Sub panel ground

I came across a sub panel (in the same structure) fed with four conductors. The grounding conductor was not from the service panel. Does the grounding conductor in a sub need to be bonded to the service panel or is a separate ground OK?

Bill,

I am not sure what you are asking here. Terminology is the key to answering alot of these types of questions. If you are asking if the Equipment Grounding Conductor needs to be run from the Service Panel to the Remote Distribution Panel then yes.

General Rule :

**(B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. **All conductors of
the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor
and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors
shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary
gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or
cord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with
300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4).

One of the allowances :
**[FONT=Times New Roman]size=2 Grounding and Bonding Conductors. **Equipment
grounding conductors shall be permitted to be installed outside
a raceway or cable assembly where in accordance with
the provisions of 250.130(C) for certain existing installations
or in accordance with 250.134(B), Exception No. 2,
for dc circuits. Equipment bonding conductors shall be permitted
to be installed on the outside of raceways in accordance
with 250.102(E).

So to help I will add them all except 250.134(B) Ex. 2 as that one is pointless in your example…lol However none apply to your situation.

250.130[C]
**[FONT=Times New Roman]size=2 Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch
Circuit Extensions. **The equipment grounding conductor
of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension
shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following:
(1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system
as described in 250.50
(2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor
(3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure
where the branch circuit for the receptacle or
branch circuit originates
(4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor
within the service equipment enclosure
(5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar
within the service equipment enclosure.
FPN: See 406.3(D) for the use of a ground-fault circuitinterrupting
type of receptacle.

**[FONT=Times New Roman][size=2]250.102(E) Installation. **The equipment bonding jumper shall be
permitted to be installed inside or outside of a raceway or
enclosure. Where installed on the outside, the length of the
equipment bonding jumper shall not exceed 1.8 m (6 ft)
and shall be routed with the raceway or enclosure. Where
installed inside a raceway, the equipment bonding jumper
shall comply with the requirements of 250.119 and
250.148.

*Exception: An equipment bonding jumper longer than
1.8 m (6 ft) shall be permitted at outside pole locations for
the purpose of bonding or grounding isolated sections of
metal raceways or elbows installed in exposed risers of
metal conduit or other metal raceway.
*

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Thanks Paul - that is exactly what I was asking. :slight_smile: I forgot that the GEC becomes an equipment ground after the service.

You DA man Bill…Write that sucker up…:wink: