Swimming Pool (C-53) · Lesson 7 of 8

Pool Electrical Clearances: Receptacles, Lights, and Cords

"Pool Electrical Clearances: Receptacles, Lights, and Cords" is lesson 7 of 8 in the Swimming Pool (C-53) Learning Hub. It opens with "Where the Pool Electrical Distances Are Printed" and works through 6 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Where the Pool Electrical Distances Are Printed
  2. Receptacles: 5 Feet, 10 Feet, and the 20-Foot GFCI Zone
  3. The Required Dwelling Receptacle and How to Measure
  4. Lights and Ceiling Fans Near the Pool
  5. Cords and Underwater Lights
  6. Public Pools: 2025 CBC §3160B

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 6 steps.

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Pool Electrical Clearances: Receptacles, Lights, and Cords" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "The Required Dwelling Receptacle and How to Measure".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Lights and Ceiling Fans Near the Pool".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Cords and Underwater Lights".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Public Pools: 2025 CBC §3160B".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Pool Electrical ClearancesPlan view with the 5, 10 and 20 foot zones (8 CCR Article 79)20 ft10 ft5 ftPOOL15 x 30 ftABCDEFCHECK EACH ITEMAPump receptacle 6 ft: min 5 ft, GFCIBDeck receptacle 8 ft: min 10 ftC125 V, 20 A at 14 ft, 4 ft high: 10-20 ftDLight 7 ft out, 6 ft above water, attachedEFan 4 ft out, 10 ft up: needs 12 ftF120 V underwater light: GFCI, max 150 VGreen = passes Red = fixFix B (move to 10 ft or more) and E (raise to 12 ft or more)GFCI for receptacles within 20 ft (built after May 5, 2008) and underwater lights over 15 VMeasured along the shortest cord path, not through walls8 CCR §§2569.5, 2569.6, 2569.20 (Electrical Safety Orders, Article 79)CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Where the Pool Electrical Distances Are Printed

Cal/OSHA Title 8, Electrical Safety Orders, Article 79 (8 CCR §§2569.1-2569.51) covers electric wiring and equipment in or adjacent to swimming, wading, therapeutic and decorative pools and fountains, plus metallic auxiliary equipment such as pumps and filters (§2569.1). These are Cal/OSHA workplace safety orders (authority: Labor Code §142.3), but they print the distances a pool builder lays out. The installation rules themselves are in Title 24, Part 3 (California Electrical Code Article 680), which 2025 CBC §3115B.1 points to; the 2025 CEC copy used for this course holds only that article's California amendment pages, so this lesson does not reproduce it.

Step 2: Receptacles: 5 Feet, 10 Feet, and the 20-Foot GFCI Zone

8 CCR §2569.5(a): a single locking and grounding type receptacle that powers a permanently installed pool recirculating pump motor may be not less than 5 feet from the inside walls of the pool; all other receptacles on the property must be at least 10 feet away. (b): receptacles within 15 feet of the pool's inside walls, or within 20 feet if the installation was built after May 5, 2008, must be protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters.

The remaining 4 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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