Upstairs bedroom remodel
What's wrong here?
- A panelboard with overcurrent devices is installed in a clothes closet
- A panel in a wood-framed wall must be surface-mounted, not flush
- A panel serving bedrooms must have an AFCI main breaker
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
The panelboard, and with it the circuit breakers, is installed in a clothes closet, a location 240.24(D) prohibits.
Correct choice: 1. A panelboard with overcurrent devices is installed in a clothes closet
240.24(D) says overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitible material, such as in clothes closets. A breaker that fails or a loose connection that heats up is surrounded by fabric, cardboard and paper, and a closet full of belongings is also exactly where nobody can get to the panel quickly or keep 110.26 working space clear. This shows up in remodels when a bedroom is enlarged or a closet is framed around an existing panel location.
How to fix it
Relocate the panelboard to a permitted location with full 110.26 working space, extending the circuits through junction boxes that remain accessible (314.29), or reframe so the panel location is no longer part of the closet. A closet cannot be made acceptable by just moving the clothes.
Code references
NEC 2023 240.24(D) — Not in Vicinity of Easily Ignitible Material
Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitible material, such as in clothes closets.
Drills citing 240.24(D)NEC 2023 Article 100 — Clothes Closet (definition)
A clothes closet is a nonhabitable room or space intended primarily for storage of garments and apparel. A walk-in closet off a bedroom meets this definition.
Drills citing Article 100NEC 2023 110.26(A) — Working Space
Panelboards likely to need servicing while energized require clear working space in front: at least 3 ft deep at 0-150 V to ground (Table 110.26(A)(1)), 30 in wide or the width of the equipment, whichever is greater, and 6 1/2 ft high.
Drills citing 110.26(A)
2026 NEC:same rule and number. Rule and number unchanged: 2026 summaries of 240.24 report only a new exception in 240.24(E) for existing bathroom panelboards, and 240.24(D) still prohibits overcurrent devices near easily ignitible material such as clothes closets. Confidence: medium
Minnesota
Minnesota adopts the NEC by reference without amendment (Minn. Rules 1315.0200; Minn. Stat. 326B.35), so 240.24(D) applies as published. The 2023 NEC governs permits filed July 1, 2023 through Aug. 16, 2026; the 2026 NEC governs permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026 (exams moved to the 2026 NEC on Sept. 8, 2026). See the 2026 NEC note on this drill.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- A panel in a wood-framed wall must be surface-mounted, not flush. Flush mounting is allowed. In a wall of wood or other combustible material, 312.3 only requires the cabinet to be flush with or project out from the finished surface.
- A panel serving bedrooms must have an AFCI main breaker. 210.12 requires AFCI protection for the branch circuits, normally with AFCI branch breakers. There is no AFCI main breaker requirement, and AFCIs have nothing to do with where the panel goes.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. 240.24(D) keeps overcurrent devices away from easily ignitible material and names clothes closets as the example. A closet is a prohibited location even if the clothes are not right in front of the panel.