Light Switch No Ground Wire

The purpose of a ground wire on a light switch the green colored screw in the upper left is for the ground wire.

Light switch no ground wire. You probably don t want to go to that expense just to ground a single outlet though and if not you have a workable option. If the box is metal then attach the fixture ground wire to the box. So any light switch installed since your local ahj authority having jurisdiction or in other words the building department adopted the 1999 nec should be grounded. That s the only purpose the ground wire serves.

Sunday december 9 2018 light switches have been required to be grounded since the 1999 edition of the national electrical code. The ground wire is designed to protect you. Some occupancy sensing automatic light switchesneed a ground wire but traditional toggle type switches do not. It s a safety feature.

Light fixtures and the ground wire electrical wiring in some older homes does not have a ground wire for outlets ans switches and some older homes have ground wires that are bonded behind the electrical box. If your light does not have a black wire due to its age then attach the black electrical wire to the gold screw on the fixture. I don t recommend it but you can wire a light switch without ground if you have to. If you live in an older home and your outlets have no ground wire your panel may not be grounded.

Twist together the black wire from the wall to the black wire from the light and cap these as well.