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Home / Code Guides / Electrical Panel Clearance

Electrical Panel Working Space — 30 In. Wide, 3 Ft Deep, 6-1/2 Ft Tall

The working space in front of a panel is not a courtesy. It is a dimensioned volume the NEC protects, and nothing may be stored in it. Three numbers cover almost every dwelling: 30 inches wide, 3 feet deep, 6-1/2 feet tall.

RequirementModel Code StandardSection
DepthMinimum depth is 3 ft for equipment operating at 0 to 150 volts to ground under any of the three conditions; above 150 volts the depth grows to 3, 3-1/2 or 4 ft depending on what is on the opposite sideNEC Table 110.26(A)(1)
WidthWidth is 30 in. or the width of the equipment, whichever is greater, and any equipment door must be able to open at least 90 degreesNEC 110.26(A)(2)
HeightHeadroom is 6-1/2 ft or the height of the equipment, whichever is greater; equipment above may project no more than 6 in. into the spaceNEC 110.26(A)(3)
FloorThe 2023 edition adds a requirement that the working space have a level, flat floor or platform over its full extentNEC 110.26(A)(6)
No storageThe working space may not be used for storage, and where energized parts are exposed it must be guarded or attendedNEC 110.26(B)
IlluminationIllumination is required for working spaces at services and panelboards, and it may not be controlled solely by automatic meansNEC 110.26(D)
Dedicated spaceThe footprint of the equipment must be kept clear of foreign piping and ducts from the floor to 6 ft above the equipment or to the structural ceilingNEC 110.26(E)(1)(a)
Handle heightThe highest circuit-breaker handle may not be more than 6 ft 7 in. above the floor or working platformNEC 240.24(A)

Worth knowing

  • The biggest 2023 change is easy to miss: the rule that equipment doors must not block the working space moved out of the large-equipment subsection and into the parent text, so it now applies to all equipment regardless of ampere rating.
  • Personnel doors in rooms containing equipment rated 800 amps or more, within 25 ft of the working space, need panic hardware and must swing out. The threshold dropped from 1200 amps in the 2014 cycle, not 2017 as often reported.
  • Where panels may not go is a separate set of rules from working space. Section 240.24(D) keeps overcurrent devices out of spaces with easily ignitible material, which is the clothes-closet ban; 240.24(E) keeps them out of bathrooms; 240.24(F) out of the space over steps; and 408.43 prohibits a face-up panelboard.
  • Two published readings of the dedicated-space rule disagree. Most sources read the zone as extending 6 ft above the equipment or to the structural ceiling, whichever is lower; at least one reads it as whichever is greater. Confirm with the inspector before framing a soffit at that height.
  • The code requires illumination but names no foot-candle value, so a single fixture that actually lights the panel face satisfies it.
Sections cite the 2021 International Residential Code and 2023 National Electrical Code as model standards. This is BuildSpec’s own summary — not ICC or NFPA text; read the authoritative language at codes.iccsafe.org. Your state may be on a different edition with amendments — check your jurisdiction page or get an Address Report.
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