CAA Habitation recommendedHome › Guides › Wiring and electrical safety
Kitchen counter outlets: what the Code requires
How many circuits, which receptacles, where to put them: Québec’s Code rules for kitchen counter outlets, and what they change for you.
In short
This guide covers kitchen counter outlets: how many circuits the Code requires, which receptacles, where to put them, and why an older kitchen trips the breaker.
- The 2026 Code requires at least two circuits for counter receptacles, with no more than two receptacles per circuit, with some exceptions.
- No other outlet is connected to those circuits, with some exceptions.
- The receptacles are either 15 A split receptacles or 20 A T-slot receptacles.
- Under the 2018 edition, a receptacle within 1.5 m of the sink is protected by a GFCI.
Jump to a section7
Counter circuits
In the 2026 Québec Construction Code, the receptacles serving the kitchen work surfaces of a dwelling are supplied by at least two branch circuits.
Except as the Code provides, each of these branch circuits supplies no more than two receptacles, and no other outlet may be connected to it.
Exception: if the Code requires only one receptacle at the counter, one branch circuit is enough.
Two kitchen appliances also get their own branch circuit in the 2018 edition: the refrigerator and the microwave oven. See our guide on dedicated circuits.
Split receptacle or 20 amp receptacle
The 2018 edition of the Code allows two methods. Multi-wire branch circuits supply 15 A split receptacles, or 2-wire 20 A branch circuits (conductors and protection) supply 20 A T-slot receptacles.
So the split receptacle goes with a multi-wire branch circuit. On this kind of circuit, under the 2018 edition, the neutral must not depend on the receptacle: disconnecting it, during a replacement for example, must not interrupt the circuit’s neutral.
For a fixed island, the 2026 Code requires at least one receptacle (15 A split or 20 A T-slot) per work surface.
For a peninsula too, unless the wall next to the peninsula’s connecting edge already has a receptacle.
Where outlets go
In the 2018 edition of the Code, no point along the back wall of the counter may be more than 900 mm from a receptacle.
Any separate work surface longer than 300 mm requires one more receptacle.
No receptacle may be installed on the part of the wall directly behind or in front of the kitchen sink.
In a dwelling, 5-15R and 5-20R receptacles are tamper-resistant and marked as such.
A kitchen to renovate?
Circuits, outlets and lighting for a renovated kitchen: the price is in the written quote, at no charge.
Send my quote requestGFCI protection
5-15R and 5-20R receptacles installed within 1.5 m of a sink are protected by a Class A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), under the 2018 edition.
Exception: an appliance’s receptacle located behind the appliance doesn’t need one if its location makes it inaccessible to portable appliances.
Kitchen counter outlets are among the exceptions to arc-fault protection. The details are in our guide Arc-fault breaker: where the Code requires it.
What a GFCI does, and how to test it, is in our guide GFCI: what it protects, and where you need one.
Why breakers trip in an older kitchen
A breaker trips when the circuit draws more than its capacity: that’s an overload.
A breaker that trips when you turn on a space heater while other appliances are already running on that circuit is what an overload typically looks like: the total then goes over the circuit’s rating.
Today’s Code spreads the counter receptacles out: at least two circuits, no more than two receptacles per circuit, nothing else on them, with some exceptions.
If your counter receptacles don’t follow this layout, the counter appliances add up on fewer circuits.
How much a circuit can supply, in outlets and in watts, is in our guide How many outlets on a 15 amp circuit?.
Renovating a kitchen
Circuits, outlets and lighting for a renovated kitchen are part of our general electrical service. Before adding circuits, we make sure the panel can take them.
On an older circuit without arc-fault protection, the first added outlet can be an arc-fault receptacle; the rest of the circuit then doesn’t need protecting.
In Québec, even a single kitchen outlet is installed by an electrical contractor, according to the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec.
Frequently asked questions
How many circuits do counter receptacles need?
At least two, under the 2026 Code, with no more than two receptacles per circuit and no other outlet on them, with some exceptions.
What is a split receptacle?
A 15 A receptacle supplied by a multi-wire branch circuit: it is one of the two methods the 2018 edition allows at the counter. The other: a 20 A T-slot receptacle on a 2-wire 20 A branch circuit.
Do counter outlets need a GFCI?
Yes for 5-15R and 5-20R receptacles within 1.5 m of the sink, under the 2018 edition of the Code.
Can an outlet go behind the sink?
No. Under the 2018 edition, no receptacle may be installed on the part of the wall directly behind or in front of the sink.
Can the refrigerator be on a counter circuit?
No. The refrigerator has its own branch circuit (2018 edition), and the counter circuits supply nothing but their receptacles, with some exceptions (2026).
Does an island need an outlet?
Yes. The 2026 Code requires at least one receptacle per fixed island work surface.
A kitchen to renovate, or a counter that trips the breaker?
We make sure the panel can take the circuits, and the price is in the quote.
4.9 from 469 Google reviews · RBQ licence 5815-0137-01 · CMEQ members · Free detailed quote
Get a quote: kitchen outlets
Sources
Consulted on October 30, 2026.
- Gazette officielle du Québec, March 11, 2026, Order in Council 236-2026 (Construction Code, Chapter V) (in French)
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Quality control of electrical installation work (in French)
- Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec, Electricity in my home, a safety matter (in French)