Ground rod(s?) at a residential outbuilding

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JDBrown

Senior Member
Location
California
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
I could have sworn I read somewhere that a residential outbuilding (shed, detached garage, workshop, etc.) supplied by a feeder only needs 1 ground rod, but now I can't find it.

I know you can get away with only 1 ground rod if you have another electrode at the structure (rebar in the footings, metal water pipe, etc.), or if you test the resistance to ground < 25 Ohms (NEC 250.56). But it seems like this was an Exception specifically for residential outbuildings, somewhere along the lines of the Exceptions in 225.36 and 225.38 allowing snap switches as a disconnecting means for residential outbuildings.

I've been searching through the NEC, but I can't find it anywhere, so I'm starting to think I must really be remembering things wrong. Does such an Exception even exist?
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I could have sworn I read somewhere that a residential outbuilding (shed, detached garage, workshop, etc.) supplied by a feeder only needs 1 ground rod, but now I can't find it.

I know you can get away with only 1 ground rod if you have another electrode at the structure (rebar in the footings, metal water pipe, etc.), or if you test the resistance to ground < 25 Ohms (NEC 250.56). But it seems like this was an Exception specifically for residential outbuildings, somewhere along the lines of the Exceptions in 225.36 and 225.38 allowing snap switches as a disconnecting means for residential outbuildings.

I've been searching through the NEC, but I can't find it anywhere, so I'm starting to think I must really be remembering things wrong. Does such an Exception even exist?

An outbuilding supplied by a feeder is required to have a full grounding electrode system. The rules are the same as for a service.

That could be just one ground rod if you could prove less than25 ohms resistance.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Common sense and using the NEC is not allowed.:cool:
Actually, common sense in design (not covered by NEC) is not only allowed but expected.
It is only when you want to do less than the NEC requires (or appears to require) that common sense is outlawed. I can see the bumper stickers now....
 
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