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Hiding your electrical panel: what the Code allows
Cabinet, door, curtain, frame, finished basement: how to hide an electrical panel without blocking access or breaking Québec’s Construction Code.
In short
The essentials, before you build anything around the panel.
- In front of the panel, you need a clear space of at least 1 m, from top to bottom, and the panel door must be able to open to 90°.
- Nothing is stored in front of the panel: no furniture, no shelf, no appliance. Under the panel, the RBQ tolerates only a shallow item.
- The panel must stay readily accessible: you must be able to reach it without moving or stepping over an obstacle.
- We found no rule that names a curtain, a canvas or a decorative cabinet door. These three rules decide.
- The service box (often the main panel) never goes in a clothes closet, a bathroom or a stairwell.
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The rule in one sentence
A grey electrical panel in the middle of a basement you’ve just finished: nobody finds that pretty. It can be made more discreet. But there are rules, and they exist for a reason: the day you need to cut the power fast, or the electrician has to work inside, the panel must be there, clear, with nothing to move.
Québec’s Construction Code requires, in front of the panel, a working space of at least 1 m that allows a stable position, and enough room to open the panel door to at least 90°. That space must stay clear from top to bottom, not just at eye level.
“A working space of at least 1 m providing a stable position must be provided” (translated from French)
Construction Code of Québec, Chapter V, Electricity, s. 2-308
All the details (width, maximum handle height, prohibited locations) are in our guide to electrical panel rules in Québec.
What’s not allowed
Storing things in front of the panel. No shelf, no furniture, no boxes. Under the panel, an RBQ technical interpretation (2013) tolerates an item only if it doesn’t get in the way of the work and doesn’t extend more than 200 mm beyond the depth of the panel. In practice, a washer, a dryer or a freezer exceeds that limit.
Putting the service box (often the main panel) in a clothes closet, a bathroom or a stairwell. The Code names them (s. 6-206).
Mounting it too high. In a dwelling, no breaker handle may be more than 1.7 m above the finished floor.
Your ideas for hiding it, one by one
We found no rule that names decorative covers, either to allow them or to forbid them. Each idea is judged by the same three rules: 1 m clear in front, a panel door that opens to 90°, a panel that is readily accessible. According to the Office québécois de la langue française, “readily accessible” means you can reach it “without having to move or step over obstacles” (translated from French).
| Your idea | What the Code says |
|---|---|
| A shelf, furniture or an appliance in front | No. They take up the 1 m space. |
| A low piece of furniture under the panel | Only if it doesn’t get in the way of the work and doesn’t extend more than 200 mm beyond the depth of the panel (RBQ technical interpretation, 2013). |
| A cabinet door or a box around the panel | No rule found that names it. The 1 m space must stay clear in front, the panel door must open to 90° and the panel must stay readily accessible. Have it checked before you build. |
| A frame, a canvas or a curtain in front | No rule found that names it. A cover you have to take down or push aside looks like an obstacle to move: have it checked before you install it. |
| Painting the panel door | We found no official rule on this. Ask your electrician before you do it. |
Our advice: the safest options don’t touch the space in front or the access, like a wall colour chosen to blend the panel into the décor, or a layout that keeps the panel in a clear corner.
Finishing your basement?
Talk to us about the panel before you close the walls: it’s the right time to fix the access, or to move it. The price is written down before the work.
Send my quote requestThe finished basement
Three points to settle before you build:
- The space in front: plan the clear metre in the layout, before placing the walls, the laundry room or the workshop.
- The sides: if wiring comes in through the sides of the panel, an RBQ technical interpretation (2013) asks for 200 mm of clearance on each side.
- The wall: building a panel into an insulated exterior wall is best avoided. At least one Canadian authority (Saskatchewan) forbids it in its interpretation of the Canadian Code. Talk to your electrician before you close it in.
And the garage? It isn’t on the list of prohibited locations for the service box (s. 6-206): a panel can therefore go there. The clear metre in front still applies.
Moving it instead of hiding it
When the panel is really badly placed (too high, in the future corner of a bedroom, behind what will become a wall), moving it may be simpler than hiding it. It can also be the time to replace it. See replacing an electrical panel: cost and how the day goes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a door in front of an electrical panel?
We found no rule on decorative doors. The Code requires a clear space of at least 1 m in front, a panel door that opens to 90°, and a panel that is readily accessible. We found no rule that specifically forbids a door that meets these three rules. Have it checked before you build it.
Can you hide the panel behind a frame or a canvas?
We found no rule that names them, but the panel must stay readily accessible, meaning you can reach it without moving an obstacle. A cover you have to take down comes close to that. Ask your electrician before installing it.
Can you paint the panel door?
We found no official rule on this, either in the Code or from the manufacturers. Ask your electrician before you do it.
Can you put a shelf under the panel?
Only if it doesn’t get in the way of the work and doesn’t extend more than 200 mm beyond the depth of the panel: that’s the tolerance in a technical interpretation from the Régie du bâtiment (2013). A deep shelf or an appliance, no.
Can the panel be in the garage?
Yes. The garage isn’t on the list of prohibited locations for the service box (s. 6-206). The 1 m clear space in front of the panel must still be respected.
Can you put it in a closet?
Not in a clothes closet: the Code specifically forbids it for the service box. A clear utility room, which respects the 1 m space and the access, is something else: to be checked on site.
How much does moving a panel cost?
It depends on the distance, on what has to be extended and on the condition of the panel. We price it after seeing the installation, and the price is written down before the work.
A panel in the way, or badly placed?
We tell you what’s allowed in your home, and we price a move if it’s the best option. No charge for the quote.
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Sources
The requirements cited in this guide come from the documents below, consulted on October 4, 2026.