IEC 60364 wet-room zones (Zone 0 / 1 / 2)

Updated 2 September 2026

The standard that defines where you can, and can’t, put electrical fixtures in a bathroom. Adopted across the EU, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The US uses a different model (NEC Article 680 for tubs/showers).

What it is

IEC 60364-7-701 (“Locations containing a bath or shower”) divides the space around a bathtub or shower into concentric zones based on water-exposure risk. The closer to the water source, the stricter the rules for what electrical equipment is allowed there.

The standard is implemented nationally as:

• Germany, DIN VDE 0100-701:2025-06
• UK, BS 7671 Section 701
• Australia / NZ, AS/NZS 3000 Section 6.2 (the zone model is close but the wording differs in places)

Zone 0, inside the bath or shower

Definition. The volume inside a bathtub or shower basin, up to the rim height. For a shower without a basin, Zone 0 is the floor area within 1.20 m of the fixed water outlet, up to a height of 10 cm.

What’s allowed. Only SELV (separated extra-low voltage, ≤ 12 V AC / ≤ 30 V DC) equipment, and only equipment specifically rated for Zone 0 use. IP rating IPX7 minimum (immersion-resistant).

In practice. Almost nothing. Underwater spa lighting designed for the purpose. That’s it.

Zone 1, above and around the bath/shower

Definition. The volume directly above Zone 0, from the floor up to 2.25 m above finished floor level, or up to the height of the highest fixed shower head or water outlet if that is higher. For a shower without a basin (walk-in or wet-room shower), Zone 1 is not tied to a tray at all: it extends 1.20 m horizontally in every direction from the centre of the fixed water outlet on the wall or ceiling, up to that same 2.25 m height (IEC 60364-7-701:2019 clause 701.30.103; BS 7671 Regulation 701.32.3; DIN VDE 0100-701:2025-06). If the shower head hangs on a flexible hose, the fixed outlet is the point where the hose is supplied. Fixed partitions or shower doors that stop the water can cut the zone short; a shower curtain cannot.

What’s allowed. Fixed equipment rated SELV or with 30 mA RCD/GFCI protection. IP rating IPX4 minimum (splash-resistant).

In practice. Ceiling-mounted LED downlights designed for bathrooms. Electric showers. Heated towel rails (with appropriate IP rating). No socket outlets. No switches except a pull-cord. Specialty SELV equipment like underbath whirlpool motors (rare; needs explicit certification).

Zone 2, the wider perimeter

Definition. The 0.60 m wide strip extending horizontally from the boundary of Zone 1, over the same height as Zone 1 (2.25 m above the floor, or the highest fixed shower head or water outlet if that is higher). Zone 2 exists around bathtubs, and in the UK also around showers with a basin. For a shower without a basin there is no Zone 2: BS 7671 Regulation 701.32.4 and IEC 60364-7-701:2019 clause 701.30.104 both say so explicitly, and the enlarged 1.20 m Zone 1 does the job instead. (IEC 60364-7-701:2019 goes further and measures every shower, tray or not, from the fixed water outlet, with no Zone 2.)

What’s allowed. Fixed equipment with 30 mA RCD/GFCI protection. IP rating IPX4 minimum.

In practice. Wall-mounted bathroom lights, ventilation fans, electric heaters. Shaver supply units only, not general 13 A sockets (UK) or 16 A Schuko (DE).

Outside the zones

Anywhere in the room beyond Zone 2 is “outside the zones.” Standard wall fixtures apply, with the regional rule that the entire bathroom circuit must still have 30 mA RCD/GFCI protection. Where a general-purpose socket may go depends on the national code, and the UK and Germany do not agree. In the UK, BS 7671 Regulation 701.512.3 keeps 230 V socket-outlets at least 2.5 m horizontally from the boundary of Zone 1 (only SELV sockets and BS EN 61558-2-5 shaver supply units are exempt); this was 3 m until BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 cut it to 2.5 m, and Amendments 3:2024 and 4:2026 left it unchanged. In Germany, DIN VDE 0100-701:2025-06 simply requires sockets to be outside Zones 0, 1 and 2, with no further distance from Zone 1, so a Schuko socket may sit right beside the zone boundary as long as the circuit has 30 mA RCD protection. The US (NEC) uses no zones and instead requires GFCI on any bathroom receptacle plus a dedicated 20 A circuit.

IP ratings: what the codes mean

Where the US is different

The NEC doesn’t use the IEC zone model. Instead, NEC Article 680 covers swimming pools and similar, and NEC Article 210.8 requires GFCI protection for receptacles in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry, outdoor, garage, and several other “wet” locations. The functional equivalent of “Zone 1” in NEC practice is “within 1.8 m of a tub or shower stall”, where receptacles are GFCI-protected and luminaires must be listed for damp or wet locations.

If you’re using WireSketch’s NEC region: the wet-room mode draws IEC zones as a planning aid, but the legal compliance you’ll work to is NEC 210.8 GFCI + Article 410 luminaire-location rules. Treat the zone overlay as informational, not normative.

How WireSketch shows zones

Switch a project to “wet room” type, mark the bathtub or shower position, and Zone 0/1/2 appear as coloured overlays on the wall photo. Fixtures placed in a zone show their IP-compliance status; non-compliant placements (a 13 A socket dropped in Zone 1) raise a warning. The Renovation Brief PDF includes the zone overlay so your electrician sees what you intended.