In a service panel, what should be the status of the neutral bus?

In a service panel, the neutral bus must be grounded and bonded to the enclosure to ensure safety and proper operation of the electrical system. Grounding the neutral bus provides a clear path for fault currents, helping protect both the electrical system and individuals from electric shock or fire hazards. This bonding is crucial because it ties the neutral point of the electrical system to the ground, which serves as a reference point for the system's voltage levels.

Having the neutral bus floating and isolated from all conductors would be inappropriate, as it would prevent the safe dissipation of fault currents and could lead to dangerous voltages present on equipment and devices. Connecting the neutral bus directly to the ground wire is not sufficient unless it is also bonded to the enclosure, which ensures that any fault will be safely directed to ground. Jointly connecting it with clock wires is not a standard practice in electrical safety and does not provide the necessary grounding that is required for proper function and safety. Therefore, the correct practice is to ground and bond the neutral bus to the enclosure.