Ask at your local code enforcement office.

Agree.

Since it's technically not in the bathroom space and it's already there, they may sign off on it. Or they may not.

The closet may be fine as long as you have 30 inches clearance horizontally (total width of the wall where the panel is mounted), and at least 36 inches clear space in front of the panel.

Bruce

Except a panel can’t be in a closet either.

And your bath plan doesn’t meet code either.

To clarify, the panel is already located in an existing closet (house was built in 2017), and that seems up to code so long as it is not a clothes closet. It's a large storage space.

In regards to the bathroom code, thank you for your input. It's more of a rough sketch, though the measurements I have do comply with the requirements you've laid out. I'm mostly concerned with the legality of the closet (containing the panel) being only accessible by walking through a bathroom. Don't want to fine tune this plan if it's not even legal in the first place. But it sounds like the local code enforcement office will be the most accurate source of info.

That's what I was afraid of. The ambiguity of some of the code makes makes me unsure how it might be perceived. At the very least, it sounds like there is not specific code against this exact situation, and the panel is not technically in a bathroom. I'll show my plans to the code enforcement office, but this is Philly, so it's unlikely I'll get an answer.

Thanks for the insight!

IF the locals allow, then only the leftmost portion of the closet would be usable. The space in front of the panel can’t be used for storage. That’s a big waste in a small home. It might make more sense to borrow space from elsewhere, and to combine clearances with a wetroom setup.

Again, the closet already exists and the location of the panel will not change. There are no anticipated changes to the closet/panel. Simply looking at the feasibility of putting a bathroom in the living space outside. Thanks for your input!

Just because something exists, renovation usually means it must be brought up to current code. code. Quite frankly even if it in a closet, i wouldn’t want the box in my bathroom closet or not. It would be a deal breaker if I were buying the house. Moisture can wreak havoc on panels, and water and electricity don’t make good bed fellows.

If you've got water in that closet you have much worse problems to deal with.

As long as the clearance requirements around the panel are met I don't understand what you all think the problem might be. Panels are in rooms adjacent to plumbing all the time, most houses have a utility room where electrical and plumbing connections are concentrated.

I put a closet panel into a shared wall with a bathroom and built a set of rolling shelves to both allow storage and access. The inspector had no problem with that (though I can easily imagine that it wouldn't always fly) because it was easily moveable.

I'm not sure I like that panel location, but its not quite correct to say that a panel cannot be in any closet, since the code refers to what is stored there:
Clothes Closet. A non-habitable room or space intended primarily for storage of garments and apparel.
240.24 Location in or on Premises
(D) Not in Vicinity of Easily Ignitible Material. Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitible material, such as in clothes closets.

If this is a clothes closet, it won't meet the code. However, if you store your canned goods and ski equipment there it might be okay to have a panel. You will still have to meet the working space requirements, so about half of the closet might have to be left open to allow for that working space.

One reason a typical bathroom size is usually about 5'x8" is that 8 feet allows you 30-32" for tub/shower depth, 30-36" for toilet clearance, and 24-28" for the vanity, and you can adjust each of them a little for more or less clearance. The 5 feet side allows for the length of a 5' long tub. In your case, if the length of the lower wall of your bathroom is at least 7 to 7 1/2 feet you should be able to fit 3 fixtures side by side, but it may feel cramped.

In a utility room I have used as small as a 19" wide vanity top (18" cabinet) right against the wall, but it feels like there is very little space to stand at the sink without your elbow hitting the wall. For toilet space I like to go wider than 36" if possible, since folks are getting bigger these days. A 30" square shower is the minimum, but will feel restrictive. Something closer to 36" square is more comfortable.

Bruce

My GC and the electrician both said that my breaker box can stay in a clothes closet because it was built in 1966. They said it was grandfathered in....I have no idea.

Codes have been changed for greater safety for a long time. Because there were fires. If you’re comfortable with that safety hazard, it is grandfathered. So is knob and tube. And aluminum wiring. And Zinsco panels. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Hey, you watch what you say about knob and tube, Live! :)

True, the rubber insulation used back then deteriorated too fast. But:

1. Having the conductors separated by anywhere from 2.5 to about 12 inches of air made K&T safer.

2. The conductors were kept well away from the wooden building structure, and where they had to pass through timbers, they were protected by non-flammable ceramic tubes.

3. Every splice was soldered, which ensured that they would never loosen, oxidize, or corrode, unlike wirenuts.

If K&T were updated to include modern grounding, and sized properly for being encased in insulation, it would still be a superior method today. And just like plaster for walls, absolutely no one would use it, because it would require too much time and labor.

As for AL wiring and Zinsco panels, you're totally correct. Neither one was exactly a high water mark for electrical wiring.