Breaker Off / Outlets and GFCI
20 amp GFCI outlet wiring
Two cables in the GFCI box: power in on LINE, and the cable on to the next outlets on LOAD.
- Black: hot
- White: neutral
- Bare: ground
- Wire nut
How to tell this is your box
Find which cable is LINE with the breaker on: the tester lights on its black. Connected to LOAD, every outlet after this one is protected too.
Watch for this. If the GFCI will not reset, LINE and LOAD are probably swapped.
The job, in order
- The cable from the panel goes on the LINE screws: black to brass, white to silver.
- The cable to the next outlets goes on the LOAD screws.
- Grounds pigtail together to the green screw.
- Press TEST: this outlet and every outlet after it should go dead. Mark them "GFCI protected" with the stickers in the box.
Every connection, box by box
Read from the same circuit the drawing is made from. A simulator checked it in every switch position: the outlets get power exactly when it should, nothing shorts, and every device is grounded.
At the panel
- The black wire to the GFCI goes to the breaker.
- The white wire to the GFCI goes to the neutral bar.
- The bare copper wire to the GFCI goes to the ground bar.
In the GFCI box
- The black wire from the panel goes to the LINE brass screw.
- The white wire from the panel goes to the LINE silver screw.
- The black wire to the outlet goes to the LOAD brass screw.
- The white wire to the outlet goes to the LOAD silver screw.
- The bare copper wire from the panel and the bare copper wire to the outlet join under one wire nut with a ground pigtail to the green ground screw.
In the outlet box
- The black wire from the GFCI goes to the top brass screw.
- The white wire from the GFCI goes to the top silver screw.
- The bare copper wire from the GFCI goes to the green ground screw.
Parts for this box
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This job
Leviton GFTR2-W GFCI outlet, 20 A The 20 amp, tamper-resistant version for 12 AWG circuits. About $20.72 as of October 22, 2026 Check the current price -
Every job
Klein Tools NCVT3P voltage tester The non-contact tester for proving every wire in the box is dead before you touch it. About $24.98 as of October 22, 2026 Check the current price -
Every job
Ideal Twister wire nuts, 100 bag The tan connectors that fit two to four 14 or 12 AWG wires. About $12.99 as of October 22, 2026 Check the current price
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