Does a 30 amp RV receptacle have to be GFCI protected?

Under NEC 2023, yes in nearly every location you would install one. At RV parks and campgrounds, 551.71(F) requires GFCI protection for the 30 amp 125 volt TT-30 receptacles at each site, a requirement that arrived in the 2020 cycle. At a house, an outdoor TT-30 for the RV in the driveway falls under 210.8(F), which requires GFCI protection for outdoor outlets at dwellings on branch circuits rated 50 amps or less, 150 volts to ground or less. A 120 volt 30 amp receptacle checks both boxes.

How to provide the protection

The TT-30 is a 120 volt device, so a single-pole 30 amp GFCI breaker is the clean answer. They are readily available from the major panel makers. There is no 30 amp GFCI receptacle, so breaker protection is the only practical route. For the 50 amp 14-50 pedestal receptacle at 120/240 volts, the same sections apply and a 2-pole 50 amp GFCI breaker does the job.

The nuisance trip conversation

RV converters, inverters, and aging shore power cords leak current, and some rigs will trip a 5 milliamp GFCI the moment they plug in. The code answer did not change: the GFCI stays, and the leakage is a defect in the RV to be repaired. If a customer reports tripping, meter the rig before condemning the breaker. Most trips trace to a water heater element, a corroded cord end, or a neutral-ground bond inside the RV that does not belong there.

What about existing installations

The NEC is not retroactive. A TT-30 installed legally before your jurisdiction adopted the 2020 or 2023 cycle can stay as it is until the circuit is modified or replaced. Touch the circuit and the current code applies.

Field notes

Mount the receptacle in a while-in-use cover, keep it on its own 30 amp circuit with 10 AWG copper, and check the pedestal or post height, 551.77 puts site receptacles 24 to 66 inches above grade at parks. A TT-30 on a 20 amp breaker or shared with other loads causes more service calls than any GFCI ever will.