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Building Code Reference

Got a CEC 230.70 correction?

Service disconnect location

For builders in California, Greater Seattle, the Las Vegas area, the Denver area and Kansas City · CrossBeam Permits

What this code requires, how to fix it, and how cities and counties review it

What this code requires

CEC 230.70 is the California Electrical Code section that governs where the service disconnecting means must be installed. The disconnect must be placed at a readily accessible location at or nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors into the building. Residential and commercial permits alike get flagged when the disconnect is buried behind finished walls, mounted in a remote utility room, or otherwise positioned where emergency responders can’t reach it quickly.

How to fix it

  1. Mark the service entrance point on your electrical site plan

    Draw or call out where the service conductors enter the building or structure — this is typically at the meter base on an exterior wall. The plan-checker needs this reference point to verify the disconnect is at or nearest this location. On single-line diagrams and site plans, label the location ‘service entrance (point of entry)’ with a dimension or note tying it to the meter base. If the service enters underground through a conduit stub, note the stub location and direction. This single annotation eliminates the most common reason checkers issue a 230.70 correction: they couldn’t tell where the conductors enter.

  2. Confirm disconnect placement is at or nearest the entry point

    The disconnect must be at the nearest accessible location to where conductors enter the structure. For most California residential services, that means the main breaker is inside a panel or combination meter-main mounted on or immediately adjacent to the exterior wall where the meter sits. If your panel is on an interior wall, show on the plan that no intermediate accessible location exists between the entry point and the panel location. Some jurisdictions accept a disconnect inside a garage when the meter is on the garage exterior wall; others want the main breaker in a combination meter-panel. For one- and two-family dwellings, also show the outdoor emergency disconnect CEC 230.85 requires; an exterior meter-main can serve as it. Confirm with your AHJ before finalizing the panel location.

  3. Verify and document readily accessible conditions

    Readily accessible means you can reach the disconnect without climbing, without tools (a key is allowed), and without moving stored items. Mounting height should allow operation without a ladder — the center of the handle grip in its highest position can be no more than 6 feet 7 inches (79 inches) above the floor per CEC 240.24(A). On your plans, call out the mounting height and confirm nothing blocks access: no shelving, water heater, or other equipment in the working space. If the panel is in a closet, note that the closet is dedicated to electrical equipment (not used for storage) and confirm the working clearance per CEC 110.26 — minimum 30 inches wide and 36 inches deep in front of the panel. Documenting this on the plans stops the correction before it starts.

  4. Add disconnect labeling notation to the panel schedule

    CEC 230.70(B) requires the disconnect to be legibly marked to indicate it is a service disconnecting means. On your panel schedule sheet, include a note stating the main breaker or disconnect switch is labeled ‘Service Disconnect’ at the device. For meter-main combinations, note the integrated disconnect function on the single-line diagram. This labeling requirement pairs with the circuit directory requirement under CEC 408.4 — if you’re fixing a 230.70 correction, check 408.4 at the same time and address both in the same resubmittal.

  5. Clarify service vs. feeder disconnect for ADUs and detached structures

    If the ADU has its own utility meter and service entrance, CEC 230.70 applies at the ADU — the disconnect must be at or nearest the ADU’s service entry point. If the ADU is fed by a feeder from the main dwelling, the disconnect at the ADU subpanel is governed by CEC Article 225 (Outside Branch Circuits and Feeders), not CEC 230.70. Make this distinction explicit in your plan notes. Write on the electrical cover sheet: ‘ADU served by feeder from main dwelling — disconnect per CEC 225.31’ or ‘ADU served by separate utility service — service disconnect per CEC 230.70.’ Plan-checkers fail plans that leave this ambiguous, and fixing the ambiguity is a straightforward note.

  6. Include a single-line diagram showing the full service sequence

    Most residential panel-upgrade and service-change corrections are resolved by including a clear single-line diagram on the electrical plans. Show the sequence from utility transformer through service drop or lateral, meter socket, main disconnect, to the panel or load center and branch circuits. Label each element with enclosure type (NEMA rating), interrupting capacity, and ampere rating. Dimension or note the physical location of the meter base and disconnect relative to the building footprint. This diagram gives the plan-checker a complete picture of the service entrance equipment in one place and usually clears the correction without a field visit.

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Why you got flagged

Here’s why plan-checkers flag CEC 230.70. The most common trigger is a disconnect shown on the electrical plans that isn’t located near the service entrance. If your service conductors enter through the meter base on the exterior wall and your main disconnect is shown in an interior hallway or garage utility room twenty feet away, the plan-checker will call it out. The code wants the disconnect reachable from the entry point — not a scavenger hunt for a firefighter.

A second pattern is the disconnect buried behind finished walls or blocked by equipment. Readily accessible means you can get to it without climbing, removing obstacles, or using a tool other than a key. If the as-built condition would put the disconnect behind a water heater or inside a closet stacked with shelving, the plans need to show a clear path and an accessible mounting height.

Panel-upgrade permits get flagged when the applicant moves the main breaker to a new location farther from the meter to fit the new panel layout. Even a few feet of additional conductor run between the meter base and the disconnect can draw scrutiny if the reviewer decides the new location isn’t nearest the point of entry. Show the meter base location, the disconnect location, and the distance on your site plan — a plan-checker who can’t tell from the drawings will write the correction and move on.

ADU projects with detached structures sometimes confuse feeder disconnect rules under CEC Article 225 with service disconnect rules under CEC 230.70. If the ADU has its own utility service, CEC 230.70 applies directly to that structure. If it’s fed by a feeder from the main dwelling, Article 225 governs the disconnect at the ADU. Either way, the plan set needs to make that distinction explicit — checkers flag it every time it isn’t.

The official code

California Electrical Code 230.70 — Service Disconnecting Means Location (DGS Building Standards Commission)

Read the source →

Common questions

Does the service disconnect have to be on the outside of the building?
No. CEC 230.70 does not require an outdoor location. It requires the disconnect to be at a readily accessible location nearest the point where service conductors enter the structure. For most California homes, that means the main breaker in a panel or combination meter-main mounted on or just inside the exterior wall where the meter is. Outdoor meter-main combinations are common and fully compliant, but an indoor location passes when it meets the ‘nearest the entry point’ and ‘readily accessible’ requirements. But for one- and two-family dwellings, CEC 230.85 separately requires an emergency disconnect in a readily accessible outdoor location on or within sight of the dwelling, and an outdoor service disconnect can serve as it. Confirm with your AHJ before finalizing.
What does ‘readily accessible’ mean under CEC 230.70?
Readily accessible means you can reach and operate the disconnect without climbing, without removing obstacles, and without using tools other than keys. In practice: the disconnect handle must be reachable without a ladder, the area in front of it must have the working clearance required by CEC 110.26 (30 inches wide and 36 inches deep minimum), and it can’t be hidden behind stored items. A closet location can be accessible as long as the closet is dedicated to electrical equipment and not used for storage; CEC 240.24(D) bars breakers from clothes closets. If someone would need to move a water heater, step over bikes, or call a building manager for a key, that fails the accessible test.
Can a meter-main combination panel satisfy CEC 230.70?
Yes — a meter-main combination (also called a meter-main panel or meter socket with integrated main breaker) is the most common way to satisfy CEC 230.70 in California residential construction. The main breaker is co-located with the meter at the service entrance point, making it definitionally nearest the point of entry. Specify the meter-main’s ampere rating, interrupting capacity, and NEMA enclosure type on your plans. If you’re replacing a meter socket that lacks an integrated main breaker, the plan-checker will likely flag the absence of a disconnect at the entry point — use that as the trigger to specify a meter-main combination in your plans.
Does CEC 230.70 apply to panel upgrades, or only new construction?
CEC 230.70 applies whenever a permit covers service entrance equipment — new construction, panel upgrades, service changes, and load center replacements all trigger a review. If you’re upgrading from 100A to 200A service, the plan-checker will verify the new panel’s disconnect meets 230.70, not just the ampere rating. A subpanel addition that doesn’t touch the service entrance is less likely to draw a 230.70 correction, but any permit modifying service conductors or the meter base will bring it into scope.
How many service disconnects are allowed at one location?
CEC 230.71 (the companion section) allows up to six service disconnects when grouped at a single location. CEC 230.70 governs where that grouping must be — at the accessible location nearest the service entry point. Single-family residential permits almost always use a single main breaker. Commercial and multi-unit projects sometimes use a disconnect cluster at the meter room. Whatever the count, all disconnects must be at the same accessible location near the service entrance. Disconnects split between two different rooms or two different walls of the same room fail 230.70.
My correction says the disconnect is not at the nearest accessible location — how do I fix that?
The plan-checker found that between where service conductors enter the building and the disconnect location shown on your plans, there’s a closer point where a disconnect could have been placed. This usually happens when the panel is on an interior wall while the meter is on an exterior wall, and there’s nothing on the plans documenting why the interior location is the nearest accessible point. To fix it: add a dimension on the floor plan from the service entry point to the disconnect, and a note stating there is no closer readily accessible location. If the distance is genuinely too far, either relocate the panel closer to the meter base, or add a disconnect switch at the meter base and run a feeder to the panel. Either approach clears the 230.70 correction.

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