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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

What the state changed

Georgia Amendments to the NEC: Every Item, Explained

Georgia doesn't adopt the National Electrical Code untouched. The amendment packet effective January 1, 2026 rewrites a short list of sections, mostly around GFCI and AFCI protection in dwellings, and holds two health care items back to 2027.

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On this page
  1. The document and its dates
  2. A definition added to Article 100
  3. GFCI protection, expanded in three places
  4. AFCI protection at 210.12(B)
  5. Island, peninsular and below counter receptacles
  6. Surge protection, narrowed rather than widened
  7. Two health care items, effective January 1, 2027
  8. The numbering, and whether the exam tests these
  9. Questions people ask
  10. What this page cites

The document and its dates

The packet is titled Georgia State Amendments to the National Electrical Code (2023 Edition). It's published by the Department of Community Affairs and it took effect on January 1, 2026.

The DCA Board adopted it on the recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Committee, and the announcement names the electrical item as the 2026 Georgia Amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code.

Two items inside it are dated later. Both sit in the health care articles and both take effect on January 1, 2027.

A definition added to Article 100

The packet adds a definition of Townhouse, also printed as Row House, to Article 100.

Definitions look like the dull part of an amendment and they aren't. A dwelling classification decides which requirements reach the building, so a state that defines a term the base code doesn't has changed the scope of everything downstream of it.

Read it in the packet rather than from a summary. We don't reproduce code or amendment text here.

GFCI protection, expanded in three places

The largest part of the packet is ground fault circuit interrupter protection, and Georgia widens it at three sections.

210.8(A), dwelling units

Georgia expands protection for receptacles rated 125 volts through 250 volts across the dwelling locations the base section covers: bathrooms, garages, outdoors, crawl spaces, basements, kitchens, areas around sinks, boathouses, bathtub and shower areas, laundry areas and damp locations.

210.8(D), specific appliances

Protection is required for a named list of appliances, including automotive vacuums, drinking water coolers, spray washers, tire inflators, vending machines, sump pumps and dishwashers.

210.8(F), outdoor outlets

Protection for outdoor dwelling outlets, including those at garages, accessory buildings and boathouses.

If you learned GFCI locations from a national course, this is the section where Georgia adds work. Check the packet against your book before you price a job.

AFCI protection at 210.12(B)

Georgia's amendment to 210.12(B) requires arc fault protection for 120 volt circuits in dwelling family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways and similar areas.

The list is the thing to read carefully. A room type that isn't in your memory of the national rule may well be in Georgia's list.

Island, peninsular and below counter receptacles

210.52(C)(2), island and peninsular countertops

Georgia amends the receptacle rules for islands and peninsulas by countertop dimension.

210.52(C)(3), receptacle outlet location

The amendment permits below counter mounting in two situations: where it's needed for accessibility, and for island work surfaces where there's no overhead mounting option.

These are the two sections a residential rough in touches most often, and they've moved around in the national code across recent cycles. Work from the Georgia packet plus your 2023 book rather than from memory.

Surge protection, narrowed rather than widened

Three sections get the same change: 215.18(A) for feeders, 225.42(A) for outside branch circuits and feeders, and 230.67(A) for services.

Georgia exempts one and two family dwellings from the surge protective device requirement that was written for dormitory units, guest rooms, guest suites and areas of nursing homes and limited care facilities.

This is the one amendment on the list that removes a requirement rather than adding one, which makes it easy to get backwards. A surge protective device is still a good idea; it just isn't required at those sections for a one or two family dwelling in Georgia.

Two health care items, effective January 1, 2027

These two are adopted and dated forward, so they're printed in the current packet and not yet in force.

517.40(A), applicability

The amendment deletes an exception to the applicability provision, which widens the reach of the health care requirements that follow it.

517.45(F), assisted living facilities

Category 3 facilities are required to install essential electrical distribution systems with life safety and equipment branches.

Both take effect on January 1, 2027. If you work in assisted living, that date is a design deadline rather than a detail.

The numbering, and whether the exam tests these

Most of the sections the packet touches carry the same number in the 2023 book Georgia enforces and in the 2026 book our study material is written on. Our record of what moved between the two editions has no entry for 210.8, 210.12, 210.52, 215.18, 225.42, 230.67 or Article 517.

One of those needs a caveat. Article 225 ends at 225.41 in the 2026 text, so 225.42 has no 2026 counterpart on our record. The amendment is written against the 2023 book, which is the book Georgia enforces and the book the exam uses, so this changes nothing for you today.

On the exam, PSI's reference list names the Georgia State Electrical 2023 National Electrical Code, so the state amendments come into the room with your book. The bulletin doesn't say how many questions come from the amendments, and we won't guess a number.

The safe reading: know the base rule cold, then know where Georgia goes further. That's a short list and it's on this page.

Questions people ask

What are the Georgia amendments to the NEC?

A packet published by the Department of Community Affairs titled Georgia State Amendments to the National Electrical Code (2023 Edition). It took effect on January 1, 2026, with two health care items held to 2027.

What did Georgia change about GFCI protection?

It expands protection at 210.8(A) for dwelling receptacles rated 125 through 250 volts across the listed locations, at 210.8(D) for a named appliance list, and at 210.8(F) for outdoor dwelling outlets.

Did Georgia change the AFCI rules?

Yes. The amendment at 210.12(B) requires arc fault protection for 120 volt circuits in dwelling family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways and similar areas.

Does Georgia require surge protective devices on houses?

The amendment goes the other way. Georgia exempts one and two family dwellings from the surge protective device requirement at 215.18(A), 225.42(A) and 230.67(A).

Which amendments are not in force yet?

Two health care items, 517.40(A) and 517.45(F), take effect on January 1, 2027. They are printed in the current packet with that later date.

Are the Georgia amendments on the exam?

PSI's reference list names the Georgia State Electrical 2023 National Electrical Code, so the amendments are part of the reference you carry. The bulletin doesn't say how many questions come from them.

Where do I get the amendment packet?

From the Department of Community Affairs, which publishes it as a download beside the current state minimum standard codes. The link is in the citations on this page.

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors, PSI, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Georgia examinations allow only the references on the bulletin list. The National Electrical Code on that list is the 2023 edition.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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