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Electrical Service Entrance

Written and maintained by SynC.

Rev4
IssuedOct 17, 2026
LicenseCC BY 4.0
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1 Scope

NOTE This standard governs the service: the arrangement of the conductors and equipment that carry power from the serving utility's point of delivery to and through the service disconnecting means, the utility's requirements that shape that arrangement, and the field work that puts the service into operation. (1.1)
NOTE The service point is where the serving utility's facilities end and the premises wiring begins. Upstream of it the utility builds to IEEE C2 and its own standards and the Contractor's part is coordination, raceway, pads, and mounting provisions; downstream of it the work is premises wiring under NFPA 70 Article 230, and the service disconnecting means is the point at which the rest of the distribution system, governed by other standards, begins. (1.2)
NOTE Service equipment is a product built under the standard for its construction. A switchboard that is service equipment is built under Low Voltage SwitchboardsLow Voltage SwitchboardsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-switchboards, power circuit breaker switchgear under Low Voltage SwitchgearLow Voltage SwitchgearResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-switchgear, a stand-alone enclosed switch or enclosed circuit breaker under Enclosed Switches And DisconnectsEnclosed Switches and DisconnectsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/enclosed-switches-and-disconnects, a panelboard under PanelboardsPanelboardsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/panelboards, and a transfer switch with an integral service disconnect under Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches. This standard states what makes that equipment service equipment and how it is arranged at the service; it does not restate its construction. (1.3)
NOTE The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: (1.4)
  • the service conductors as a product, their sizing to the calculated load, their terminations, and their acceptance tests, under Distribution Feeder CablesService and Feeder ConductorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/distribution-feeder-cables
  • the raceways that carry the service conductors, their supports, and the burial cover of a direct-buried raceway, under Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit
  • the concrete-encased duct bank and the manholes and handholes along a lateral, under Underground DuctbankUnderground Electrical Duct BanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/underground-ductbank and Utility Manholes And HandholesUtility Manholes and HandholesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/utility-manholes-and-handholes
  • the grounding electrode system, the grounding electrode conductor, the main bonding jumper, the bonding of the service raceways and enclosures, and the intersystem bonding termination, under Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding
  • the surge protective device as a product, under Surge Protective DevicesSurge Protective DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/surge-protective-devices
  • the Owner's metering and power monitoring, under Electrical Power MonitoringElectrical Power Monitoring and MeteringResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electrical-power-monitoring
  • a customer-owned transformer ahead of the service, under Medium Voltage TransformersMedium-Voltage Distribution TransformersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/medium-voltage-transformers
  • the short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies, under Short Circuit StudyShort-Circuit StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/short-circuit-study, Protective Coordination StudyProtective Device Coordination StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/protective-coordination-study, and Arc Flash StudyArc-Flash StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/arc-flash-study
  • the room that houses the service equipment, under Electrical RoomsElectrical RoomsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electrical-rooms
NOTE A transformer owned by the serving utility is a project fact rather than an item of this work: its location, its secondary voltage, and the terminals it offers are read from the utility's design and recorded on the contract drawings, and nothing in this standard specifies it. (1.5)
1.6 The work shall comply with NFPA 70 Article 230, with the serving utility's published electric service requirements, and with the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction.
1.7 Where the serving utility's published requirements and this standard differ for the metering provisions, the service point arrangement, or any equipment the utility must accept before it connects the service, the utility's requirements shall govern that item, and the Contractor shall report the difference to the Engineer of Record in writing before the affected equipment is ordered.
1.8 The service point, the route of the service conductors, and the location of the service equipment shall be as indicated on the electrical site plan.
1.9 Where a value stated on the one-line diagram for a particular service differs from the datasheet selection under this standard, the one-line diagram shall govern for that service.

2 Referenced Standards

2.1 Equipment, materials, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
2.2 Where the contract documents, the serving utility's requirements, the authority having jurisdiction, or two referenced standards impose conflicting requirements, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
Standard Title
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (Articles 110, 230, 250, and 300)
NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
IEEE C2 National Electrical Safety Code
IEEE 1584 Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations
UL 414 Meter Sockets
UL 869A Reference Standard for Service Equipment
UL 98 Enclosed and Dead-Front Switches
UL 489 Molded-Case Circuit Breakers, Molded-Case Switches, and Circuit-Breaker Enclosures
UL 67 Panelboards
UL 891 Switchboards
UL 1558 Metal-Enclosed Low-Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear
UL 1053 Ground-Fault Sensing and Relaying Equipment
UL 1449 Surge Protective Devices
UL 50 Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Non-Environmental Considerations
UL 50E Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Environmental Considerations
NEMA 250 Enclosures for Electrical Equipment (1000 Volts Maximum)
ANSI C12.7 Requirements for Watthour Meter Sockets
EUSERC Electric Utility Service Equipment Requirements Committee Manual
ANSI/NETA ATS Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems
ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (Chapter 13)

3 Submittals

3.1 Action Submittals

3.1.1 The Contractor shall submit the following for review before any service equipment, meter socket, or metering enclosure is ordered:
  • a service arrangement drawing showing the service point, the route and the wiring method of the service conductors, the mast or the lateral, the meter socket or the metering enclosure, each service disconnect, the working space, and the mounting of each enclosure, with the dimensions from grade and from the building
  • product data for each meter socket, current transformer cabinet, meter-main, metering enclosure, service rack, and weatherhead, identifying the listing and, for metering equipment, the serving utility's approval number or its place on the utility's approved equipment list
  • the serving utility's written acceptance of the service arrangement drawing and of the metering equipment proposed
  • the serving utility's written statement of the available fault current at the service point and the date of that statement, together with the short-circuit current rating of the service equipment proposed, taken from that equipment's own submittal
  • the mast size, material, and support calculation, where an overhead service is furnished
Action Submittalscheckbox
☑ Service arrangement drawing
☑ Meter socket, metering enclosure, and service hardware product data
☑ Utility acceptance of the arrangement and the metering equipment
☑ Utility available fault current statement and the service equipment rating
☐ Mast size and support calculation
3.1.2 No service equipment, meter socket, or metering enclosure shall be ordered until the action submittals covering it have been reviewed and returned and the serving utility's acceptance has been received.
NOTE The submittal that most often comes back rejected is the metering equipment, because a meter socket or a current transformer cabinet that is listed and correctly rated is still refused if it is not on the serving utility's approved list or does not match the jaw arrangement, the bypass, and the sealing provisions the utility's requirements call for. (3.1.3)

3.2 Informational Submittals

3.2.1 The Contractor shall submit the following with or before the action submittals:
  • the edition and date of the serving utility's electric service requirements the work is based on
  • the utility service application and the utility's work order or job number
  • the qualifications of the firm and the technicians who will perform field acceptance testing
  • the ground-fault protection performance test procedure, where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service
  • the schedule of utility inspections, the utility release, and the energization date, as agreed with the utility
Informational Submittalscheckbox
☑ Utility service requirements edition
☑ Utility service application and work order
☑ Field testing firm and technician qualifications
☐ Ground-fault protection performance test procedure
☑ Utility inspection, release, and energization schedule

3.3 Closeout Submittals

3.3.1 The Contractor shall submit the following before the service is accepted:
  • record drawings showing the service point, the as-built route and depth of the lateral or the as-built mast and attachment, the metering equipment, and each service disconnect as installed
  • the field acceptance test report for the service, giving every measured value, the acceptance criterion applied, and the tester's determination
  • the ground-fault protection performance test record required by NFPA 70 230.95(C), where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service
  • the available fault current value marked on the service equipment, the date it was calculated, and the calculation or utility statement it came from
  • the serving utility's release for connection and the record of the meter set, with the meter numbers
  • the warranty certificate for each item of equipment furnished under this standard, with the warranty commencement date
  • a signed receipt from the Owner for the spare parts delivered
Closeout Submittalscheckbox
☑ Record drawings
☑ Field acceptance test report
☐ Ground-fault protection performance test record
☑ Available fault current marking record
☑ Utility release and meter set record
☑ Warranty certificate
☑ Spare parts receipt

4 Quality Assurance

4.1 Installer Qualifications

4.1.1 The service shall be installed by an electrical contractor licensed in the jurisdiction of the project whose metering installations the serving utility accepts.
4.1.2 The Contractor shall perform the work on the utility side of the service point only where the serving utility's requirements assign that work to the customer, and only to the utility's published detail.

4.2 Service Equipment Listing

4.2.1 Every item of equipment in which the service disconnecting means is installed shall be listed and marked as suitable for use as service equipment under UL 869A and the product standard for its construction.
4.2.2 Every meter socket shall be listed to UL 414, and every current transformer cabinet and metering enclosure shall be listed to UL 50 and UL 50E and shall be accepted by the serving utility for the metering it houses.
4.2.3 A meter-main that combines a meter socket and the service disconnect in one enclosure shall be listed to UL 414 for the socket and to UL 67 or UL 489 for the disconnect section, and shall be marked as suitable for use as service equipment.

4.3 Rating Verification

4.3.1 The Engineer of Record shall confirm, before any service equipment is released for manufacture, that its short-circuit current rating as submitted is not less than the available fault current the serving utility states at the service point.
NOTE The available fault current at the service point is the one input to the equipment rating that cannot be calculated from the premises side, because it depends on the utility's transformer and its primary system, and a rating selected without the utility's figure is a guess. (4.3.2)

4.4 Field Testing Firm

4.4.1 Field acceptance testing of the service shall be performed by the firm indicated in the datasheet.
Field Acceptance Testing Firmradio
○ Independent testing firm accredited to ANSI/NETA ATS
○ Manufacturer's field service organization
○ Installing contractor's own technicians
4.4.2 The technicians who perform field acceptance testing shall meet the qualification requirements of Electrical Acceptance TestingElectrical Acceptance TestingResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electrical-acceptance-testing.
NOTE An independent firm reports against a published acceptance standard with no stake in the result; the manufacturer's organization is already on site where start-up of the service equipment is furnished under its product standard; the installing contractor's own technicians cost least and work to the installer's schedule. Which the Owner wants depends on whether a report from the party that installed the service satisfies the Owner's insurer and the authority having jurisdiction. (4.4.3)

5 Environmental and Service Conditions

5.1 Enclosure Type

5.1.1 The enclosure type of each meter socket, current transformer cabinet, metering enclosure, and meter-main furnished under this standard shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Enclosure Typeselect
NEMA Type 1
NEMA Type 3R
NEMA Type 4
NEMA Type 4X stainless steel
NEMA Type 4X nonmetallic
NEMA Type 12
NOTE Metering equipment stands outdoors where the utility can read and change the meter, so a rainproof Type 3R enclosure is the construction nearly every socket and cabinet ships in; Type 1 serves a socket or cabinet in a dry indoor electrical room where the utility accepts indoor metering; Type 4 and Type 4X serve a washdown or a corrosive site at the cost of a gasketed door and, for 4X, stainless or nonmetallic construction; Type 12 serves an indoor industrial location with airborne dust and dripping liquid. (5.1.2)
5.1.3 Each enclosure installed outdoors shall be of a type rated for a wet location and shall be mounted with its drain openings open and its conduit entries made through the bottom or through a listed hub.
5.1.4 Each enclosure installed within 1 mi of a saltwater shoreline, in a chemical processing area, or where the Engineer of Record designates a corrosive location on the drawings shall be Type 4X.
5.1.5 Each enclosure installed in a location subject to hose-directed water or washdown shall be Type 4 or Type 4X.
NOTE The enclosure of a switchboard, switchgear, panelboard, enclosed switch, or transfer switch that is service equipment is selected under that equipment's product standard. (5.1.6)

5.2 Site Conditions

5.2.1 Equipment installed outdoors under this standard shall be rated for continuous operation at Site Ambient Temperature MaximumSite Ambient Temperature MaximumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-ambient-temperature-maximum with direct solar exposure, and where that temperature exceeds the rating basis of the listing the manufacturer shall state the derating applied in the product data.
5.2.2 A freestanding service rack, its footings, and the pad for a meter-main or a current transformer cabinet shall be designed for the seismic forces of ASCE 7 Chapter 13 for Seismic Design CategorySeismic Design CategoryParameterEach project supplies its own value.seismic-design-category, and the footings shall extend below Frost DepthFrost DepthParameterEach project supplies its own value.frost-depth.
5.2.3 Service equipment shall not be installed where it would be below the design flood elevation stated on the contract drawings, unless the contract drawings show the flood protection provided for it.

6 Utility Coordination and the Point of Delivery

6.1 Service Supply Arrangement

6.1.1 The arrangement by which the serving utility delivers the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Supply Arrangementradio
○ Overhead service drop to a mast or a building attachment
○ Underground service lateral from a utility pole riser
○ Underground service lateral from a utility pad-mounted transformer
○ Secondary connection to a utility transformer in a vault or a room on the premises
Per drawings — the electrical site plan (deferred by default)
NOTE An overhead drop costs least and puts the service point at the weatherhead, where the mast, the clearances, and the drop attachment are the Contractor's concern; a lateral from a pole riser puts the utility's conductors underground from the pole and moves the service point to the riser or to the building, depending on the utility; a lateral from a pad-mounted transformer is the arrangement the utility offers where its distribution is underground, and it brings the transformer pad, its clearances, and its conduit stubs onto the site; a vault or room transformer is the arrangement a dense urban site or a large service needs, and the room, its ventilation, and its access are built to the utility's requirements. (6.1.2)
6.1.3 Where the service supply arrangement places the utility's transformer, pad, vault, or riser on the premises, its location shall be as indicated on the electrical site plan, and the clearances the utility requires around it shall be kept free of structures, planting, and parking.

6.2 Service Lateral Furnishing

6.2.1 Which party furnishes and installs the service lateral conductors shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Lateral Conductor Furnishingradio
○ Utility furnishes and installs the lateral conductors in raceway the Contractor furnishes and installs
○ Utility furnishes and installs the lateral conductors in its own trench or raceway
○ Contractor furnishes and installs the lateral conductors to the utility's terminals
NOTE Where the utility installs its conductors in the Contractor's raceway, the raceway is built to the utility's detail and the service point is at the utility's terminals, so the premises wiring begins at the service equipment; where the utility trenches and installs its own lateral, the Contractor's work ends at the metering enclosure the utility pulls into; where the Contractor installs the lateral conductors, they are service-entrance conductors under NFPA 70 Article 230 from the utility's terminals onward, and the Contractor owns their installation and their testing. The serving utility's requirements settle which of these it offers, and the choice fixes where the Contractor's conductor scope under Distribution Feeder CablesService and Feeder ConductorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/distribution-feeder-cables begins. (6.2.2)
6.2.3 Where the Contractor furnishes the raceway for utility-installed conductors, the raceway shall be of the type, size, number, sweep radius, and depth the serving utility's requirements state, shall be proved clear with a mandrel before the utility is called to pull, and shall be left with a pull line in place.

6.3 Utility Application and Charges

6.3.1 The party that files the utility service application shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Utility Service Application Filed Byradio
○ Owner, with the Contractor coordinating construction and inspections
○ Contractor, on the Owner's behalf
6.3.2 Whichever party files the application, the Contractor shall furnish the utility the load information, the site plan, the equipment submittals, and the schedule the utility requests, and shall attend the utility's site meetings.
6.3.3 The utility's charges for the service, including the contribution in aid of construction, the line extension charge, and the transformer charge, shall be paid by the party indicated in the datasheet.
Utility Service Charges Paid Byradio
● Owner, directly to the utility
○ Contractor, included in the Contract Sum
NOTE The Owner usually pays the utility directly because the charges are set by the utility's tariff after the application is reviewed and are often refundable in part; carrying them in the Contract Sum fixes the amount at bid, which suits a project whose Owner wants one price and accepts the markup. (6.3.4)

6.4 Available Fault Current

6.4.1 The Contractor shall obtain from the serving utility, in writing, the maximum available fault current at the service point and the date of the utility's calculation, and shall furnish the statement with the action submittals.
6.4.2 Where the serving utility declines to state a fault current, the Contractor shall report the refusal to the Engineer of Record in writing, and the Engineer of Record shall establish the value used for equipment rating under Short Circuit StudyShort-Circuit StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/short-circuit-study from the transformer data the utility does provide.
6.4.3 The utility-stated available fault current at the service point shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Utility Available Fault Current at the Service Pointrange
kA
1200
Per drawings — the one-line diagram (deferred by default)

6.5 Coordination Milestones

NOTE Utility coordination for a new or an upgraded service is complete when the utility has accepted the service arrangement and the metering equipment in writing and has stated the available fault current, and the Submittals section holds the order of equipment until then; the clauses below govern the inspections and the connection that follow. (6.5.1)
6.5.2 The Contractor shall request each utility inspection the serving utility's requirements call for at the stage they call for it, and shall not backfill a lateral trench, close a wall, or energize any part of the service before the utility has inspected and released that stage.
6.5.3 The Contractor shall request the utility's connection and meter set not less than the notice period the utility's requirements state, and shall have the field acceptance tests of this standard complete, the ground-fault protection performance test recorded where it applies, and the authority having jurisdiction's approval in hand on the date requested.

7 Service Characteristics

7.1 Number of Services

7.1.1 The number of services supplying the building or structure shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Number of Servicesradio
● One service
○ More than one service
NOTE A building is supplied by one service unless one of the conditions of NFPA 70 230.2 applies, such as a fire pump, an emergency system, a legally required standby system, a parallel power production system, a building of a size or load the utility will not serve from one point, or a special permission from the authority having jurisdiction. (7.1.2)
7.1.3 Where more than one service is furnished, each shall satisfy a condition of NFPA 70 230.2, the condition shall be stated on the one-line diagram, and a permanent plaque at each service disconnect location shall identify every other service supplying the building and the area each serves.

7.2 System Voltage and Phase

7.2.1 The service voltage, phase, and number of wires shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Voltage and Phaseselect
120/240 V, 1Φ, 3-wire
208Y/120 V, 3Φ, 4-wire
240/120 V, 3Φ, 4-wire high-leg delta
240 V, 3Φ, 3-wire
480Y/277 V, 3Φ, 4-wire
480 V, 3Φ, 3-wire
600Y/347 V, 3Φ, 4-wire
600 V, 3Φ, 3-wire
Per drawings — the one-line diagram (deferred by default)
NOTE The utility offers the voltages its distribution in the area supports, and the one-line diagram records the one selected: 120/240 V single-phase serves a dwelling or a small load without three-phase motors; 208Y/120 V serves a building whose load is mostly receptacles, 120 V lighting, and small motors; 480Y/277 V carries a large load on smaller conductors and serves 277 V lighting and 480 V motors directly, at the cost of step-down transformers for the 120 V load; 600Y/347 V is the equivalent in the jurisdictions that distribute at 600 V; a three-wire delta service, with or without a high leg, is what some utilities still offer an industrial customer whose load is motors, and its high leg must be identified and kept off the single-phase load. (7.2.2)
7.2.3 On a high-leg delta service, the conductor with the higher voltage to ground shall be the B phase, shall be identified by an orange outer finish or by orange marking at every termination, and shall be connected to no single-phase load.

7.3 Service Rating

7.3.1 The rating of the service, being the rating of the service disconnecting means and its overcurrent protection, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Ratingrange
A
60100125150200225320400600800100012001600200025003000400050006000
Per drawings — the one-line diagram (deferred by default)
7.3.2 The service rating shall be not less than the calculated load of NFPA 70 Article 220 and not less than the minimum NFPA 70 230.79 sets for the occupancy served.
NOTE The 320 A setpoint is the continuous rating of a 400 A class self-contained meter socket, and a service built on that socket is rated by the socket rather than by its 400 A disconnect. (7.3.3)

7.4 Short-Circuit Current Rating

7.4.1 Every item of service equipment, every meter socket, and every current transformer cabinet shall have a short-circuit current rating not less than the available fault current the serving utility states at the service point, selected under the product standard for its construction.
NOTE A meter socket is rated for the fault current it withstands with the utility's meter in place, and the utility's requirements state the socket rating it accepts for each service size; the socket rating is checked against the available fault current exactly as the disconnect is, and it is the item most often found short when a service is upgraded. (7.4.2)

8 Service-Entrance Conductors

8.1 Wiring Method

8.1.1 The wiring method of the service-entrance conductors between the service point and the service equipment, other than the underground lateral, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service-Entrance Wiring Methodselect
Conductors in rigid metal conduit
Conductors in intermediate metal conduit
Conductors in electrical metallic tubing
Conductors in rigid PVC conduit
Conductors in reinforced thermosetting resin conduit
Type SE service-entrance cable
Type MC metal-clad cable
Busway
Conductors in a wireway or auxiliary gutter
NOTE Rigid metal conduit and intermediate metal conduit carry the conductors with the most protection and are what most utilities require for a mast and for conductors exposed to damage; electrical metallic tubing serves an indoor run where the utility and the authority having jurisdiction accept it; rigid PVC and reinforced thermosetting resin conduit resist corrosion and are nonconductive, at the cost of expansion fittings and of physical protection where exposed; Type SE cable is the arrangement of most dwelling services and costs least; Type MC cable serves an indoor run where the listing marks it for service-entrance use; busway carries a large service from a transformer vault or a room to the switchboard without a pull; a wireway or an auxiliary gutter is the transition between a current transformer cabinet and the disconnect. The utility's requirements and the authority having jurisdiction narrow the list for each project, and the raceway or busway itself is specified under Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit or BuswayBuswayResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/busway. (8.1.2)
8.1.3 Service-entrance conductors shall be sized, selected, and terminated in accordance with Distribution Feeder CablesService and Feeder ConductorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/distribution-feeder-cables.

8.2 Routing Rules

8.2.1 A raceway or cable carrying service-entrance conductors shall contain no other conductors, other than a grounding conductor or a conductor NFPA 70 230.7 permits in the same enclosure.
8.2.2 Service-entrance conductors shall be continuous from the service point to the service equipment, and a splice or a tap shall be made only by one of the methods NFPA 70 230.46 permits, in an enclosure or a listed underground splice, with a connector that is listed and marked as suitable for use on the line side of the service equipment.
8.2.3 Service-entrance conductors that are run within the building ahead of the service disconnecting means shall be run by one of the arrangements NFPA 70 230.6 counts as outside the building, or shall be kept to a length inside the building not exceeding the length indicated in the datasheet.
Service Conductor Length Inside the Building Ahead of the Disconnectrange
Not more than
ft
025
NOTE Conductors ahead of the service disconnect have no overcurrent protection on the premises side, so every foot inside the building is a fault the utility's protection may not clear; NFPA 70 230.70(A)(1) puts the disconnect nearest the point of entrance without a number, and most authorities having jurisdiction publish the length they accept, commonly between 5 ft and 15 ft measured along the conductors, which the Engineer of Record records in the field for the jurisdiction of the project. (8.2.4)
8.2.5 Where the authority having jurisdiction publishes a shorter length than the datasheet value, the shorter length shall govern.
8.2.6 A service raceway exposed to the weather shall be raintight and shall be arranged to drain, and a raceway carrying service-entrance conductors shall be sealed where it enters a building from underground, and at any other point where NFPA 70 230.8 or 300.5 requires a seal, with a sealing compound or a listed fitting that stops the entry of moisture and gas.
8.2.7 Service-entrance conductors subject to physical damage shall be protected by rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, Schedule 80 rigid PVC conduit, electrical metallic tubing, or another means NFPA 70 230.50 accepts, from grade to not less than 8 ft above grade and wherever vehicles, equipment, or the public can reach them.
8.2.8 Open conductors and cables of the service shall be kept not less than 3 ft from a window that opens, a door, a porch, a balcony, a fire escape, and a similar location, except above the top of a window.

9 Overhead Service

9.1 Service Mast

9.1.1 Where the service drop attaches to a mast, the mast raceway shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
Service Mast Raceway Materialselect
Rigid metal conduit, galvanized steel
Intermediate metal conduit
Rigid PVC conduit, Schedule 80
NOTE Galvanized rigid metal conduit is the mast nearly every utility's requirements call for, because it carries the drop tension and the ice and wind load on the drop without a separate support; intermediate metal conduit is accepted by many utilities for the same duty at lower weight and cost; Schedule 80 PVC serves only where the drop attaches to the building rather than to the mast, so the mast carries no load but its own, and the utility accepts it. (9.1.2)
9.1.3 The mast trade size shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Mast Trade Sizerange
Not less than
in
1.251.522.533.54
Derived — the raceway fill of the service-entrance conductors and the serving utility's minimum mast size for a drop-supporting mast (by default)
9.1.4 The mast shall be a continuous length of raceway from the service head to the meter socket or the enclosure it enters, without a coupling above the roof line, and shall be secured to the structure with fittings identified for use with a service mast.
9.1.5 Only the serving utility's power service-drop conductors shall be attached to the mast, and no communications, cable television, or other utility's conductors shall be attached to it.
9.1.6 Where the point of attachment is higher above the roof penetration than the serving utility's requirements permit for an unbraced mast, the mast shall be braced or guyed to the structure with the hardware and at the angle the utility's requirements state.
9.1.7 Where the mast passes through a roof, the roof penetration shall be flashed with a flashing listed or made for a service mast and sealed to the roofing system under the roofing standard that governs that roof.

9.2 Service Head and Drip Loops

9.2.1 The service-entrance raceway or cable shall terminate in a raintight service head listed for the purpose, with the conductors of each potential brought out through separately bushed openings.
9.2.2 The service head shall be located above the point of attachment of the service drop, or, where that is impracticable, not more than 24 in. from it, and in either case so that the service-entrance conductors leave the head below it and form a drip loop before they are spliced to the drop.
9.2.3 The service-entrance conductors shall extend from the service head not less than the length the serving utility's requirements state for the utility's splice, and not less than 36 in. where the utility states no length.
NOTE The service head keeps rain out of the raceway only when water running down the drop conductors meets a drip loop below the head and falls away before it reaches the bushed openings; a head set below the attachment point, with the conductors rising to the splice, drains the drop into the raceway and the meter socket. (9.2.4)

9.3 Clearances and Attachment

9.3.1 The point of attachment of the service drop shall be not less than 10 ft above finished grade and shall be located so that the drop clears every surface and structure it passes over or beside by not less than the distance NFPA 70 230.24 and the serving utility require for that surface.
9.3.2 The service drop and the drip loop shall clear finished grade, sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, roadways, and roofs by not less than the vertical distances NFPA 70 230.24 requires for the voltage to ground and the surface, and the Contractor shall set the attachment and the mast height so that the lowest point of the drip loop keeps those clearances.
NOTE The governing clearances are a ladder that rises with the traffic under the drop: 10 ft above grade and sidewalks at the lowest point of the drip loop, 12 ft above a residential driveway or a commercial area without truck traffic, 15 ft for a voltage to ground above 300 V over those areas, and 18 ft above a public street, an alley, a road, or a parking area subject to truck traffic, with a roof clearance of 8 ft that NFPA 70 230.24(A) reduces for a steep roof and for an overhang the conductors pass over on the way to a mast. The drop is the utility's conductor, and the utility's own requirement, where it is greater, sets the attachment height. (9.3.3)
9.3.4 The attachment hardware shall be of the type the serving utility's requirements specify for the drop, fastened to a structural member or to the mast, and not to a fascia, a trim board, or a roof deck alone.

10 Underground Service Lateral

10.1 Lateral Wiring Method

10.1.1 The wiring method of the underground service lateral shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Lateral Wiring Methodselect
Conductors in rigid PVC conduit, direct buried
Conductors in rigid PVC conduit, concrete encased
Conductors in rigid metal conduit
Conductors in high-density polyethylene conduit
Conductors in reinforced thermosetting resin conduit
Type USE cable, direct buried
NOTE Direct-buried rigid PVC conduit is the lateral most utilities' requirements call for on a customer-furnished raceway, and it permits the conductors to be replaced without excavation; concrete encasement adds crushing protection and permits shallower cover, and is what a lateral under a roadway or a lateral the utility treats as a duct bank gets, under Underground DuctbankUnderground Electrical Duct BanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/underground-ductbank; rigid metal conduit serves the riser at a pole and the stub-up at the building, where the conduit is exposed; high-density polyethylene conduit is directionally bored under a paved surface a trench cannot cross; reinforced thermosetting resin conduit serves a corrosive soil; direct-buried Type USE cable costs least and cannot be replaced without re-excavation. (10.1.2)
10.1.3 The burial cover of a direct-buried lateral raceway or cable shall be as Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit requires for the wiring method and the surface above it, the cover of a concrete-encased lateral shall be as Underground DuctbankUnderground Electrical Duct BanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/underground-ductbank requires, and neither shall be less than NFPA 70 300.5 requires.
10.1.4 The route of the underground lateral shall be as indicated on the electrical site plan.
10.1.5 Where a lateral crosses or runs parallel to another underground utility, it shall keep the separation the owner of that utility and the serving utility require, and where it crosses it shall cross as nearly at a right angle as the site permits.

10.2 Lateral Raceway Provisions

10.2.1 The number of spare raceways installed with the lateral and capped at each end shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Spare Lateral Racewaysrange
each
04
Per drawings — the electrical site plan (deferred by default)
10.2.2 Each lateral raceway shall be installed with a pull line, shall be proved clear with a mandrel not less than 80% of the raceway's inside diameter after backfill, and shall be capped or plugged until the conductors are pulled.
10.2.3 A lateral raceway entering a building shall rise through the slab or the wall at the location and in the arrangement the service equipment manufacturer's drawings show for the conduit entry, and shall be sealed as the Routing Rules article requires.
10.2.4 A continuous warning tape marked for a buried electric line shall be installed in the backfill above each lateral trench at the depth the serving utility's requirements and NFPA 70 300.5 state.

10.3 Utility Transformer Provisions

10.3.1 Where the serving utility's requirements assign the transformer pad, the vault, the grounding provisions at the pad, or the conduit stubs at the transformer to the customer, the Contractor shall construct them to the utility's published detail at the location indicated on the electrical site plan, and shall obtain the utility's inspection of each before it is covered or the transformer is set.
NOTE The utility transformer pad and the bollards, the clearances, and the access the utility requires around it are the utility's design, and the Contractor builds them to the utility's detail rather than to a project standard; the grounding at the pad is the utility's where the utility specifies it and is otherwise under Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding. (10.3.2)

11 Utility Metering

11.1 Metering Method

11.1.1 The method by which the serving utility meters the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Utility Metering Methodselect
Self-contained meter socket
Current transformer metering in a current transformer cabinet with a separate meter socket
Current transformer metering in a utility metering compartment of the service equipment
Multi-position meter stack or modular metering center
Derived — the service rating and the serving utility's metering requirements (by default)
NOTE A self-contained socket carries the service current through the meter and is the utility's method up to the socket class it accepts, usually 200 A and in many utilities 320 A continuous; above that the utility meters through current transformers, which sit either in a separate cabinet ahead of the service disconnect, with a small socket for the meter, or in a compartment the switchboard manufacturer builds into the service equipment under Low Voltage SwitchboardsLow Voltage SwitchboardsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-switchboards; a meter stack or a modular metering center gives each tenant of a multi-occupancy building a socket and a disconnect in one assembly. The utility's requirements fix the method for each service rating, so the field records their consequence. (11.1.2)
11.1.3 Where the utility meters through current transformers in a compartment of the service equipment, the compartment shall be built under the product standard for that equipment to the utility's requirements, and this standard governs only the utility's acceptance of it.
11.1.4 Where the utility meters through current transformers in a separate cabinet, the cabinet shall be of the size, construction, and arrangement the serving utility's requirements state, shall be furnished by the party those requirements name, and where the utility does not furnish it the Contractor shall furnish a cabinet from the utility's approved list.
11.1.5 The current transformers, the meter, the metering conductors between the cabinet and the meter socket, and the sealing of the metering equipment are the utility's, and the Contractor shall furnish the raceway between the current transformer cabinet and the meter socket of the type, size, and route the utility's requirements state.

11.2 Meter Socket

11.2.1 The ampere class of each self-contained meter socket shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Meter Socket Ampere Classrange
Not less than
A
100125150200320400
Derived — the service rating and the socket class the serving utility accepts for it (by default)
11.2.2 The meter socket shall be of the form indicated in the datasheet.
Meter Socket Formradio
○ Ringless
○ Ring-type
Derived — the serving utility's approved meter socket list (by default)
NOTE A ringless socket holds the meter with a sealed cover and is the form most utilities now list; a ring-type socket holds the meter with a sealing ring on the socket's own flange and remains the form some utilities require. The utility's approved list carries one or the other for each socket class, so the field records its consequence rather than a choice. (11.2.3)
11.2.4 The meter socket bypass shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Meter Socket Bypassselect
No bypass
Horn bypass
Lever bypass
Derived — the serving utility's requirements for the socket class (by default)
NOTE A bypass lets the utility pull the meter without interrupting the customer: a horn bypass takes a jumper the meter technician fits, and a lever bypass closes the jaws with a handle the utility operates and is what most utilities require above the smallest socket class and on every commercial socket. The utility's requirements name the bypass for each class. (11.2.5)
11.2.6 The number of meter positions furnished for the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Meter Positionsrange
each
148
Per drawings — the one-line diagram (deferred by default)
11.2.7 Each socket shall have the jaw configuration the serving utility's requirements state for the service voltage and phase, shall be listed for the available fault current with the fault current rating the utility accepts, and shall carry the utility's sealing provision.
11.2.8 Where the service supplies more than one occupancy through a meter stack or a modular metering center, each position shall be marked with the address or the unit it serves, and the house meter position shall be marked as such.

11.3 Metering Equipment Mounting

11.3.1 The center of each meter shall be mounted at the height above finished grade or finished floor indicated in the datasheet.
Meter Center Height Above Finished Graderange
ft
36.5
Derived — the serving utility's meter mounting height rule (by default)
NOTE Each utility publishes the window within which the meter center must fall, commonly between 4 ft and 6 ft, so that its reader and its technician reach the meter without a ladder; the field records the utility's figure for the project, and the Engineer of Record states a value only where the utility accepts a range and the project wants one point in it. (11.3.2)
11.3.3 Metering equipment shall be mounted where the utility can reach it at all times without entering a locked area, a fenced yard without a utility lock, a bathroom, a closet, or a space the utility's requirements exclude, and shall have the working space in front of it that NFPA 70 110.26 and the utility require.
11.3.4 Metering equipment shall be mounted on a wall, a rack, or a pad with the conduit entries, the knockouts used, and the position of the socket relative to the disconnect as the utility's requirements state, and a meter socket shall not be mounted on a surface the utility's requirements reject.

12 Service Disconnecting Means

12.1 Service Equipment Type

12.1.1 The equipment in which the service disconnecting means is installed shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Service Equipment Typeselect
Switchboard with a main device
Power circuit breaker switchgear
Panelboard with a main device
Enclosed circuit breaker
Enclosed fusible switch
Meter-main combining the socket and the disconnect
Transfer switch with an integral service disconnect
Per drawings — the one-line diagram (deferred by default)
NOTE A switchboard or power circuit breaker switchgear carries a large service and the feeders it splits into, under Low Voltage SwitchboardsLow Voltage SwitchboardsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-switchboards or Low Voltage SwitchgearLow Voltage SwitchgearResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-switchgear; a panelboard with a main device is the service equipment of a small building, under PanelboardsPanelboardsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/panelboards; an enclosed circuit breaker or fusible switch is a single disconnect ahead of separate distribution equipment, under Enclosed Switches And DisconnectsEnclosed Switches and DisconnectsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/enclosed-switches-and-disconnects, and the fusible switch is the choice where current-limiting fuses are wanted at the service; a meter-main puts the socket and the disconnect in one outdoor enclosure and is the arrangement of most dwelling and small commercial services up to the 400 A class; a transfer switch with an integral service disconnect, under Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches, removes a separate piece of service equipment where a standby source feeds the whole service. The one-line diagram records the type for each service. (12.1.2)
12.1.3 The service equipment shall be constructed under the product standard for its type, and the clauses of this standard that apply to the service disconnect apply to that equipment in addition to its product standard.

12.2 Number and Grouping of Disconnects

12.2.1 The number of service disconnects for each service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Service Disconnect Arrangementradio
● Single service disconnect
○ Grouped service disconnects
NOTE A single disconnect removes all power from the premises wiring with one operation and is the arrangement of most services; grouped disconnects, of which NFPA 70 230.71 permits not more than six for each service, remove the main device and its cost from a service whose load divides naturally among a few large feeders or occupancies, at the cost of a service that no one switch de-energizes and of the barriers and the marking the grouping requires. (12.2.2)
12.2.3 Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, there shall be not more than six for the service, each shall be installed in a separate enclosure, in a separate compartment, or in a switchboard or switchgear section barriered from the others as NFPA 70 230.71(B) requires, and all shall be grouped at one location.
12.2.4 Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, each shall be marked to identify it as one of a group and to state the total number of disconnects in the group.
12.2.5 Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, the combined rating of the group shall be not less than the service rating, and each disconnect shall be rated not less than the calculated load of the portion it supplies.

12.3 Location of the Disconnect

12.3.1 Each service disconnect shall be installed in a readily accessible location, either outside the building or inside the building nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors, at the location indicated on the electrical plans.
12.3.2 A service disconnect shall not be installed in a bathroom, in a clothes closet, or above a stair in a position that requires a ladder to reach.
12.3.3 The working space in front of each service disconnect and the dedicated equipment space above it shall comply with NFPA 70 110.26 for the system voltage and the condition of the space, and no door swing, pipe, duct, or stored material shall reduce that space.
12.3.4 Service equipment installed outdoors on a wall, a rack, or a pad shall be mounted with its bottom not less than 12 in. above finished grade, or higher where the serving utility's requirements or the design flood elevation state a greater height, and a freestanding rack shall be of hot-dip galvanized steel channel or an aluminum framing system on concrete footings, braced against overturning.

12.4 Equipment Ahead of the Disconnect

12.4.1 Only the equipment NFPA 70 230.82 permits shall be connected on the supply side of the service disconnecting means, and the equipment so connected shall be limited to the serving utility's metering equipment, a meter disconnect switch the utility requires, a Type 1 surge protective device, an emergency disconnect, a tap for a fire pump or an emergency system where NFPA 70 230.82 permits it, and the connection of an interactive source where NFPA 70 705.11 permits it.
12.4.2 Where the serving utility requires a meter disconnect switch ahead of its metering, the switch shall be of the rating, the short-circuit current rating, and the sealing provision the utility's requirements state, shall be marked as not being the service disconnect, and shall be grouped with the service equipment.
NOTE A meter disconnect lets the utility work on its metering with the socket de-energized and the customer's service disconnect untouched; it is required by some utilities above a socket class and offered as an option by others, and it is also one of the forms the emergency disconnect of NFPA 70 230.85 may take. (12.4.3)

12.5 Neutral and Grounding Provisions

12.5.2 The main bonding jumper, the grounding electrode conductor and its termination, the bonding of the service raceways and enclosures, and the intersystem bonding termination at the service shall be as Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding requires, and the grounded service conductor shall be run to each service disconnect enclosure and bonded there as NFPA 70 250.24 requires.

12.6 Emergency Disconnect

12.6.1 The emergency disconnect for the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Emergency Disconnectselect
Not furnished
Service disconnect installed outdoors in a readily accessible location and marked as the emergency disconnect
Meter disconnect switch ahead of the service equipment, marked as the emergency disconnect
Separate emergency disconnect that is not service equipment
Derived — the occupancy served under NFPA 70 230.85 and the location of the service disconnect (by default)
NOTE NFPA 70 230.85 requires an outdoor, readily accessible disconnect for a one- or two-family dwelling unit so that firefighters can de-energize the dwelling without entering it, and it recognizes three forms: the service disconnect itself placed outdoors, a meter disconnect ahead of the service equipment, and a listed disconnect that is not service equipment, each with its own marking. For every other occupancy the code requires none, and an Owner who wants one for a building that its fire department will enter is making a choice the field records. (12.6.2)
12.6.3 Where an emergency disconnect is furnished, it shall be installed outdoors at a readily accessible location, shall be in its own enclosure or operated by an external handle, shall be rated not less than the service rating, and shall be marked with the wording NFPA 70 230.85 prescribes for its form.
12.6.4 Where the emergency disconnect is not service equipment, its enclosure shall be bonded and its grounded conductor arranged as NFPA 70 230.85 and 250.24 require for a disconnect ahead of the service equipment, and the service disconnect downstream of it shall remain the service equipment.

13 Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment

13.1 Whether ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at each service disconnect shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment at the Serviceradio
○ Furnished
○ Not furnished
Derived — the system voltage to ground and the rating of each service disconnect under NFPA 70 230.95 (by default)
NOTE NFPA 70 230.95 requires ground-fault protection of equipment on each service disconnect rated 1000 A or more on a solidly grounded wye system of more than 150 V to ground and not more than 1000 V phase to phase, which in practice is every 480Y/277 V and 600Y/347 V service of 1000 A and above; below that threshold an Owner may elect it, and on a 208Y/120 V system, a delta system, or a fire pump service it is not required and is seldom furnished. The code threshold is applied to each disconnect, so a service split into grouped disconnects each below 1000 A has no requirement at any of them. (13.2)
13.3 Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at a service disconnect, it shall be furnished as part of the service equipment under its product standard, with sensing and relaying listed to UL 1053 where a separate relay is used, and shall open the service disconnect on a ground fault.
13.4 Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, the pickup setting shall not exceed 1200 A and the time delay shall not exceed 1 s for a ground-fault current of 3000 A or more, and the pickup setting and the time delay shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Ground-Fault Pickup Settingrange
A
1001200
Per drawings — the protective device setting schedule of the coordination study (deferred by default)
Ground-Fault Time Delay at 3000 Arange
s
0.11
Per drawings — the protective device setting schedule of the coordination study (deferred by default)
NOTE The pickup and the delay are set by the study performed under Protective Coordination StudyProtective Device Coordination StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/protective-coordination-study, which places the service ground-fault curve above the ground-fault and phase protection of the feeders so that a ground fault on a feeder opens the feeder and not the service. A pickup at the 1200 A ceiling with a delay near the 1 s limit gives the most room to coordinate; a lower pickup and a shorter delay limit arcing damage at the service bus at the cost of coordination with the feeders. (13.5)
13.6 Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service and a second level is furnished on the feeders, the two levels shall be coordinated as Protective Coordination StudyProtective Device Coordination StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/protective-coordination-study requires, and where a health care facility is served the second level shall be furnished as NFPA 70 517.17 requires.
13.7 Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, the Contractor shall have the ground-fault protection system performance tested when it is first installed on site, by primary current injection or by the method the manufacturer's instructions prescribe, and shall record the test in writing and make the record available to the authority having jurisdiction before the service is energized.
NOTE The performance test proves that the sensor, the relay, and the trip of the service disconnect work together at the settings in place, which a factory test of the relay alone cannot prove; a service whose ground-fault protection has never been tripped as installed has protection on paper only. (13.8)

14 Surge Protection at the Service

14.1 Where the service supplies a dwelling unit, a dormitory unit, a hotel or motel guest room or suite, a nursing home or limited-care facility patient sleeping room, or any other occupancy for which NFPA 70 230.67 requires surge protection, a surge protective device shall be installed in the service equipment or immediately adjacent to it.
14.2 A surge protective device installed to satisfy NFPA 70 230.67 shall be a Type 1 or a Type 2 device listed to UL 1449, shall be of the ratings, the protection modes, and the installed lead length Surge Protective DevicesSurge Protective DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/surge-protective-devices requires, and where it connects on the supply side of the service disconnecting means it shall be a Type 1 device.
NOTE For an occupancy NFPA 70 230.67 does not name, whether a surge protective device is furnished at the service, and its staging with the devices downstream, is settled under Surge Protective DevicesSurge Protective DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/surge-protective-devices. (14.3)
14.4 Where a surge protective device is installed to satisfy NFPA 70 230.67 and is later replaced, the service shall not be re-energized until the replacement is installed, and the service equipment shall be marked to that effect as Surge Protective DevicesSurge Protective DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/surge-protective-devices requires.

15 Identification

15.1 Each service disconnect shall be permanently marked as the service disconnect, with the marking visible without opening the enclosure.
15.2 Each meter disconnect, emergency disconnect, and other disconnect ahead of the service equipment that is not the service disconnect shall be marked as not being the service disconnect, with the wording NFPA 70 230.82 and 230.85 prescribe for its form.
15.3 Where a building is supplied by more than one service, or by a service and one or more feeders or branch circuits from another building, a permanent plaque at each service disconnect location shall identify all of the other services, feeders, and branch circuits supplying the building and the area each serves, as NFPA 70 230.2(E) requires.
15.4 The maximum available fault current at the service equipment and the date it was calculated shall be field-marked on each item of service equipment other than one supplying a dwelling unit, in accordance with NFPA 70 110.24, with the value taken from the serving utility's statement or from the study performed under Short Circuit StudyShort-Circuit StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/short-circuit-study.
15.5 Where a modification to the service changes the available fault current, the Contractor making the modification shall verify the rating of the service equipment and shall replace the marking with the new value and its date.
15.6 Each item of service equipment rated 1200 A or more shall be field-marked with the nominal system voltage, the available fault current at the service equipment, the clearing time of the service overcurrent protective device at that fault current, and the date the label was applied, in accordance with NFPA 70 110.16(B), or with an arc-flash label carrying the incident energy and the arc-flash boundary from the study performed under Arc Flash StudyArc-Flash StudyResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/arc-flash-study, and every item of service equipment shall carry the arc-flash warning NFPA 70 110.16(A) requires.
15.7 Where the service is a high-leg delta, the service equipment shall be marked at the point where the high leg terminates with the voltage of that leg to ground, and the orange identification of the high leg shall be carried through every enclosure in which it is spliced or terminated.
15.8 Field markings shall comply with Equipment LabelingElectrical Equipment LabelsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/equipment-labeling for material, lettering, and attachment, and the available fault current marking shall be of a material that lasts in the environment of the equipment.

16 Testing

16.1 Field acceptance tests shall be performed on the service after installation is complete and before the serving utility is asked to connect it, in accordance with ANSI/NETA ATS and Electrical Acceptance TestingElectrical Acceptance TestingResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electrical-acceptance-testing, and shall include the tests indicated in the datasheet.
Field Acceptance Testscheckbox
☑ Visual and mechanical inspection of the service point, the mast or the lateral, the metering equipment, and each service disconnect against the reviewed service arrangement drawing
☑ Termination torque verification at the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the service disconnect line terminals, with the applied values recorded
☑ Insulation resistance of the service-entrance conductors under the conductor standard before they are connected
☑ Phase rotation verification on a three-phase service, from the utility's terminals to the service disconnect
☑ Voltage and phasing check at the service disconnect after the utility connects and before any load is closed
☑ Neutral-to-ground insulation of the premises wiring with the neutral disconnect link or the main bonding jumper open, confirming one bond at the service
☐ Ground-fault protection of equipment performance test by primary current injection, where furnished
☑ Operation of the service disconnect, the meter disconnect, and the emergency disconnect through one open and close cycle
16.2 The insulation resistance test of the service-entrance conductors shall be performed to the method, the voltage, and the acceptance criterion of Distribution Feeder CablesService and Feeder ConductorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/distribution-feeder-cables, and the tests of the service equipment itself shall be those its product standard lists.
16.3 A service that fails a field acceptance test shall not be presented to the utility for connection, the Contractor shall report the failure to the Engineer of Record within one working day with the measured values, and the cost of the correction and of every repeated test shall be borne by the Contractor.
16.4 The Contractor shall be present when the utility connects the service and sets the meter, shall close no load onto the service until the voltage and the phasing have been checked at the service disconnect, and shall record the date and time of energization in the field test report.

17 Installation

17.1 Sequence

17.1.1 The Contractor shall install the service in the following order: the utility's acceptance of the arrangement and the equipment, the raceway, the pad, the vault, or the mast with the utility's inspection of each, the metering equipment and the service equipment, the service-entrance conductors, the grounding electrode system and its connections under Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding, the field acceptance tests, the authority having jurisdiction's approval, and the utility's connection and meter set.
17.1.2 The grounding electrode conductor and the main bonding jumper shall be installed and inspected before the service is energized, and no service shall be energized with the grounding electrode conductor disconnected or the main bonding jumper omitted.

17.2 Service Equipment and Metering Equipment Setting

17.2.1 Service equipment, meter sockets, metering enclosures, and meter-mains shall be installed plumb and level, secured to the structure or to a rack with fasteners rated for the weight and for the seismic forces of the site, and with every unused opening closed by a listed closure.
17.2.2 A meter socket shall be mounted so that the meter faces outward, is not shaded by a projection the utility's requirements reject, and is reachable by the utility from finished grade, and the socket shall not be mounted over a window well, a stair, or a landing.
17.2.3 A current transformer cabinet shall be mounted ahead of the service disconnect in the position the utility's requirements state, with its door swing clear and its sealing provisions accessible to the utility.
17.2.4 Service equipment shall be installed on the housekeeping pad its product standard requires, or, for a wall-mounted enclosure, on a backboard or directly on a masonry or concrete wall with standoff spacers where the wall is subject to dampness.

17.3 Conductor Installation

17.3.1 Service-entrance conductors shall be pulled, trained, supported, and terminated as Distribution Feeder CablesService and Feeder ConductorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/distribution-feeder-cables requires, and the terminations at the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the service disconnect shall be torqued to the equipment manufacturer's published values with a calibrated tool.
17.3.2 Conductors of each service shall be grouped in one raceway or cable where the service point offers one set of terminals, and where parallel sets are run each raceway shall contain one conductor of each phase and the neutral.
17.3.3 The grounded service conductor shall be identified by a white or gray finish or marking at every termination, and the ungrounded conductors shall be identified by phase with the color scheme used for the premises wiring.

17.4 Sealing and Closing

17.4.1 The raceway seals the Routing Rules article requires shall be installed after the conductors are pulled and before the service is energized, and a raceway that passes from an unconditioned space into a conditioned one shall be sealed in the same way against the movement of warm, moist air into the enclosure.
17.4.2 Openings around a mast, a raceway, or a cable through a wall or a roof shall be closed and flashed against the weather, and through a fire-resistance-rated assembly shall be firestopped under FirestoppingFirestoppingResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/firestopping.
17.4.3 The serving utility's seals on the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the meter disconnect shall not be broken by the Contractor, and where the Contractor must open a sealed enclosure it shall obtain the utility's authorization and have the utility reseal it.

18 Delivery, Storage, and Handling

18.1 Meter sockets, metering enclosures, meter-mains, and service hardware shall be delivered in the manufacturer's packaging with the listing marks, the utility approval markings, and the nameplates intact, and shall be inspected for shipping damage at receipt.
18.2 Equipment shall be stored indoors in a clean, dry space, or where indoor storage is not available, under cover, off the ground, and protected from precipitation, condensation, dust, and physical damage, and an enclosure stored outdoors shall be kept closed with its conduit openings plugged.
18.3 Service equipment delivered before its pad, its room, or its wall is ready shall remain in its packaging until it is set, and an outdoor enclosure set before the conductors are pulled shall be kept closed and sealed against construction dust.
18.4 Equipment damaged or wetted in transit, in storage, or in handling shall be repaired or replaced as the manufacturer directs and as the Engineer of Record accepts in writing, and a meter socket whose jaws have been wetted or corroded shall be replaced rather than repaired.

19 Warranty

19.1 The manufacturer shall warrant each meter socket, metering enclosure, meter-main, and item of service hardware furnished under this standard against defects in materials and workmanship for the period indicated in the datasheet.
Manufacturer's Warranty Periodrange
Not less than
years
1235
19.2 The service equipment itself shall carry the warranty its product standard requires.
19.3 The warranty period shall commence on the date indicated in the datasheet.
Warranty Commencementselect
Date of substantial completion
Date of energization
Date of shipment
NOTE Commencement at shipment is the manufacturer's usual term and consumes the warranty during construction; commencement at energization or at substantial completion moves the coverage to the period the Owner operates the service, and the manufacturer prices the added months into the equipment. (19.4)
19.5 The Contractor shall warrant the installation of the service, including the mast and its flashing, the lateral raceway and its seals, every termination, the mounting of every enclosure, and the field markings, for the project warranty period, and shall correct at its own cost a leak, a failed seal, a loose termination, or a marking that becomes illegible within that period.
19.6 An item replaced under warranty shall be warranted for the remainder of the original period or for one year from the date of replacement, whichever ends later.

20 Spare Parts

20.1 The Contractor shall deliver the spare parts indicated in the datasheet to the Owner before the service is accepted, and shall obtain a signed receipt for them.
Spare Parts to Be Furnishedcheckbox
☑ One set of fuses of each class and rating installed in a fusible service disconnect
☐ One set of control fuses for the ground-fault relay, where furnished
☐ One sealing ring or sealing cover of each type installed on the meter sockets
☑ One set of keys for every lock on the service equipment and the service rack
☐ One pint of touch-up paint matching the finish of each outdoor enclosure
20.2 Spare fuses shall be identical to the fuses installed, shall be delivered in their original packaging, and shall be labeled with the service disconnect designation they serve.
20.3 Spare parts shall be stored in a labeled cabinet in the electrical room furnished by the Contractor, and shall not be stored inside an operating enclosure.

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"Electrical Service Entrance," SynC Standards, revision 4. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source: https://synergyinconstruction.com/standards/general/electrical-service-entrance. Reference material only; not professional engineering advice and provided without warranty. Verify against governing codes and have a licensed professional review before use.