Where is the service disconnecting means permitted to be located?

• A. Inside the building at a readily accessible location
• B. In a detached garage
• C. On the exterior wall near the meter
• D. Nearest the point of the entrance

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the service disconnecting means must be readily accessible and located as close as possible to where the service conductors enter the building. This placement ensures that power can be shut off quickly at the point of entry, which is important for safety and emergency response.

The option that states it should be located nearest the point of entrance directly fulfills that requirement: it specifies proximity to where the service enters, which is the essential criterion regardless of whether the disconnect is inside or outside. In practice, you might place the main disconnect on the exterior wall near the meter or just inside at the entry, so long as it’s the closest accessible point to where the service enters.

The other choices don’t guarantee this proximity. Placing the disconnect inside without tying it to the entry point can miss the near-entry requirement. A detached garage would separate the service from the main building, and placing it on the exterior near the meter doesn’t explicitly require it to be the closest point to the entry.