Article 110 General Requirements for Electrical Installations
Section 110.26 Spaces About Electrical Equipment
Section 110.33 Entrance to Enclosures and Access to Working Space
NEC requirement
Parent text of 110.26 for low-voltage equipment and 110.33 for medium-voltage equipment now includes language that requires all open equipment doors not impede access to and egress from the working space. This can make hallways and similar areas where equipment is located on either side of the walk space challenging for clearances. Access or egress is impeded if one or more simultaneously opened equipment doors restrict working space access to less than 24 inches wide and 6.5 feet high.
NEC 2023 code change/intention
The language found in the parent text of 110.26 was moved from 110.26(C)(2), which only applied to large equipment.
Rationale for change
This rule only applied to large equipment as per the 2020 NEC. During the 2023 Code cycle, the fundamental question was: When is it OK to have opened doors impede access to and egress from the working space? Because no condition was logically presented that this should be permitted, the language was added to the parent text of this section to ensure that it applies to all locations.
What are the 2023 NEC updates pertaining to working space?
Send email
MyEatonFAQs
