Does the 2023 NEC Require GFCI on a Dryer Receptacle?
Yes, in a dwelling unit laundry area. The 2023 NEC expanded 210.8(A) to cover all receptacles rated 150 volts to ground or less and 50 amperes or less for single phase, and 100 amperes or less for three phase, in the listed locations. A standard 30 ampere 120/240 volt dryer receptacle is 120 volts to ground, so it falls inside that scope, and 210.8(A)(10) puts laundry areas on the list.
How the rule got here
Through the 2014 NEC, 210.8(A) applied only to 125 volt, 15 and 20 ampere receptacles. The 2017 cycle added laundry areas as a location. The 2020 cycle raised the scope to 250 volt receptacles in specific locations. The 2023 cycle restated the scope in terms of voltage to ground and ampere rating, which pulled in the large appliance receptacles that used to escape on a technicality.
The result is that in a dwelling unit, the 30 ampere dryer receptacle in the laundry room, the 50 ampere range receptacle in the kitchen, and the receptacle for a washer all require GFCI protection under the 2023 code. The same logic reaches the 50 ampere receptacle in a garage under 210.8(A)(2).
Which code year applies to you
This is the part that decides the answer on your job. NEC adoption is by state and sometimes by local jurisdiction, and a large number of states are still enforcing the 2020 or the 2017 NEC. Under the 2017 code, a 240 volt dryer receptacle in a laundry area was not covered. Under the 2020 and 2023 codes, it is. Confirm the adopted edition with your AHJ before you argue either way, since 90.4 gives the authority having jurisdiction the final word on interpretation and enforcement.
Note also the difference between a receptacle and a hardwired connection. Section 210.8(A) applies to receptacles. A dryer that is hard wired rather than cord and plug connected is not a receptacle outlet, so 210.8(A) does not reach it. Section 210.8(D) covers specific hardwired appliances requiring GFCI, and clothes dryers are not on that list.
Nuisance tripping and what to do about it
The complaint the trade has with this rule is real. Older dryers, and particularly units with a heating element that has partially degraded, leak enough current to ground to trip a 5 milliampere GFCI device. So does a dryer with a damaged cord or moisture in the drum motor. When a new GFCI breaker trips on an existing dryer, the honest first step is to test the appliance rather than to assume the breaker is defective.
Section 210.8 also has a readily accessible requirement. The GFCI device, whether a breaker or a receptacle, has to be readily accessible so the reset can be reached without moving the appliance. A GFCI breaker at the panel satisfies this. A GFCI device buried behind a dryer does not.
Finally, 406.4(D)(3) matters on replacements. Where a receptacle is replaced in a location that now requires GFCI protection under 210.8, the replacement has to be GFCI protected, even if the original installation predates the requirement.