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I’ve been reading about the requirements for GFCI stickers, but it’s not clear to me if I’d be allowed to put the sticker on the inside of the mounting plate as well.

Some have argued these stickers are not strictly necessary, and many have argued they’re an eye sore; personally I think they’re pretty dumb because they don’t clearly indicate what GFCI device is actually providing the protection.

In any case, I want to make sure my installation is up to code and comply with the sticker rule though I’d rather not have them in sight if I can at all avoid it. I imagine they’re more meant for an electrician/inspector to see them rather than someone plugging in a device.

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  • Some devices like power surge power bars require a full ground to work properly. GFCIs only protect people from shocks if using non grounded receptacles. No one is going to remove stuff to see if that receptacle is GFCI protected or not, especially inspectors.
    – crip659
    Commented Sep 15 at 16:37
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    GFCIs only protect people from shocks if using non grounded receptacles. Huh??? GFCI protects you whether there is a proper ground or not. The difference is that if you don't have ground then GFCI provide protection comparable to what you would get with a ground (but without GFCI) as well as the usual GFCI protection. There is a different label to indicate that a "grounded" receptacle is GFCI protected but doesn't have an actual ground (which is important for surge protectors) but that's not the usual label (which is just to indicate that GFCI is in place).
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Sep 15 at 16:42
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    @manassehkatz-Moving2Codidact - I interpreted the comment as "if using non-grounded receptacles, GFCIs only protect people from shocks and don't provide a ground path for surge protection".
    – Mark
    Commented Sep 15 at 18:14
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    @Mark The ambiguity of English. Remember, you can never put too much water in a nuclear reactor.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Sep 15 at 18:15
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    I am about to go through final inspection for a room addition and my electrical inspector stated that I did not need the stickers. Have you called your inspector?
    – Evil Elf
    Commented Sep 16 at 11:59

4 Answers 4

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The "GFCI Protected" marking must be visible to an ordinary user of the receptacle, from the room the receptacle serves. That is, on what would normally be called the “outside” of the cover plate.

You're not required to to use the stickers that are supplied with the GFCI- you can use your own label maker (to better color-coordinate with the cover plate) or, if you want to get really fancy, have the cover plate engraved.

Putting the sticker on the “inside” of the cover plate (such that it could only be seen by uninstalling the plate) would not meet code.

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  • Ok, thanks; that’s a clear answer. I really wish they’d come up with a better solution than these stickers (I know of the plates with ‘GFCI protected’ in the plastic, but they don’t seem very common). Also confusing that these stickers are code, but apparently not everyone trips over them in the same way.
    – Martin Uildriks
    Commented Sep 16 at 1:14
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    @MartinUildriks Be thankful that all you have to worry about is GFCI stickers being an eye sore :-)
    – JACK
    Commented Sep 16 at 16:03
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The purpose of the sticker is so that:

  1. Occupants can know that GFCI is provided at an outlet, and use that outlet if that is what they need.
  2. Occupants can know that if an outlet fails, a GFCI device somewhere else is the first thing to examine
  3. Occupants, buyers, their inspectors, and others can know that code was followed in providing GFCI protection where required, where otherwise, seeing an apparent code violation, they would have to distrust all aspects of a home's electrical infrastructure
  4. Inspectors for buyers or lenders, will not report an outlet as possibly non-compliant because it's not GFCI-protected. Sure, some inspectors might not like seeing stickers. Very few! But all inspectors will report an outlet without a sticker in a location that requires GFCI-protection. None of them will ever open it up to look inside.

NONE of the above functions is served by a sticker inside the junction box. In fact, no purpose at all is served by one.

What then?

If you think the free stickers that come with your device are ugly, get nicer ones! They used to be ugly, for sure. The GFCI outlets I bought most recently have stickers that are transparent with white ink that is just a little more matte than the finish of most outlet covers. The white matte ink on white shiny plastic is only visible if you look closely. And they are still free. You can buy replacement stickers on Amazon in all kinds of colors. You can print your own with a $30 label maker, you can make them pretty or make them subtle. You can have the outlet covers engraved, whatever you want.

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Visibly install the labels. Not every device with a ground prong is allowed to be used in ungrounded receptacles. The stickers are required by Code to assist you at not plugging in devices they are required by NEC and devices with Instructions that specify they must be plugged into a grounded receptacle.

Notice that NEC 406.4(D)(2) that allows the use of ungrounded GFCI receptacles has informational notes to refer you to (UL/ETL/CSA) Listings use requirements and other sections of the NEC:

Informational Note No. 1: Some equipment or appliance manufacturers require that the branch circuit to the equipment or appliance includes an equipment grounding conductor.

Informational Note No. 2: See 250.114 for a list of a cord-and-plug-connected equipment or appliances that require an equipment grounding conductor.

Section 250.114 says:

250.114 Equipment Connected by Cord and Plug Exposed, normally non-current-carrying metal parts of cord-and-plug-connected equipment shall be connected to the equipment grounding conductor under any of the following conditions:

(3)In residential occupancies: Refrigerators, freezers, icemakers, and air conditioners Clothes-washing, clothes-drying, and dish-washing machines; ranges; kitchen waste disposers; information technology equipment; sump pumps; and electrical aquarium equipment Hand-held motor-operated tools, stationary and fixed motor-operated tools, and light industrial motor-operated tools Motor-operated appliances of the following types: hedge clippers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, and wet scrubbers.

Those labels are intended to inform you that a receptacle may not be the proper receptacle for a device you are about to use.

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    Thanks! I understand that not all devices do equally well with ungrounded receptacles, but seriously, would your grandmother bother to check a sticker a foot off the floor let alone decipher a tiny cryptic text on them? I mean “No equipment ground”… My mother would have no clue and use different outlets all the same, regardless of sticker or not. Anyway, your point is well taken!
    – Martin Uildriks
    Commented Sep 17 at 20:54
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I suspect the downvotes are because I am basically saying "if you don't put visible labels on the receptacles then you are violating code but everybody doesn't and no big deal" rather than insisting on "thou shalt put on stickers no matter what". And you have every right to downvote me for that. I'm basing my answer on my own experience with a licensed electrician and the reality of "a lot of people don't label the receptacles". It is a documentation requirement of code but not having the stickers doesn't make the receptacles unprotected and having the stickers doesn't actually guarantee that the receptacles are protected.

I agree they're generally pretty dumb. Though I have to admit that when my electrician finished with my kitchen he didn't bother with the stickers. Shortly after he left, I tried one of the new ordinary receptacles in the kitchen and it didn't work. I called my electrician and he was about to turn around when he said "check the GFCIs!" and sure enough one of the GFCI/receptacles in the kitchen had tripped. Reset it and all was good. And since then I have never had a problem because I know that every ordinary kitchen receptacle is connected to one of the kitchen GFCI/receptacles and every ordinary bathroom receptacle is connected to one of the bathroom GFCI/receptacles.

So really the question is whether to put the label on the outside (fully code complaint) or not at all. The people who worry about this (home inspectors who check a lot of things but are private people and not govt., and electrical inspectors from the local govt.) are not normally going to remove a receptacle cover to determine GFCI protection. They also may or may not trust a sticker. So if they don't see a GFCI device where one is required then they will do one of:

  • See a sticker and be happy
  • See a sticker but plug in a GFCI tester to make sure, and if the test doesn't work then you've got problems, with the exception of a three-wire receptacle that does not have an actual ground connected to GFCI in lieu of ground, because the usual testers will not work with that setup
  • Not see a sticker but plug in a GFCI tester on the assumption that there is GFCI but just no sticker, and if the test doesn't work then you've got problems
  • Not see a sticker and call it out as a violation

They are not going to remove the cover plate to look for a sticker.

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  • I could see that scenario here too; we’ve got the same. I guess my issue is that there must be a better way of somehow indicating dependency. For example, we’ve also got a GFCI in the bathroom, which is of course code. Silly thing is they installed it on the light switch. On the one hand that makes sense: you put your hairdryer in and dry your hair with the light on; on the other it doesn’t: you plug in the toothbrush charger, switch off the lights and close door behind you, assuming it’ll charge, but then no—power cut to the outlet. The stickers only mark a dependency, not a synergy.
    – Martin Uildriks
    Commented Sep 16 at 1:19
  • Yeah, somebody just wasn't thinking on that one. The right way to do it is to split hot to the receptacle (so it is always hot) and the light (so it is always switchable but not GFCI protected). You don't (usually) want lights on GFCI because then they can go out at the worst times and you don't receptacles on switches because "duh".
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Sep 16 at 2:09

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