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Can You Put an Outlet in a Closet? (All You Need to Know)

Are you thinking of renovating a closet in your house? Various electronic accessories can be included in a closet nowadays for more convenience.

Well, you might be wondering if you can put an outlet in a closet. You might also want to know in which closets you can and can’t add a power outlet.

Can you put an outlet in a closet?

You can put an electric outlet in a closet without any worries. In fact, there is no building code that can refrain you from installing electric outlets inside a closet. You can even put outlets in a walk-in closet for electrical appliances you will need for getting ready and keeping it clean.

You can definitely add an electrical outlet to your closet. It is not against any law due to the fact that it won’t hamper the houses’ structure and will not cause any fire accidents.

However, you should put an outlet in a closet with proper precaution and you should also check if the earthing is done properly.

Adding a power outlet in your closets will make doing household chores and charging devices much more convenient and simpler. You can also hide wires by installing smart devices, and a security system in the added outlet in a closet.

Let’s take a look in detail at why you can put an outlet in a closet.

For installing smart devices:

If you are using a smart home device, a closet will be a great spot to place it. It will hide the wires required for the device and will also keep the device out of sight.

To place the device inside the closet, you will need a closet outlet. As a result, you will have to install a power outlet inside the closet.

Not against building codes:

Putting an outlet inside a closet doesn’t break any building rules and regulations. This is because the walls of the closets are similar to the normal walls, and pulling electric wires through the closet is not complicated at all.

The outlet in a closet also won’t cause a fire accident if installed and used with proper caution. 

For washers and dryers:

Washers and dryers are usually installed into a closet or cabinet so that you don’t have to go to the basement again and again for washing and drying the clothes.

It is highly impractical to connect these appliances to an outlet outside the closet. So, you can surely put an outlet for washing machines and drying machines in a closet.

Why is there an outlet in my closet?

An outlet can be installed in your closet for various reasons. It can be either for installing smart devices, connecting appliances, or installing emergency flashlights.

Whatever the reason is, an outlet in your closet will be very helpful in your day-to-day life. Have a look at why there is an outlet in your closet:

Security system:

Every house these days has a sound alarm to prevent break-ins and burglary. A closet is a great place for installing security as it will remain hidden from everyone’s eyes.

By placing the security alarm in a closet, you will also prevent unorganized wiring around the house.

The security system needs the power to operate. So, there is usually a power outlet available in a closet for security systems.

Charging station:

Closets make for a great charging station as they keep the messy wires of the chargers hidden. The closets usually have an electrical outlet so that you can charge the batteries of different electrical appliances and accessories.

Emergency flashlights:

Emergency flashlights are used when there is a power outage during large storms and cyclones.

These flashlights need to be charged through a power outlet quite often. As a result, most homes and hotels have an outlet in the closet for emergency flashlights.

Are electrical outlets allowed in closets?

There is no rule or code against putting outlets in closets. So, electrical outlets are definitely allowed in closets. If necessary, you can run the tubing through your closets to avoid having to run wiring via the wall.

However, you will have to put the outlet with utmost precaution to prevent any fire accidents.

Can you have outlets in the walk-in closet?

You can most definitely have outlets in the walk-in closets. In fact, most of the walk-in closets these days are equipped with outlets for dust busters.

The dust busters are basically used to keep the clothes in the walk-in closet clean and to power them an outlet is necessary.

You can put outlets in the walk-in closets also for various electrical items that you use on a regular basis.

The outlets can be used for iron, hairdryers, alarm systems, dehumidifiers, or clothes steamers. As a result, outlets in the walk-in closets can be very helpful in your day-to-day life.

What is the electrical code for outlets in closets and cabinets?

The International Residential Code (IRC) and the Residential Edition of the Florida Building Code do not include closets in the list of rooms that must have electrical outlets.

However, there is no residential code that prevents installing outlets in the closets. That being said, the outlet in the closet needs to be AFCI protected if you don’t want to breach a residential code.

Do apartments have electrical outlets in closets?

Most of the apartments nowadays have electrical outlets in closets. The electrical outlets used in apartments are mostly AFCI protected and GFCI protected.

As a result, there is very little chance of an accident occurring due to the closets’ outlet.

Apartments have electrical outlets in the closets for various reasons. They install it for charging devices, installing security alarms, connecting smart devices, plugging in different devices, and more.

Does the outlet in the bathroom closet need to be GFCI?

Water and electricity don’t go well together. As a result, the outlet in the bathroom needs to be GFCI to prevent any accidents.

Basically, GFCI protected outlets are engineered to turn off electricity when there is a fault in grounding. The GFCI protected outlets interrupt the power in the outlet within only 1/40 of a second during a ground fault.

Even if you are not setting an outlet in a closet near the water source in the bathroom, it still needs to be GFCI protected. This is due to the fact that the moisture in bathrooms’ air remains very high, so a ground fault can be very dangerous.

How to put an outlet in a closet?

Putting an outlet in a closet is not as complicated as it may seem at first. However, you will have to do it in the right way to prevent any electrical accidents.

Let’s find out how you should put an outlet in a closet.

Select a spot:

First of all, choose a spot in the closet where you want to put an outlet. While choosing a spot for the outlet, make sure there is enough space for putting and installing your targeted device.

Turn the main power off:

To reduce the chance of getting shocked while installing the power outlet, you should turn off the main power. You should do it even if you have proper installation equipment and even if you are following safety measures.

Locate a space between the bolts:

To install the power outlet, you will have to find space between the bolts and screws of the closet. Use a bolt finder to identify screws on both sides of where you want to install the outlet.

Pull electricity from another outlet:

You will have to find a power source to draw power to the closets’ outlet. You can either utilize the wiring from a closet light to feed into the outlet or find another nearby outlet.

Cut hole for the outlet:

Cut hole for the outlet and the outlet box using a drilling machine. Once you have cut the hole, reach out and grab the wires that you will need to provide the connection. 

Install the outlet:

After you have done all that, install the outlet and connect the wires to the outlet. Then, complete the installation by putting the outlet plate and painting the surroundings if necessary.

Final thoughts

There is no restriction on putting electrical outlets in closets. So, you can install an outlet in a closet without any issues. However, you will have to do it with proper precaution and in the right way to prevent any electrical accidents. The closet outlets also need to be GFCI and AFCI protected.