Electrical System Compliance Guide
The violation that most often starts as a temporary fix.
Almost nothing on an electrical inspection punch list was installed that way on purpose. An extension cord ran to a machine for one afternoon two years ago. A second conductor went under a breaker lug during a rush. Storage crept into the clearance in front of a panel.
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What inspectors write up
- Missing GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoors, rooftops, and other wet or damp locations
- Extension cords or flexible cords used as a substitute for permanent wiring
- Double-tapped breakers, where two conductors land on a lug listed for one
- Working space in front of electrical equipment obstructed or used for storage
- Missing knockouts, open covers, and unused openings not closed
- Panels not legibly marked with circuit identification
- Junction boxes buried or inaccessible
Working clearance
NEC 110.26 requires clear working space in front of equipment likely to be examined or serviced while energized. The commonly quoted 36 inches is the depth for the most typical case, systems up to 150 volts to ground under Condition 1. Depth increases with voltage and with what is on the opposite side of the space. Width and headroom have their own requirements.
The practical version: the space in front of a panel is not storage, and it is not a place to park a cart.
Who actually enforces this
The National Electrical Code is published by NFPA and enforced by nobody until a jurisdiction adopts it. Your state or municipality adopts a specific NEC edition, sometimes with amendments, and your local electrical inspector enforces that version under local penalties. Editions in force around the country vary by several cycles, so a requirement that applies in one county may not yet apply in the next.
Anyone quoting you a national NEC fine schedule is making it up.
Free compliance checklist
Download the Electrical Compliance Checklist (PDF)
Where signage fits
Panel clearance marking, arc flash field labeling, high voltage identification, and disconnect marking all address the same failure: someone treating energized equipment as furniture. Marking the boundary is what keeps the clearance clear between inspections.
Browse electrical hazard signs or see all building and health code guides.