The purpose of the National Electric Code restrictions on the location of a panelboard is the safety of a person opening the panel for service. To safely remove the dead front (cover plate of the panel) and work inside requires a stable surface to stand on and sufficient elbow room to move around and work in front it. Standing on the steps of a stairs is not acceptable [NEC 240.24 (F)]. We occasionally see an electric panel at the side of a stair run, like in the photo above of stairs to a basement, and call it out for relocation. Also, the diagram below at right shows the clearance requirements in front of the panel: 2’6” wide, 3’-0” deep, and 6’-6” high.

   Other locations where an electric panel cannot be located are clothes closets and bathrooms; and, obviously, there cannot be anything installed in front of the panel, such as a water heater. The panel shown below has a double no-no, located behind a toilet in a bathroom. These unsafe locations are usually the result of the remodeling of an older house. In this case, the kitchen was moved to a new addition to the home, and the room was reconfigured as a bathroom.

          Also, see our articles Can an electrical panel be located under stairs? and Can an electrical panel be located at a stair landing? For a list of other locations where a panel should not be installed, go to our blog post Where are electrical breaker panels not allowed by code? 

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about ELECTRIC PANELS:

• What causes copper wires to turn green or black in an electric panel?  

• When should a corroded or damaged electric panel cabinet or disconnect box be replaced? 

• What is a tandem circuit breaker? 

• When did arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers first become required?

• Can an electric panel be located in a closet? 

• Can an electric panel be located in a bathroom? 

• Can you add circuit breakers by different manufacturers to an electric panel if they fit?

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong?  

• What is a split bus electric panel?

• How do I identify a combination AFCI (CAFCI) circuit breaker? 

• What does a circuit breaker with a yellow or white test button indicate? 

• What is the maximum gap allowed between the front of a recessed electric panel box and the wall surface surrounding it? 

• What are the requirements for NM-cables entering an electric panel box?

• Why is a fuse box/panel an insurance problem for homebuyers? 

• What is the difference between a Combination Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (CAFCI) and an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) circuit breaker?  

• What is the difference between "grounded" and "grounding" electrical conductors? 

• What is the life expectancy of a circuit breaker? 

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong? 

• Why do some breakers in my electric panel have a "TEST" button on them?

• What is the right size electric panel for a house?

    Visit our ELECTRICAL and STAIRS pages for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.