In article , "John Grabowski" wrote:
I have a sump pump in an unfinished basement. It is on a dedicated 15-amp
120-volt circuit, the outlet/receptacle is on the ceiling, and it is a
duplex GFCI receptacle.

The sump pump failed because the GFCI receptacle tripped, and the basement
flooded.

Are sump pumps required to have a GFCI receptacle according the National
Electrical Code (NEC) even if the receptacle is on the ceiling about 7 1/2
feet from the floor?

2008 NEC, yes -- which IMHO is completely insane.
2005 and earlier NEC, no.

Could I change the receptacle from a duplex GFCI receptacle to a single
receptacle that is not GFCI, and still be in compliance with the NEC?

Won't matter.

*The latest code edition now requires that all unfinished basement
receptacles as well as all garage receptacles regardless of their location
be GFI protected. This apparently was changed because people will plug
things in no matter where the receptacle is and what it is for. I have seen
plenty of extension cords hanging from garage ceilings to agree with the
requirement that garage door opener receptacles be GFI protected.

Yes, but note that it also says "for purposes of this section, unfinished
basements are defined as portions or areas of the basement not intended as
habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and the like."
[2008 NEC, Article 210.8(A)(5)]

So put a TV, easy chair, and your beer fridge within a yard or two of the sump
pit, and you've turned that "portion or area of the basement" into a
"habitable room" -- which means that "for purposes of this section" it's no
longer "unfinished" and therefore *not* required to have a GFCI.

There's another workaround: the GFCI requirement applies only to "125-volt,
single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles." So install a 30-amp
circuit and receptacle, and change the plug on the sump pump.

Note also that the *2005* NEC contains the same language, and additionally two
pertinent exceptions to the GFCI requirement that were removed in the 2008
Code: "Receptacles that are not readily accessible" and "Receptacles located
within dedicated space for each appliance that, in normal use, is not easily
moved from one place to another and that is cord-and-plug connected..."

So if the governing authority in the OP's jurisdiction is the 2005 (or
earlier) Code and not 2008, he apparently has no worries.