit feeders plus house loads, and that demand factor application is correct. The most common violation is applying the single-dwelling optional calculation to a multifamily building without accounting for the diversity between units (Section 220.84 has specific requirements for multifamily optional calculations).
Grounding and bonding
9. Grounding electrode system
NEC Section 250.50 requires a grounding electrode system that includes all electrodes present at a building: metal underground water pipe (if 10 feet or more in contact with earth), metal frame of the building (if effectively grounded), concrete-encased electrode (rebar or bare copper in the foundation, commonly called a Ufer ground), and ground ring. Section 250.53 covers installation requirements for supplemental electrodes. If the only electrode available is a driven rod, a second rod is required unless the single rod has a resistance of 25 ohms or less (Section 250.53(A)(2)). Reviewers check the site plan and electrical plans for grounding electrode identification and sizing of the grounding electrode conductor per Table 250.66. The most common violation is a plan that shows a single ground rod with no supplemental electrode and no concrete-encased electrode noted, or a grounding electrode conductor that is undersized for the service.
10. Equipment grounding conductor sizing
NEC Section 250.122 and Table 250.122 set the minimum equipment grounding conductor (EGC) size based on the rating of the overcurrent device protecting the circuit. Reviewers check the branch circuit schedule for EGC sizes and verify they match the table. Common violations include 14 AWG EGC on a 20-ampere circuit (requires 12 AWG minimum), missing EGC designations on the circuit schedule entirely, and feeders to subpanels with an undersized EGC for the feeder overcurrent device rating.
Outdoor and specialty circuits
11. Outdoor receptacle requirements
NEC Section 210.52(E) requires at least two outdoor receptacles for dwelling units: one at the front and one at the back of the dwelling, each readily accessible from grade level and no higher than 6 feet 6 inches above grade. These must be GFCI protected per Section 210.8(A)(3) and must have in-use covers (while-in-use weatherproof covers) per Section 406.9(B) if they are in a wet location. Balconies and decks with usable area also require a receptacle outlet (Section 210.52(E)(3)). Reviewers check the site plan and floor plan for outdoor receptacle locations and verify GFCI protection. Missing the second outdoor receptacle (typically the rear) is the most common violation.
12. EV-ready circuit
This is increasingly showing up in plan review. While the NEC itself does not mandate EV charging circuits in all new construction, many jurisdictions have adopted local amendments requiring EV-ready parking (a dedicated 40-ampere, 240-volt circuit or raceway to the garage or parking area). NEC Article 625 covers the installation requirements for EV charging equipment when it is provided. Section 625.40 requires a dedicated branch circuit for EV charging and specifies that the circuit rating must not be less than the nameplate rating of the EVSE. Reviewers in jurisdictions with EV-ready requirements check for the dedicated circuit in the panel schedule and the raceway or wiring shown to the garage. The most common violation is a panel schedule that has no space or capacity reserved for a future EV circuit, triggering a comment even though the homeowner hasn't requested charging equipment.
Catching these before submittal
Most residential electrical plan review comments are predictable: receptacle spacing, GFCI/AFCI coverage, load calculations, and grounding. These are the kinds of systematic checks where automated review catches errors that manual review misses through familiarity -- the designer draws the same kitchen layout dozens of times and eventually stops counting receptacle spacings. Running the electrical plans through a code check before submittal catches the mechanical errors and lets the reviewer focus on the design decisions that actually need engineering judgment.