Nobody measures six feet from a receptacle

The rule is about how far you can be from one, measured along the wall. Getting that backwards produces the wrong count every time.

What the rule actually says

In a dwelling, receptacles are placed so that no point measured horizontally along the wall line is more than six feet from a receptacle (NEC 210.52).

People restate that as receptacles every twelve feet, which gives the same answer on a plain wall and the wrong answer everywhere else.

Think of it as a six foot reach in both directions from each receptacle. That is why the spacing works out to twelve on an uninterrupted run, and why it does not work out to twelve when a wall ends, a door interrupts it, or a corner turns.

What counts as wall space

This is where the points are. Wall space includes short sections, and the code sets a minimum width that counts.

Fixed panels in exterior walls count. Fixed room dividers such as railings count. A doorway does not.

So counting a room means walking the perimeter and deciding which segments are wall space before you place anything. Miscounting the wall is more common than miscounting the distance.

The places with their own rules

• Countertops and work surfaces in kitchens are governed separately and more tightly.
• Islands and peninsulas have their own provisions, which have changed in recent editions.
• Bathrooms have a required receptacle tied to the basin.
• Hallways above a certain length require one.
• Outdoor, garage and basement receptacles each have their own subsection.

Answering a kitchen question from the general spacing rule is a reliable way to get it wrong.

Reading the question

A question giving you a room and dimensions wants a count. Walk the perimeter, identify wall space, then apply the reach.

A question naming a specific location such as a countertop or a hallway is pointing you at a subsection, not at the general rule.

A question about a wall with a door in it is testing whether you know a doorway is not wall space.

What this page cites

• NEC 210.52 Dwelling unit receptacle outlets, including wall space and the specific locations.
• NEC 210.11 Required branch circuits, which pair with the spacing rules.