Electrical – In a secondary panel, are grounding and neutral bus bars required on each side of the hot bus bars

code-complianceelectrical

In a secondary panel (not a service panel), the grounded (neutral) bus bar is to be kept isolated from the grounding conductors (250.24(A)(5)). In article 408, the code has this to say…

National Electrical Code 2014

Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use

Article 408 Switchboards, Switchgear, and Panelboards.

408.3 Support and Arrangement of Busbars and Conductors.

(D) Terminals. In switchboards , switchgear and panelboards,
load terminals for field wiring, including grounded
circuit conductor load terminals and connections to the
equipment grounding conductor bus for load equipment
grounding conductors, shall be so located that it is not
necessary to reach across or beyond an uninsulated ungrounded
line bus in order to make connections.

In a panel like the one below, where there's a grounding bus bar on one side of the panel and a grounded (neutral) on the other. It's easy to terminate all the neutrals at one bar, and all the grounds at the other. However, does 408.3(D) mean that there should actually be a grounding and grounded bus bar on each side of the panel?

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Should the panel actually look like this?

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Best Answer

I think you may be over-thinking this. You can make a connection on either bus without reaching across an ungrounded bus in that panel.

The ground and neutral bars are so located as to give you free access to them without have to reach around or near an energized bus. You could stand to the right or left to make your connections without reaching across the phase bus.

In a larger piece of switchgear, the phase conductor bus should be located further in and the ground and neutral bars closer to the access panel not the other way around.

I think that is the intent of the code.