For a separate building or structure supplied by a separately derived system when overcurrent protection is provided where the conductors originate, the supply conductors shall contain a(n) _____.

• A. Equipment grounding conductor
• B. Grounding electrode conductor
• C. Neutral conductor
• D. Bonding jumper

Answer: (A)

When feeding a separate building or structure with a separately derived system, the feeder must include an equipment grounding conductor. This provides a dedicated low-impedance path for fault current back to the source, so the overcurrent protective device can operate quickly and all metal enclosures and equipment remain at safe ground potential. The neutral path handles normal current return, but it is not relied on for fault-grounding in this scenario. Grounding electrode conductors and bonding jumpers serve other purposes (connecting to the building’s grounding electrode system or bonding metal parts), but the essential conductor to run with the supply for proper fault protection is the equipment grounding conductor.