Due to the design of this old Bryant electrical panel there is limited space to run wires. Common sense tells me it’s not a good idea but was curious if there’s anything in the electrical code that says insulated wires can’t pass over the hot bus. Would be nice to swing a couple of the larger wires around the right side of breakers. 
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Sometimes common sense is better than the code. The code usually spells out the minimum standard.– crip659Commented Dec 18, 2022 at 23:37
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you already have bunch of wires crossing on the left side.– DIY75Commented Dec 19, 2022 at 0:45
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Do you have the owners’ manual for the panel? Code compliance includes following all manufacturer’s instructions.– Jacob KrallCommented Dec 19, 2022 at 1:03
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1 Answer
That's a code rule I haven't seen in an age. No, you can't cross the panel's breaker area with wires, but there's no chance of that since the panel is full and double-stuffed.
Coming around the right side shouldn't be a problem with insulated wires. Don't even think of doing it with a bare ground - yikes!
Really you should be thinking about where in the future you'd like to have a subpanel inside the house that will have a "working space" that is naturally kept clear (e.g. it's in a hall or threshold). Maybe a 200A bussed subpanel. The first round of upgrades you could feed it from this panel with a 50-100A breaker. The next round, you could replace this panel with a meter-main and make the subpanel the primary panel for all loads. 40-space is the minimum size I would consider for an entire home.
answered Dec 19, 2022 at 3:21
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