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Hello Clay,

The island is required have a GFCI receptacle.

Sure, it should have been installed during remodeling. It may have been overlooked and then reached a point in the remodeling where a decsion was made to skip it. The remodeler or DIY'r may have not known that it was needed. There may have been a very conscious decision not to do it, wanting to avoid saw cutting, expense or elt they didn't need it Who knows?

Almost nothing in construction / remodleing is impossible. How much it will cost and is it worth it is another story. A typical floor slab can usually be saw cut fairly easily. It sure would be a lot easier without any cabinets installed, finished flooring, etc. To do it now whould be a hassle and expensive.

Sincerely,

Corey

Is the island attached to the floor? Some AHJ's do not require outlets if the island is not attached to the floor and is considered movable or a temporary fixture.

If this is a concern to you, I would simply note that the island has no electrical outlets.

I have seen several islands with a power pole that goes up to the ceiling and the power is dropped through the attic to the island. It all depends if you want a pole or no power.

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Scott Patterson
Spring Hill, TN
http://www.traceinspections.com

That's one of the drawbacks of a slab foundation.

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"Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand." Leo Durocher
Bruce Breedlove
www.avaloninspection.com

If the island has plumbing or electric, that means it is anchored to the floor (or, at least should be anchored to the floor). If this is the case, it is required to have a receptacle outlet.

If the island is just 'counter space' and is on casters, then it is not addressed, but, if it is 'setting on the floor', then it needs to be secured down. If it is not on wheels, it is required to have a receptacle outlet.

Now, *regardless how much trouble it is or how much it costs* (the HI does not, should not, care about those things, the HI *SHOULD* write it up as a GFCI is missing and is required, and should be installed.

At that point, whether it gets installed or not, now it is up to your client and the seller to negotiate it and decide if it gets installed, and, if it is to be installed, who pays for it. None of which the HI should be concerned with - 1) *it is required*, 2) *it should be written up as needing to be required*.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

How big is the island, and what else is on it?

The receptacle requirement applies only to spaces more than 24" long and 12" deep. If the island were filled, say, with a stove (or sink), with only small spaces around it, no receptacle would be necessary.

Or, to go the other extreme ... an island large enough to house Gilligan (and friends), but without any divisions, would need but one receptacle.

You might also check those island counters and make sure they are secured to the floor.

I leaned on one the other day and nearly pushed it out the back door.

Some are portable I know, but most aren't intended to be.

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Rick Hurst_Home Works Inspection Co_Rockwall TX
In the words of Mike Tyson.... "Everyone has a plan until they get hit inda mouf"

Outlets at counter with sink on far side of this island have correct GFCI protection and can serve island top. But... GFCI protection needed on wall outlets near baseboard on this side?... corded appliance on the island top could be plugged in there...

Attached Images

IslanfOutletSmall.jpg (69.1 KB, 98 views)

Nope, no GFCI protection required for that receptacle outlet.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

Per 2002 NEC

Attached Images

Kit-IslandROs2.jpg (46.6 KB, 91 views)

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Jerry McCarthy
Construction Consultant
www.expertbuildingconsultants.com

Michael,

The photo you posted is not an island in the kitchen, it is the perimeter wall separating the family room (guessing) from the kitchen, and it has a portion of the kitchen countertop space with the kitchen sink in it.

Thus, referring to this as an "island" could lead to the builder installing *ONE* receptacle for it and saying it meets the code, and it would not, because it is not an "island" in the kitchen. It requires receptacle outlets at 2' and 4' from the ends and from the sink.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

Humm... is "island" actually defined somewhere?

Because the wall reaches to the ceiling you have a peninsula and not an Island.

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Dave

Even if that did not have a wall which reached to the ceiling, it would not be an "island".

What you basically have is a perimeter wall of the kitchen with an opening on each side of it, that is not an island.

An island is an isolated countertop space within the confines of the kitchen area, not part of the defining perimeter of the kitchen area.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

Jerry:

I another life I was a cabinetmaker. We referred to the countertops at the perimter of a kitchen as "outriggers". So we had counters, counters with extensions or peninsulas, islands, and outriggers.

As to the requirement for GFCIs on the opposite side of these "defining perimeters", all AHJs in this area require them. The idea being that though the builder may not have "intended" them to be for countertop service, if they are able to be used for countertop equipment they must be GFCI protected. And I agree.

Aaron

Almost right. The only one that I know for sure that does not require them at this location is Irving.

rr

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"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
Richard Rushing, HCRI
Duncanville, Tx.

Richard:

Well, yes, then there is Irving . . . This is a place that, until about 6 months ago, stated on their official city website that their adopted code was UBC. When, in fact, it was mandated by the state to be IRC since 2001. This bastion of construction ignorance which yet allows for the building of slab-on-grade construction in the most expansive soil in the continental United States.

Aaron

Aaron

BTW, that outlet is on a wall in Chicago, if anyone here happens to know the if the city requires that it be GFCI protected.

Hi Clay, The conduit is running up thru the slab, If the outlet is not conected to the GFCI thru the outlet on the counter it should be. Carmen Muto, CCL HOME INSPECTIONS IL.

I have a concern that when the backside of a cabinet is exposed to another room or area, and an outlet is installed on one of the exposed sides; a child could pull an appliance down from the counter top. Wearing a crockpot full of hot soup as a hat could be painful. Does the code address this condition?

Patrick Belcher
U.S. Inspect