How long does a hallway have to be to need an outlet?

10 feet or more, measured along the centerline without passing through a doorway, per NEC 210.52(H).

Do hallway receptacles need GFCI?

Not under NEC 210.8(A) for an interior dwelling hallway. They do need AFCI protection because hallways are listed in 210.12(A).

Does a foyer follow the hallway rule?

No. NEC 210.52(I) covers foyers over 60 square feet that are not part of a hallway, and requires a receptacle in each wall space 3 feet or wider.

What does the NEC require for receptacles in a hallway?

Section 210.52(H) requires that in dwelling units, hallways of 3.0 m, or 10 feet, or more in length shall have at least one receptacle outlet. The hallway length is considered the measurement along the centerline of the hallway without passing through a doorway.

How to measure it

The centerline measurement is the part that catches people. You walk the centerline of the hall from end to end, and you stop the moment the line would pass through a doorway. An L shaped hall counts as one continuous hallway as long as no doorway interrupts the path, so the measurement follows the bend. Two short hall segments connected by a doorway are two separate hallways and are each measured on their own.

The rule does not require the receptacle at a particular point along the hall and does not set a maximum spacing the way 210.52(A) does for wall space in habitable rooms. One receptacle anywhere in a 10 foot hallway satisfies the letter of the section. A 40 foot hallway also needs only one, although putting one near each end is sensible for vacuum cleaner reach.

Foyers get their own rule

Section 210.52(I) covers foyers that are not part of a hallway. Foyers with an area greater than 5.6 square meters, or 60 square feet, require a receptacle outlet in each wall space 900 mm, or 3 feet, or more in width. Doorways, door side windows extending to the floor, and similar openings are not considered wall space for that purpose. A large entry foyer therefore gets more receptacles than a hallway of the same square footage.

AFCI and GFCI in hallways

Section 210.12(A) lists hallways explicitly among the areas requiring AFCI protection, so the hallway receptacle and lighting circuits in a dwelling need combination type AFCI protection on 120 volt single phase 15 and 20 ampere branch circuits.

GFCI is generally not required for an interior hallway under 210.8(A), because hallways are not on the list of covered areas. Watch for a hallway that opens to a garage or a basement, because 210.8(A)(2) covers garages and accessory buildings and 210.8(A)(5) covers basements, and the boundary is the room the receptacle is in, not the circuit it is on.

Lighting outlets in the hallway

Section 210.70(A)(2)(1) requires at least one wall switch controlled lighting outlet in every hallway, stairway, attached garage, and detached garage with electric power. Section 210.70(A)(2)(3) requires that where lighting outlets are installed in interior stairways, a wall switch be located at each floor level and landing that includes an entryway where the difference between floor levels is six risers or more.

Hallways are also counted in the general lighting load. Section 220.12 and Table 220.12 use 3 volt-amperes per square foot for dwelling units, and 220.14(J) states that in dwelling units the general lighting load calculation already includes the receptacle outlets required by 210.52, so the hallway receptacle needs no separate load allowance.

Field takeaway

Measure the hall centerline without crossing a doorway. Ten feet or more gets a receptacle. Put it on an AFCI protected circuit. If the space is a foyer over 60 square feet rather than a hallway, use 210.52(I) instead and place a receptacle in each 3 foot or wider wall space.