Building inspector failed my final on electrical because I dont have receptical on my island cook top. I told him it was strictly a cooktop and was not going to be used as a worksurface. He claims if its an island it needs a receptical. I think its BS. Also I have some Christmas light Recepticals under the eaves of the house. Wired to a switch. He said they needed to be GFCI. The electricians says no it dont because of the height. But the inspectors says prove it to me. Then he will pass it. I also have a 4 plug receptical where my future workbench is going to be in the garage he claims needs to be GFCI. Is the inspector correct on all of these? Or is he just jerking me around? THanks LUis in Houston

 

The Inspector is correct 100%. These are really just common sense corrections. I would do just exactly as your Inspector wants, and do not get upset with them. If you get them mad, they will really get picky. Your lucky. In many parts of the country you cannot even have a 4 plug receptical in a workshop in one place. Also, many states require all shop recepticals to be gfc protected.

 

Each of the inspectors comments could be found in the code.
FYI, at least one receptacle is required on any island with a long dimention 24" or greater and a short dimention of 12" or greater.

The reason is to avoid extension cords. Consider that you might use a hand blender in a pot of gravy. The code (NEC) is a minimum, and is generalized to cover the vast number of uses, yours might be different, but still must comply with the generalization

 

...And keep in mind that unless a code issue is specifically quantified, the local inspector is charged with interpreting what it means and how he will enforce it. Handy Ron specified dimensions for the island dimensions, no wiggle room there. There are places in the Code where they say things like "as close as practicable", where my inspector said "5 -7 feet", and an inspector in this forum, from a different state, said "5 feet, period". Jack the Contractor is 100% cirrect when he said you don't want to get the inspector upset. I agree - do exactly what he says and he will probably be most pleased with your responsiveness and will be much less likely to go over everything you've done with a fine tooth comb. Good luck.

Juice

 

When it comes to inspectors, your best option is to just bend over and spread 'em. If an inspector is wrong, they must be tactfully confronted. In your case, the inspector is correct in all three cases and the worst thing to do is to confront an inspector when they are in the right. When he comes back to inspect your corrections, he just may find some additional violations (i.e. a staple an inch too far away from a box) that he let go on his initial inspection.

Regarding your reasoning that you will never need a receptacle at the cooktop island: Perhaps the inspector will give you a waiver if you promise to install one if you ever sell or rent out your house. In other words, an inspector will not overlook code requirements because a homeowner insists that the requirement does not apply to their own personal situation. Look at it from the inspectors POV. Say someone did use a "gravy blender" at the cooktop with an extension cord hanging across the walkway and a child ran through the kitchen jerking a boiling pot of gravy onto their head. Would the inspector be at all liable for catching the code violation and not enforcing it? In today's sue-happy environment inspectors have to look out for themselves. The inspections department where I live is notoriously strict as a result of several lawsuits they've had to defend.