I am listening not arguing. But I still don't understand.
I understand about meters, I didn't mean two services because of two meters. I saw it as two services because they do not even touch each other, except at the water pipe and they are connected to the same service drop conductors. I said they were connected to the same ground rod, but that was a mistake. If you saw each one, you would say that it was a complete service by itself. If they were on different corners of the building would they still be one service with two disconnect means? It not, how far apart would they need to be, to be considered different services? If in this situation if there was a wall between the two disconnect panels, putting them in seperate closets, would that make them seperate services?
Or if there was a situation where there was a 2 unit building with one wall sererating two stores. The service drop on the rear wall with two risers and meters next two each other. The pipes go out of the back of the meters into a closet with a disconnect for each store. Then a guy buys the building and converts it into one store. He removes the wall seperating the two stores. Now is it one service or two?
Your apartment building example is different. You have one set of service conductors or parelell conductors joined at one location, then split to the individule units, that are metered.
Thanks
Mike
Start with 230.40 which says "Each service drop, set of overhead service conductors, set of underground service conductors, or service lateral shall supply only one set of service-entrance conductors."
Then consider 230.2 which says "A building or other structure served shall be supplied by only one service unless permitted in 230.2(A) through (D). For the purpose of 230.40, Exception No. 2 only, underground sets of conductors, 1/0 AWG and larger, running to the same location and connected together at their supply end but not connected together at their load end shall be considered to be supplying one service."
Then comes 230.71, within there it says "There shall be not more than six sets of disconnects per service grouped in any one location."
Put all that together and you can only supply one service with one service drop, lateral, or other underground set of service conductors, it must supply six or less, with some exceptions, disconnecting means that must be grouped in one location, also with some exceptions. Those exceptions mentioned are typically for fire pumps, emergency systems, etc. There is also 230.2(B)(1) that may allow multiple services to a multiple occupancy building with no space for service equipment accessible to all occupants but it doesn't give any other conditions and leaves a lot of room for AHJ to be able to make their own decisions for allowing this one.
So unless you have a different characteristic like different voltage, number of phases, etc. you need to supply everything through one service, though 230.2(C) does allow more services where it is excessively large capacity needed in some instances as well, but you are looking at over 2000 amps in most of those cases (maybe only 600 to 1000 amps for single phase depending on utility company).