Switch accessibility and mounting height

What the code requires

Switches, and circuit breakers used as switches, must be located so they can be operated from a readily accessible place. The center of the operating handle, at its highest position, can be no more than 6 ft 7 in. (2.0 m) above the floor or working platform. The code sets no minimum height.

Snap switches may not be ganged with other switches or receptacles if the voltage between adjacent devices exceeds 300 V, unless identified barriers are securely installed between them.

A multipole snap switch may be fed from only one circuit, unless its listing and marking say it is a two-circuit or three-circuit switch.

On the job

• Disconnects and breakers mounted too high are a common correction.
• Where switches from different voltage systems share a box, the voltage between adjacent devices must be checked against the 300 V limit; above it, an identified barrier is required.
• For buildings under the Division of the State Architect's accessibility regulations, the California code refers to the California Building Code, which has its own requirements; meeting the NEC height limit alone may not be enough.

Exceptions that matter

• Switches on busways may be at busway level if the handle can be operated from the floor.
• Switches next to the motors or equipment they supply may be higher than 6 ft 7 in. if they can be reached by portable means.
• Hookstick-operated isolating switches may also be mounted higher.

Related sections

• NEC 240.24: Where breakers and fuses may be located
• NEC 404.9(B): Grounding switches and metal cover plates

Where this comes from

• NFPA: 2026 NEC First Draft, CMP-9 (shows 2023 text of 404.8)
• EC&M: NEC Requirements for Switches (Mike Holt)
• Electrical Association: 2023 NEC Update, Part 3
• California Building Standards Commission: 2025 California Electrical Code amendments (Title 24, Part 3)
• Read the official NEC free at NFPA