# No Main Circuit Breaker in the Box? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169 "2012-10-28T23:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/1 "2012-10-28T23:50:55Z")
Is it possible for a circuit breaker box for domestic use NOT have a main? What about apartment buildings? Could your breaker box be a sub-panel off a larger box? My sister swears her breaker box in her apartment has no main breaker. Are apartments wired differently? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/2 "2012-10-29T00:13:37Z")
The breaker box in an apartment could easily be a sub-panel off of a main panel. Even in a home you can have sub-panels. You also sometimes find breaker boxes with no main breaker in older homes. If you need to cut the power to the building you can always yank the meter out. Also, sometimes the main breaker looks just like a regular breaker but is at the top of the row of breakers. Sometimes you’ll have one breaker for each line (i.e. one “main” breaker on each side of the panel). Depending on how big the apartment building is, it could be fed by three phase power which will have a main breaker or some kind of shutoff at the service entrance. The apartments then might be individually metered. There may or may not be a single cutoff for each apartment’s lines. ETA: This is from memory so it may not be accurate, but if there are a small number of breakers in the panel (six or less, IIRC) then I believe the panel is not required to have a main shutoff even under current rules. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/3 "2012-10-29T01:33:29Z")
The breaker box at my parents’ house built in '65 had no main-off until the box was reworked much later. I live on a farm, and there is no main-off for all electric, just for the house. If I need all power off quickly I pull the meter, and call the power company later to explain. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/4 "2012-10-29T01:46:09Z")
In my home, built in 1978, the main breaker is outside by the meter. The panel inside the house has the breakers for all of the individual circuits. ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/5 "2012-10-29T01:52:04Z")
My apartment panel doesn’t have a main (built ~2008). ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/6 "2012-10-29T02:24:11Z")
Ours is another house that doesn’t have a main. Built (or rather remodeled, with the current panel installed), in 1981. Pain in the ass when you need to replace a breaker. We have to call the power company, wait a day or two for them to come pull the meter, and wait around all day for them to come back and replace the meter. Interestingly, this is the first house we’ve ever been in (out of 4) that doesn’t have a main breaker. Our previous houses, built 1968, sometime in the 50’s, and sometime in the late 70’s, all had main breakers. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/7 "2012-10-29T04:34:29Z")
House built 1967 the main is in the panel with the meter outside, Panel in garage only has breakers for the circuit in the house. The old ranch house built in the 1800’s had no main breaker, but did have main fuses with the sub fuses spread through out the house. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/8 "2012-10-30T00:40:43Z")
Thanks, all! Knew I had the right people to ask! ---
**Author:** ![markinchico43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@markinchico43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markinchico43)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/9 "2014-08-17T15:36:55Z")
if there are 6 circuits or less in the panel. tho there may be a breaker in a central location for each of the units. doesnt seem like a good idea but thats the way it is…i have some old rentals that are that way. slowly upgrading the panels but it is a pain in these units ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/10 "2014-08-17T15:49:44Z")
zombie or no subpanels are allowed . there are lots of details in how they cane be used. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-main-circuit-breaker-in-the-box/639169/11 "2014-08-17T19:37:58Z")
If you live in an apartment building and there’s probably a panel with a breaker for each apartment in the building. That’s how they can shut off your power if you don’t pay your bill and not turn off everyone else’s. I’ve often seen On/Off levers on the same exterior box as a meter. There’s usually not much of a wire tie with a lead seal to keep the lever in the On position. You wouldn’t need much more than a stern look to break those seals.