Under cabinet outlets move the countertop receptacles off the backsplash and onto the underside of the wall cabinets, usually as a slim hardwired strip such as Legrand's Wiremold Plugmold (¾ inch tall) or an angled power strip like Task Lighting's APT series (1½ inch profile). Under the 2023 National Electrical Code they can serve as the required countertop receptacles if they sit no more than 20 inches above the counter, keep every point along the wall within 24 inches of a receptacle, and are GFCI protected. With standard uppers hung 18 inches above the counter, a strip on the cabinet bottom lands inside that limit. The wiring is a licensed electrician's job, with the permits and inspections your local code requires. The cabinets decide how well the strip hides (light rail, framed or frameless bottoms, where the uppers stop), so plan it before they ship.
Key takeaways
- The two common products are a flat multioutlet strip (plug mold) screwed to the cabinet bottom and an angled strip that sits in the corner where the wall meets the cabinet. Both are hardwired, listed assemblies, not plug-in power strips.
- The NEC countertop rules: a receptacle at every wall counter space 12 inches or wider, no point more than 24 inches from one (210.52(C)(1)), and no higher than 20 inches above the counter. Countertop receptacles run on at least two 20-amp small-appliance circuits (210.52(B)).
- Under the 2023 NEC, every 125- to 250-volt kitchen receptacle on a circuit of 150 volts or less to ground needs GFCI protection, not just the countertop ones (210.8(A)(6)). Island receptacles became optional. Your state or city may enforce an older edition or amendments, so the electrician and building department have the final word.
- Gaps in the upper run (a sink window, a range hood, open shelves) have no cabinet bottom to hide a strip under, so those stretches still need a backsplash receptacle within the 24-inch rule.
Table of Contents
- Why Move Receptacles Under the Wall Cabinets
- The Main Options, From Plug Mold to Pop-Ups
- What the 2023 NEC Says About Countertop Receptacles
- Islands and Peninsulas After the 2023 Change
- Which Option Fits Your Kitchen
- How the Strip Fits the Wall Cabinets
- Sharing the Space With Under-Cabinet Lighting
- Backsplash Height and Material
- Planning It Before the Cabinets Ship
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Move Receptacles Under the Wall Cabinets
A standard kitchen puts a duplex receptacle in the backsplash every few feet. Each cover plate interrupts the backsplash, and on a full-height stone slab or patterned tile every cutout has to be planned around. Moving the receptacles under the uppers leaves it as one uninterrupted surface. Cords drop straight down, and because a strip carries many receptacles there is usually one right where each appliance sits.
The trade-offs are real. Reaching up and under is awkward for shorter cooks. A strip is visible from a stool at the island. Hardwired strips cost more in parts and labor than a few standard boxes. And they only work where there is a wall cabinet overhead: every opening in the upper run still needs a conventional receptacle.
The Main Options, From Plug Mold to Pop-Ups
Most people mean one of the first two products below; the others are the alternatives.
1. Plug mold (flat multioutlet strip)
Plugmold is Legrand's Wiremold trade name, but the term is used for any metal raceway with receptacles built into its face. It mounts flat on the underside of the cabinet with the receptacles facing down, or on the backsplash facing out. Legrand's 20GB306TR is a typical example: a 36-inch steel strip with six tamper-resistant 15-amp, 125-volt receptacles 6 inches apart, 0.75 inch tall and 1.3 inches wide, hardwired, pre-wired and cULus listed. Legrand's product-page answers add that it is rated for 20-amp feed-through, so it can sit on a 20-amp kitchen circuit although the receptacles are 15-amp.
There is a GFCI version too. Legrand's S20GB306TRGFI6 is a 3-foot stainless strip with five receptacles and a self-test GFCI that protects all of them; Legrand recommends it for residential kitchens with multiple small appliances. Plugmold finishes run from white, ivory, gray and black to stainless steel and anodized aluminum. One warning from Legrand: the strip has not been tested for spills with its receptacles facing up, so it does not belong face-up on a counter.
2. Angled power strip
An angled strip is a triangular aluminum channel that fits in the corner where the backsplash meets the bottom of the wall cabinet, with the receptacles on the sloped face pointing down and out. Task Lighting & Power's APT series is the slim version: a 1½-inch profile, single 15-amp tamper-resistant receptacles, cULus listed, powder-coated aluminum, rated for dry locations. Standard lengths run from 9 inches with two receptacles to 72 inches with eight; a 24- or 36-inch strip carries four and a 48-inch strip five, per the spec sheet. Custom lengths and receptacle placements are made to order, and the company's related TRS and TR-USB series add a rocker switch or a USB port.
The installation sheet is unusually direct. It says the strip "must be installed by a licensed electrician in conformance with the current NEC and local building/electrical codes," that the power source must be a 20-amp branch circuit protected by a GFCI at the panel or upstream, and that cutting the factory leads voids the warranty and the UL listing. The feed enters through knockouts in the back of the channel 1½ inches from the end, with 4½ inches of room suggested for the wire entry, which tells your electrician where the cable has to leave the wall.
3. Single boxes tucked under the cabinet
The low-tech version is a standard receptacle at the top of the backsplash, tight under the cabinet, or an angled box in the same corner. Parts are cheap, but you need more locations to meet the spacing rule, and a backsplash box is still a cutout.
4. Countertop and pop-up receptacles
Pop-up receptacles rise out of the counter and sit flush when closed. The NEC allows receptacles in a countertop only as assemblies listed for countertop use, and Legrand's island guide stresses proper sealing and coordination between the electrical and countertop trades. They belong mostly on islands, where there is no cabinet overhead.
5. What does not count: a plug-in power strip
A cord-connected power strip stuck under a cabinet only extends the receptacle it plugs into: it adds no receptacle in code terms and leaves a cord on the backsplash. And Legrand's adorne under-cabinet lighting and power system was discontinued in 2022, per Legrand's own page.
What the 2023 NEC Says About Countertop Receptacles
The National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) is a model code. It applies only where a state or city adopts it, and many adopt it a cycle or two late or with amendments. A 2026 edition is already out, while some places still enforce 2017 or 2020. Here is the 2023 framework with the section numbers your electrician will recognize, paraphrased; treat it as background, not a wiring plan, and check the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.
| Rule | NEC 2023 article | What it means for receptacles under the cabinets |
|---|---|---|
| Small-appliance circuits | 210.52(B) | Countertop receptacles are fed by at least two 20-amp small-appliance branch circuits, which serve the kitchen, pantry, breakfast and dining room receptacles and, with narrow exceptions such as a gas range's ignition, nothing else. |
| Wall counter spacing | 210.52(C)(1) | A receptacle at every wall counter space 12 inches or wider, placed so no point along the wall line is more than 24 inches from one. Spaces split by a range, refrigerator or sink count separately. |
| Location (height) | 210.52(C)(3) | On or above the countertop, but not more than 20 inches above it; or in the countertop using assemblies listed for countertop use. |
| Outlets that do not count | 210.52(C)(3) | A receptacle made not readily accessible by an appliance fastened in place, an appliance garage, a sink or rangetop, or an appliance occupying an assigned space does not satisfy the requirement. |
| GFCI protection | 210.8(A)(6) and (7) | All 125- to 250-volt kitchen receptacles on single-phase circuits of 150 volts or less to ground, not only those serving the countertop; (7) adds areas with sinks and permanent provisions for food preparation, beverage preparation or cooking. |
| Multioutlet assemblies | Article 380 | The product category plug mold and angled strips fall under; Task Lighting's instructions cite it. |
A few practical consequences fall out of that table.
The 20-inch limit is why this works at all. Wall cabinets are normally hung with their bottom 54 inches off the floor, 18 inches above a 36-inch counter, so a strip on the cabinet bottom sits about 18 inches up. Raise the uppers past 20 inches for a taller backsplash or a big stand mixer and a strip under them no longer counts toward the required receptacles.
The 24-inch rule is measured along the wall. With a strip's receptacles only inches apart (6 inches on center on the Plugmold above), a wall cabinet run covers its own stretch easily. The problems are at the ends of each counter space, including the sink and range edges.
GFCI has to be somewhere. It can be a GFCI module in the strip, a GFCI receptacle upstream or a GFCI breaker; Task Lighting requires it upstream. Ask where the reset will be. Kitchen circuits generally need AFCI protection as well (210.12(A)), which is why electricians often use dual-function AFCI/GFCI breakers; that choice is theirs.
Permits come with the territory. Adding or moving receptacles is electrical work that most jurisdictions permit and inspect. Our article on when you need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Florida shows how one state handles it; your local building department is the authority for yours.
Islands and Peninsulas After the 2023 Change
Under the 2020 NEC an island needed receptacles by area: one for the first 9 square feet of counter and one per additional 18 square feet, per the American Institute of Building Design. Earlier editions also let a flat island with no way to mount a receptacle above it put one on the side, up to 12 inches below the counter, unless the top overhung its base by more than 6 inches there.
The 2023 edition made island and peninsula receptacles optional (210.52(C)(2)). If one is installed to serve the countertop, it follows the same location rule as the wall counter: on or not more than 20 inches above the counter, or in the counter as a listed countertop assembly. If none is installed, a provision for adding one later is required; St. Paul, Minnesota's inspectors describe it as conduit, raceway or cable run to a covered junction box. The International Association of Electrical Inspectors' summary of the change: a receptacle below the countertop no longer counts toward the island requirement. NAHB's write-up gives child safety as the reason: a toddler can pull a cord hanging off an island's side.
What this means for the cabinet order:
- Decide early whether the island gets power. If it does, the choices are a listed pop-up or surface assembly in the countertop, or a receptacle on a raised bar or backsplash section within 20 inches of the work surface.
- If it does not, plan the provision. The future feed often comes up through the floor into a base cabinet; tell the installer which one, so it doesn't end up behind a drawer box.
- Side receptacles are now a local question. Where the unamended 2023 NEC is enforced, a side-of-island receptacle no longer satisfies the countertop requirement. Local amendments can differ, so ask before you plan an end panel with a receptacle in it.
Our kitchen island cabinet guide covers sizes and pricing, and the island clearance guide covers the walkways around it.
Which Option Fits Your Kitchen
The right choice depends on the backsplash, the cabinet line and how the kitchen is used:
| Option | Profile under the cabinet | Where it mounts | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat plug mold strip | About ¾ inch tall | Flat on the cabinet bottom, receptacles facing down | Full-height slab or tile backsplashes; long runs; hiding behind a light rail | Plugs face straight down, so heavy plug-in adapters hang; the strip must be fed from inside the wall or cabinet |
| Angled power strip | About 1½ inches | The corner between backsplash and cabinet bottom | Easy plugging; switch and USB versions; renovations where the feed already comes out of the backsplash top | Visible from seated height; the backsplash has to stop cleanly under it |
| Single boxes high in the backsplash | Standard box | Top course of the backsplash or angled under the cabinet | Tight budgets; short runs | More locations for the 24-inch rule; still a cutout in the backsplash |
| Countertop pop-up | Flush with counter | In the countertop | Islands and peninsulas with no uppers | Must be listed for countertop use; sealing; highest cost per receptacle |
| Standard backsplash receptacles | None | Backsplash, every few feet | Any kitchen; stretches without wall cabinets | Cover plates break up stone or tile |
Most kitchens end up with a mix: strips under the uppers, standard receptacles where there is no cabinet above.
How the Strip Fits the Wall Cabinets
Depth: front, middle or back. Standard wall cabinets are 12 inches deep. An angled strip lives in the back corner by design. A flat plug mold strip can go anywhere along that depth: at the back it is hidden from almost every angle but harder to reach; at the front it is easy to reach but needs a light rail to hide it. Our wall cabinet sizes guide lists the depths and heights of the uppers we sell.
Light rail decides how hidden it is. Light rail molding hangs along the bottom front edge of the uppers and blocks the view of whatever is underneath from a seated position. The rails we sell are 1 to 2 inches in section: Fabuwood Allure's notched LRM is listed at 1½ × 1 inch, US Cabinet Depot's beveled rail at 1³⁄₁₆ × 1⁹⁄₁₆ inches and its angled rail at 1½ × 2 inches. A ¾-inch plug mold strip disappears behind any of them. A 1½-inch angled strip may still show from a stool across the room. Light rail ships in the cabinet finish, so add it to the cabinet order; browse it by finish on the light rail molding page.
Framed vs frameless bottoms. On a framed wall cabinet, the rail fastens under the face frame and the strip screws to the cabinet bottom behind it. Frameless cabinets are flat underneath, so the rail and its starter strip make up the whole lip. The framed vs frameless comparison covers the other differences.
Where the strip ends. Every place the wall cabinet run stops is a place the strip stops. Walk the elevation and mark each one:
- A sink window usually has no upper cabinet, only a valance. The counter beside the sink still needs coverage.
- The range wall has a hood instead of a cabinet. Check that the strip under the next upper still reaches.
- Open shelves have no bottom panel to mount to, and a strip under a floating shelf is on full display. Our piece on open shelving vs upper cabinets covers that choice; Fabuwood's Allure spec book lists a separately priced "Create Square Bottom Shelf for Light Rail Molding" modification on its open-end wall shelves if you want the rail to run under them.
- Corner cabinets leave a short counter run, and a 9-inch angled strip with two receptacles is the shortest standard APT size.
- Appliance garages are a nice place for a receptacle, but the NEC does not count a receptacle inside one toward the countertop requirement. See our appliance garage guide for sizes.
Hanging height. If your design raises the uppers, recheck the 20-inch limit before the electrician roughs in. Our kitchen dimensions guide and how to hang upper cabinets cover the standard heights.
Sharing the Space With Under-Cabinet Lighting
The underside of a wall cabinet now carries two things: task lighting and receptacles. The usual arrangement is the light toward the front, where it falls on the counter, and the strip toward the back, out of the light's glare line, with the light rail hiding the fixture.
Two points to settle with the electrician:
- Separate circuits. The small-appliance circuits are reserved for receptacles, so the lights go on a lighting circuit with their own switch, even if both run through the same wall cavity.
- Driver and box locations. Hardwired LED drivers and the strip's feed both need a spot. Marking them on the cabinet drawing keeps the installer from covering them with a filler or the backsplash.
Fixture types, color temperature and dimmers are in our kitchen task lighting guide.
Backsplash Height and Material
Full-height slab. A stone or quartz slab running from counter to cabinet bottom is the case these strips were made for. With no receptacles in it, the fabricator makes no cutouts. The cable for the strip has to come out of the wall above the slab line, in the shadow of the cabinet bottom, at a point the electrician and your inspector agree on; that point has to be set before the slab is templated.
Tile. An angled strip sits in the corner, so the tile has to finish neatly under it. Plan the top course, and tell the tile setter where the wire exits so it lands behind the strip, not in the middle of a tile.
Coordinating colors is covered in our guide to matching cabinets, countertops, backsplash and flooring. For the strip itself, pick a finish close to the cabinet's underside: white or ivory under white cabinets, black or stainless under dark ones. Legrand offers six Plugmold finishes; Task Lighting offers the APT in black, bronze, satin nickel or white. Our glossary entry on backsplashes covers the terms.
Planning It Before the Cabinets Ship
Under-cabinet power is easy with open walls and hard after the backsplash is up, so the order of work matters more than the product:
- Finalize the wall cabinet layout and hanging height. The strip lengths, the feed locations and the 20-inch check all depend on it. If you are still at the drawing stage, our guide to ordering cabinets online walks through the sequence.
- Pick the product and its length for each run. Strips come in fixed lengths (Plugmold commonly 3 feet; APT 9 to 72 inches), so measure each run from the cabinet drawing and allow for the spec sheet's end clearances.
- Add light rail and any end treatments to the cabinet order. They ship in the cabinet finish. Fabuwood's Allure rail is in the Allure spec book and US Cabinet Depot's in its Shaker spec book; US Cabinet Depot's frameless Palermo and Torino lines have no rail listed, which makes hiding a front-mounted strip harder.
- Have the electrician lay out the feeds. They decide circuit count, GFCI location and where each cable leaves the wall, and they pull the permit.
- Tell the cabinet installer where the feeds are. Mark them on the elevation so no filler or end panel covers one.
- Template the countertop and backsplash after the cabinets are set and the feeds are in. Island pop-ups need the fabricator's cutout; full-height slabs need the cable exits above the slab line.
- Mount and connect the strips last, after the backsplash, then have the work inspected as your jurisdiction requires.
Shipment time sets the window for the electrician and countertop shop to agree on the plan: Fabuwood stock series typically ship in 2 weeks (custom paint typically 6–8 weeks), and US Cabinet Depot in about 3 business days flat-pack, about 5 assembled. Installation labor costs are broken down in our kitchen cabinet installation cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are under-cabinet outlets up to code?
Yes, when they are listed products installed to the code your jurisdiction has adopted. A strip under standard 18-inch-high uppers is within the NEC's 20-inch limit; the spacing and GFCI rules still apply, and local amendments can differ.
Does an under-cabinet power strip need GFCI protection?
Yes. Under 210.8(A)(6) of the 2023 NEC, all 125- to 250-volt kitchen receptacles on circuits of 150 volts or less to ground need it. It can come from a module in the strip, an upstream GFCI receptacle or a GFCI breaker.
How high can a kitchen countertop outlet be?
Not more than 20 inches above the countertop under the 2023 NEC (210.52(C)(3)). Raise the uppers above that and a strip under them no longer counts.
How far apart do kitchen outlets need to be?
Every wall counter space 12 inches or wider needs a receptacle, and no point along the wall can be more than 24 inches from one, so in practice no more than 4 feet apart (210.52(C)(1)).
What is plug mold?
A metal raceway with receptacles built into its face. Plugmold is Legrand's Wiremold brand name; a typical kitchen strip is 3 feet long and ¾ inch tall with receptacles every 6 inches, hardwired and listed as a multioutlet assembly (NEC Article 380).
Can I wire an under-cabinet outlet strip myself?
Hire a licensed electrician. Task Lighting's instructions require one outright, and most jurisdictions require a permit and inspection for new or moved receptacles; your local building department sets the rules. We sell and ship cabinets and trim only; we don't do or arrange electrical work.
Can I add outlets under existing cabinets?
Often, yes. An angled strip can be fed from an existing backsplash box below it, and a flat strip from the wall behind. Whether the existing circuits can take it, and how to run the cable without removing the backsplash, is the electrician's call.
Can under-cabinet lights and outlets share a circuit?
Not normally. The small-appliance circuits that feed countertop receptacles can't serve lighting, so the lights need a separate circuit.
Do kitchen islands need an outlet?
Under the 2023 NEC, no, but if you leave one out a provision for adding one later is required. If you install one to serve the counter, it goes on or within 20 inches above the counter, or in the counter as a listed assembly, not on the side of the cabinet. Check which edition your jurisdiction enforces.
Plan the Power With the Cabinet Layout
The best time to decide on under-cabinet receptacles is when the wall cabinet layout is still on paper. Send us your measurements and our free 3D design service will lay out the wall cabinets, heights and light rail so your electrician and countertop shop work from the same drawing. Before you buy, you can compare finishes with Fabuwood door samples.
We design, quote and ship cabinets to all 50 states; installation and electrical work are done by your own contractor and a licensed electrician. In New Jersey, installation is available through our sister company, Captivating Construction Group. Questions about a specific cabinet, rail or layout? Reach us through the contact page or call 609-900-3358. Builders and remodelers ordering for several projects can ask about Captivating Pro.
Sources: NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2023 edition, 210.8(A)(6)–(7), 210.12(A), 210.52(B), 210.52(C)(1)–(3) and Article 380 (paraphrased; 210.8(A) and 210.52(C)(2)–(3) text as reproduced in NAHB's "Suggested Amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code," April 2023), as summarized by IAEI Magazine ("Powering Forward: Major Changes in the 2023 NEC," 2025), City of St. Paul, MN, Electrical Bulletin 2023-01, Legrand ("GFCI Outlets in Kitchen"; "Kitchen Island Outlet Options"), the American Institute of Building Design (2023) and NAHB (2026); 210.52(B) and (C)(1) wording from earlier-edition text quoted in Hopewell Township, NJ, "Single Family Dwelling Kitchen Requirements" (2017). Check the edition and amendments your jurisdiction enforces; Legrand Wiremold 20GB306TR and S20GB306TRGFI6 product pages and the adorne Under-Cabinet System notice; Task Lighting & Power APT Series spec sheet (APS_APT_Series_Spec_0623) and Angle Power Strip installation instructions (POWER_APS_0623). Cabinet dimensions and light rail sizes from the Fabuwood Allure and US Cabinet Depot spec books.
Written by
Noor K.Technology Manager at Captivating Cabinets
Noor manages and develops the Captivating Cabinets website, and writes practical guides on cabinet styles, finishes, pricing, and remodel planning.
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