ANSI/TIA-607-E
Updated 2026-10-25
Data records
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the backbone bonding conductor (BBC) as a conductor that interconnects telecommunications bonding backbones, the element earlier editions called the grounding equalizer.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the telecommunications equipment bonding conductor (TEBC) as the conductor that carries bonding from a primary or secondary busbar, or a supplementary network, to racks, cabinets and rack busbars or rack bonding conductors.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines a mesh bonding network (mesh-BN) as a supplementary mesh of bonding conductors, and an isolated mesh bonding network (mesh-IBN) as one that joins the rest of the system at a single point of connection.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the primary bonding busbar (PBB) as the central telecommunications busbar of a building, bonded to the service equipment ground; earlier editions called it the telecommunications main grounding busbar.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines a rack busbar (RBB) within a rack or cabinet, a rack bonding conductor (RBC) joining the rack or its busbar to the equipment bonding conductor, and a unit bonding conductor (UBC) joining a piece of equipment or a panel to the rack conductor or busbar.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the secondary bonding busbar (SBB) as the bonding busbar located in a distributor room and connected back to the primary busbar; earlier editions called it the telecommunications grounding busbar.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the telecommunications bonding backbone (TBB) as the conductor running from the primary bonding busbar to the secondary bonding busbars.
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) defines the telecommunications bonding conductor (TBC) as the conductor that bonds the primary bonding busbar to the service equipment (power) ground, a role earlier editions assigned to the bonding conductor for telecommunications.
- Clause 7.9 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires every bonding conductor to be labeled at each point of termination, on the conductor and close to the termination, and refers to ANSI/TIA-606 for further administration.
- Clause 7.5.5 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires backbone bonding conductors between parallel bonding backbones at the top floor and at regular floor intervals in a multistory building, or at regular distances back from the farthest point in a large single-story building.
- Clause 7.7 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) does not accept ordinary frame bolts as proof of continuity in a bolted rack or cabinet, so it calls for tested bonding hardware or paint removal at bonding contact points, and requires doors and removable panels to be bonded by jumper or through the frame.
- Clause 7.1.4 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires each cabinet, rack and enclosure to have its own bonding conductor to the mesh network, a busbar or the equipment bonding conductor, prohibits daisy-chained bonding from one rack to the next, and sets minimum sizes for rack and equipment bonds.
- Clause 7.2.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires the primary bonding busbar to be placed as close as practical to the electrical panelboard while keeping code clearances, mounted on a listed insulator that isolates it from its support and cleaned before connectors are fitted, and clause 7.2.3 limits its main connections to exothermic welds and listed two-hole lugs.
- Clauses 7.1.2 and 7.1.3 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) require a primary or secondary bonding busbar in every equipment room and telecommunications room, and a secondary busbar in every computer room (or a primary one where the design calls for it), with any supplementary bonding network in that room bonded to the busbar.
- Clause 7.8 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes supplementary bonding networks in mesh, isolated mesh and star forms, always bonded to the common bonding network, and requires the cabinets, power distribution units, cooling units, structural columns and metallic pathways of a computer room to be bonded to the mesh.
- Clause 7.5.4 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires each bonding backbone to run continuously from the primary busbar to the farthest secondary busbar along the backbone pathways, protected from damage and with as few splices as possible, and excludes cable shields, conduit and water piping from serving as a backbone.
- In ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) the electrode system resistance appears as a design requirement in clause 8.1 rather than as a measured acceptance limit; clause 9.2 describes how to measure it but no clause requires the measured value to meet the design figure.
- Clauses 8.1.1 and 8.1.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) set a design resistance for the grounding electrode system, with a lower target for critical sites such as public safety, military, data center and central office facilities, call for added electrodes when a single electrode cannot hold the target through the year, and recommend allowing for seasonal variation.
- Clause 8.2.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) treats the telecommunications electrode system as a supplement connected to the building's electrical electrode system, and gives potential equalization priority over achieving a low resistance; clause 8.2.5 requires all electrodes of a facility to be bonded into one system.
- Clause 8.2.4 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) sets construction requirements for a building perimeter ground loop where one is installed, covering conductor type, burial depth, distance from the wall, ground rods, bonds to perimeter steel columns and test wells for future testing.
- Clause 8.2.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires a soil resistivity test at every site before the grounding electrode system is designed, and clause 8.2.3 identifies soil resistivity as the largest single factor in electrode design.
- Clause 9.2.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes the clamp-on meter as measuring an electrode in a multi-grounded system without disconnecting it, and advises against it for commissioning new grounds, for soil resistivity, for complex grounds with metallic loops and wherever a client requires a method incorporated in a reference standard.
- Clause 9.2.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes the three-point fall-of-potential method, in which a tester drives current between the electrode under test and an outer stake and measures potential to an inner stake set in line, with the instrument maker's instructions binding and a warning about disconnecting an electrode without an alternate ground path.
- Clause 9.2.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) gives Table 2 as a general guide to stake distances by electrode depth and checks a reading by moving the inner stake a short distance each way; a significant change means the stakes must be set farther out until the readings settle.
- Clause 9.3 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) names the equally spaced Wenner four-point arrangement as the common soil resistivity method, with current driven between the outer stakes and potential measured between the inner stakes, following the instrument maker's instructions.
- Clause 9.3.2.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) recommends recording the weather and soil conditions and the recent weather history, taking readings at a range of stake spacings and at a number of points across the site, and reporting them in a data table laid out like its Figure 20.
- Clause 9.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes a two-point continuity test made with an earth ground resistance tester in its two-point mode, with one lead on the nearest building grounding electrode or another reference and the other on a point such as the primary bonding busbar, preceded by a mandatory visual inspection of the installation.
- Clause 9.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) recommends an upper limit on the resistance measured from any point in the telecommunications bonding system to the building's grounding electrode system, and requires the resistance of long backbone conductors to be included in the total without saying how.
- Clause 9.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) recommends two-point measurements from each primary or secondary busbar to the electrical ground in the distributor and to structural metal, from the primary to each secondary busbar, and from structural metal to electrical ground, taken before any telecommunications equipment goes in, since parallel paths through equipment can invalidate the result.
- Normative Annex A of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) covers multi-tenant buildings, adding a common bonding busbar and common bonding backbone where common services exist and setting how each tenant's primary bonding busbar is bonded.
- Clause 6.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires primary and secondary bonding busbars to be listed copper or copper alloy of a minimum conductivity, drilled for matched listed lugs and no smaller than the minimum thickness and width it sets for each, and sets a minimum cross-section for rack busbars.
- The foreword of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) lists the changes from the previous edition: the tower harmonization addendum folded in, older generic cabling terms removed, the explicit requirement to follow local codes withdrawn, stranded bonding conductors expressly allowed, and listed compression connectors and two-hole lugs clarified for supplementary bonding networks.
- Clause 6.3.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) requires all bonding conductors to be copper, requires insulated ones to be listed for the application, and forbids a conductor from decreasing in size along the path toward the grounding electrode system.
- Clauses 6.4 and 6.5 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) require bonding connectors listed for their application with a limited electrochemical potential difference against the busbar, green or green-marked insulation on insulated bonding conductors, and labels telling anyone who finds a conductor loose, or needs to remove it, to call the building telecommunications manager.
- Clause 5.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) places the bonding and grounding of the electrical service entrance outside its scope while stressing coordination with it, and leaves the requirements of utility central office facilities to ATIS 0600313.
- The informative annexes of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) cover bonding methods (Annex B), grounding electrode types (Annex C), towers and antennas (Annex D), telecommunications electrical protection (Annex E), operator-type equipment positions (Annex F), a cross reference of terms (Annex G) and a bibliography (Annex H).
- Clause 5.2.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) makes the primary bonding busbar and the telecommunications bonding conductor mandatory components, while the bonding backbone, secondary bonding busbars, secondary bonding conductors and backbone bonding conductors are optional.
- Clause 2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) lists its normative references without dates, so the latest editions apply; they include ANSI/TIA-606 for labeling and administration, ATIS 0600334 for towers, ATIS 0600321 for operator-type equipment, the National Electrical Code, the National Electrical Safety Code and the lightning protection standard of the National Fire Protection Association.
- The introduction to ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes its purpose as letting a generic bonding and grounding system be planned, designed and installed whether or not the telecommunications systems it will serve are known in advance.
- Clause 4 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) states an intent to conform with the national electrical and safety codes, states that the standard replaces no code, and advises reviewing local requirements with the authority having jurisdiction.
- Clauses 6.3.3 to 6.3.5 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) size the telecommunications bonding conductor and each backbone bonding conductor from the largest bonding backbone they serve, and size each secondary bonding conductor from the largest conductor on its secondary busbar.
- Clause 6.3.6.1 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) allows bonded structural metal to replace a bonding backbone or backbone bonding conductor after the plans are reviewed for continuity, recommends confirming the paths with the clause 9.1 two-point test, and forbids concrete reinforcing steel in that role.
- Clause 5 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) presents a bonding and grounding system meant to hold telecommunications equipment and pathways at one electrical potential across buildings of differing design, with supplementary bonding networks in clause 7.8 for greater equipotential bonding.
- Clause 5.2.4 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) describes the telecommunications bonding backbone as a means of reducing or equalizing potential differences that follows the backbone pathways to the secondary busbars, and not as a return path for ground-fault current.
- Clause 6.3.2 of ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024) sets a minimum size for the telecommunications bonding backbone and recommends sizing it by length, with Table 1 giving the conductor size for each band of backbone length.
Elsewhere in the family
- Generic Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) for Customer Premises more on this entry on Testing Reference
Sources
- ANSI/TIA-607-E, Generic Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) for Customer Premises, 2024 edition, TIA. Cited: clause 3.2, Annex G; clause 3.2; clause 7.9; clause 7.5.5; clause 7.7; clause 7.1.4; clause 7.2.1, 7.2.3; clause 7.1.2, 7.1.3; clause 7.8; clause 7.5.4; clause 8.1, 9.2; clause 8.1.1, 8.1.2; clause 8.2.1, 8.2.5; clause 8.2.4; clause 8.2.2, 8.2.3; clause 9.2.2; clause 9.2.1; clause 9.3.1, 9.3.2.1; clause 9.3.2.2; clause 9.1; clause Annex A; clause 6.2; clause Foreword; clause 6.3.1; clause 6.4, 6.5; clause 5.1; clause Annexes B to H; clause 5.2.1; clause 2; clause Introduction; clause 4; clause 6.3.3 to 6.3.5; clause 6.3.6.1; clause 5.2.4; clause 6.3.2. Held as: Purchased single-user copy.
Obtaining the documents
- ANSI/TIA-607-E (2024): publisher catalog or sales page
Changelog (107 entries)
| Date | Revision | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.backbone-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.definition.backbone-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.backbone-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.equipment-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.equipment-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.mesh-bonding-network) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.mesh-bonding-network) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.primary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.definition.primary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.primary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.rack-bonding-elements) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.rack-bonding-elements) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.secondary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.definition.secondary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.secondary-bonding-busbar) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.telecommunications-bonding-backbone) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.telecommunications-bonding-backbone) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.definition.telecommunications-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.definition.telecommunications-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.definition.telecommunications-bonding-conductor) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.administration) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.administration) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.bbc-placement) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.bbc-placement) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.bolted-racks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.bolted-racks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.cabinets-and-racks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.cabinets-and-racks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.pbb-installation) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.design.pbb-installation) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.pbb-installation) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.rooms) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.design.rooms) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.rooms) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.supplementary-networks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.supplementary-networks) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.design.tbb-design) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.design.tbb-design) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.external.design-not-acceptance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.external.design-not-acceptance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.external.design-not-acceptance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.external.design-resistance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.external.design-resistance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.external.design-resistance) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.external.electrode-system) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.external.electrode-system) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.external.electrode-system) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.external.ground-loop) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.external.ground-loop) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.external.soil-resistivity-first) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.external.soil-resistivity-first) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.external.soil-resistivity-first) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.clamp-on) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.clamp-on) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.fall-of-potential) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.fall-of-potential) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.fall-of-potential-stakes) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.fall-of-potential-stakes) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity-records) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity-records) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.soil-resistivity-records) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-continuity) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-continuity) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-criterion) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-criterion) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-criterion) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-paths) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-paths) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.method.two-point-paths) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.annex-a-multi-tenant) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.annex-a-multi-tenant) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.busbars) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.busbars) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.changes-from-607-d) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.changes-from-607-d) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.conductors) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.conductors) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.connectors-and-identification) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.structure.connectors-and-identification) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.connectors-and-identification) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.exclusions) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.exclusions) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.informative-annexes) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.structure.informative-annexes) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.informative-annexes) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.mandatory-components) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.mandatory-components) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.normative-references) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.normative-references) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.purpose) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.purpose) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.regulatory) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.regulatory) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.related-conductor-sizing) | |
| 2026-10-25 | revised (std.tia-607-e.structure.related-conductor-sizing) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.related-conductor-sizing) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.structural-metal) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.structural-metal) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.system-overview) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.system-overview) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.tbb-role) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.tbb-role) | |
| 2026-10-25 | created (std.tia-607-e.structure.tbb-sizing) | |
| 2026-10-25 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (std.tia-607-e.structure.tbb-sizing) |
Cite this page
Cite the governing standard for the fact itself; cite this page as the finding aid.
"ANSI/TIA-607-E." Grounding Reference. 2026-10-25. https://www.groundingreference.com/standards/tia-607-e/.
Grounding Reference, ANSI/TIA-607-E (Oct. 25, 2026), https://www.groundingreference.com/standards/tia-607-e/.
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title = {ANSI/TIA-607-E},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.groundingreference.com/standards/tia-607-e/}},
organization = {Grounding Reference},
publisher = {Grounding Reference},
year = {2026},
note = {last substantive change 2026-10-25}
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