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Safety
Outdoor Electrical Done Right: Patios, Pools and Landscape Lighting
GFCI protection, weatherproof enclosures, burial depths and why extension cords are not a plan.
BGE Electrique team · Published March 19, 2026 · 5 min read
Outdoor circuits face water, frost heave, UV and lawn equipment. They are held to stricter rules than anything inside the house, and for good reason — a fault outdoors is far more likely to involve a person standing on wet ground.
- Every outdoor receptacle needs GFCI protection and an in-use ('bubble') weatherproof cover.
- Buried cable and conduit have minimum depths that depend on the method and location.
- Pool and spa equipment requires bonding as well as grounding — this is not optional and not DIY.
- Low-voltage landscape lighting still needs a properly located, weather-rated transformer and circuit.
- Never run a permanent load on an extension cord. If you need power there, install a circuit.
Plan outdoor power at the same time as the landscaping. Trenching once for lighting, an outlet at the far end of the yard and a future shed circuit costs a fraction of doing it three times.
