Where the main service disconnect must go
A building supplied by a service needs a means to disconnect all of its hot conductors from the service conductors. It must be readily accessible, outside or inside nearest where the service conductors enter, never in a bathroom, and marked as a service disconnect.
What the code requires
The code requires a means to disconnect all ungrounded conductors in a building from the service conductors.
Under 230.70(A)(1), the disconnect must be readily accessible and either outside the building or inside, nearest the point where the service conductors enter. Under 230.6, conductors count as outside the building in several cases, for example under at least 2 in. of concrete beneath the building.
The disconnect may not be in a bathroom. If remote-control devices operate it, the disconnect itself must still meet the location rule. Each service disconnect must be permanently marked as a service disconnect, and it must be suitable for the conditions where it is installed, including hazardous locations.
On the job
- A main panel placed deep inside the house, far from where the service conductors enter, is a common correction.
- A panel installed in a bathroom is not allowed.
- A missing service disconnect marking.
- Proposals in the 2026 NEC revision cycle move one- and two-family service disconnects outdoors. California has not adopted that edition, so the 2023 rule on this page applies.
Related sections
- NEC 230.6
- NEC 230.71: How many service disconnects are allowed
- NEC 230.72
- NEC 230.85: Outdoor emergency disconnect for homes
- NEC 240.24: Where breakers and fuses may be located
Where this comes from
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