If those GFCIs are part of a small appliance circuit, which it sounds like they are, I don't believe you can connect the range hood to that circuit. With very few exceptions you are not allowed to connect anything else except kitchen receptacles.

You should run a new circuit for the range hood.

According to code No. The small appliance circuits are only suppose to serve recepticle outlets, if you have more than two circuits supplying your kitchen your okay. If you were to do it anyway you would connect your range hood outlet wires to the line or main cable coming in and put a pig tail in and feed that back into your GFCI. The range hood doesnt have to be GFCI protected.

"The small appliance circuits are only suppose to serve recepticle outlets, if you have more than two circuits supplying your kitchen your okay."

Rather interesting interpretation.

If there are counter receptacles on the circuit you cannot put the range hood on the same circuit, no matter how many 'small appliance' circuits you have.

To the OP: I'm intrigued you had/passed an inspection of a KITCHEN, withOUT a "rough-out" of something as std. as a range hood, which is just now "being added"...? (Sounds like a clueless AHJ, where you can "get away" with just about anything, but... SAFETY COUNTS, so don't.)

If your question boils down to should the range hood be connected to the LINE or LOAD side of your GFCIs, then the answer is LINE... but I guess that doesn't meet NEC 2008, so, you're pulling new wire.

If there are counter receptacles on the circuit you cannot put the range hood on the same circuit, no matter how many 'small appliance' circuits you have.

Well, you CAN, it just won't meet the latter day NEC. I have at least six early 1960s vintage properties where ALL the countertop receps AND the range hood were on a single 15A (now 20A) branch. I'm ass-u-ming this met code AT THAT TIME... or the developer greased the right palms.

AFAICT, no harm has come to any user (incl. moi) in 4.5 decades, and GFCIs were not added until circa 2001. ;')

To their credit, these props do have a separate branch for the refrigerator, and everything is run in well-laid EMT, w/ the homeruns in RIGID... sadly most of the EMT is only 1/2", and cannot support add'l conductors without severe de-rating.

"Well, you CAN, it just won't meet the latter day NEC."

No, you could have under a PREVIOUS version of the NEC, but you canNOT do it under any version from the past 6-9 years (and probably further but I am not going to look).

Codes grandfather existing installations, or every 3 years we would be tearing into houses for just the NEC, let alone plumbing, mechanical, energy efficiency, etc.

You are required to comply with the code in effect when you pull the permit. This reduces changes on jobs already in process.

Some jurisdictions have required certain upgrade to be made, and do not allow grandfathering for specific cases.

GFCI protection in bathrooms and kitchen counters are two common places that upgrades have been required if the house id sold in a number of places.

The grandfathering almost always ends with changes to the circuit, or major renovations.

You are very unlikely to get away with a kitchen renovation or remodel without bringing the counter circuits up to the code in effect when the permit is pulled.

Lighting and vent hoods are not allowed on the small appliance circuits supplying kitchen counters (or dining rooms and eating areas).

A relatively recent code revision requires vent hoods to be on their own circuit.

Wow, seems extreme. I realize the Viking/Bobo/whiz-bang hoods are reaching ridiculous proportions, but is there a valid ampacity and/or shock-hazard rationale for this, or is it part of the IBEW full-employment program? ;')

When I think of running a separate branch for the cheesy little (3Amp?) Broan units I have, my eyes start rolling.

It's got nothing to do with the amperage of the hood. Frankly if the manufacturer doesn't specify a dedicated circuit you can put it on any unrestricted circuit. What you can NOT do is put anything other than the permitted loads on the requisite small appliance circuits.

Thanks all. I ran a new circuit. (It did seem silly though since the hood is not drawing that much.) But I ran a circuit. Thank you again.

The NEC requires a dedicated circuit for a range hood only if it is cord and plug connected... that allows for installation of a microwave/hood combo unit. Some inspectors interpret this as a dedicated circuit regardless of direct wire or receptacle, which isn't a bad thing.