I have main service drop coming to a main panel in the main house. A separate detached guest house w attached garage has a sub panel located in the garage that is fed from the main panel in the main house. Sub panel has 8 breakers. Does the sub panel require a main disconnect?
Thanks for your help.
NO it does not.
A detached building fed from another building would require a disconnecting means nearest the entrance of the feeder conductors into the building. Up to six circuits breakers would qualify but since you have eight you will need a single disconnecting means.
Opps missed the seperate building comments
I figured that. 
What we don’t know is that there may be some tied breakers for 220 circuits so the 6 throws would be met…
Say a range and a water heater.
Thanks Robert. I told the agent that it required a disconnect but wanted to double check myself.
Old thread new question:
Is there a reason to flag the following: Work shop garage
I thought it was a good idea on the six throws idea
Main Panel is on the other end of the house.
I’m not sure what question that you are asking about flagging. What about your example do you consider possibly incorrect? The circuits would be 120v/240v, not 220v. If there is a main disconnect in either the secondary panel or the service equipment then the six switch maximum does not come into play in your example.
There is no reference to “throws” in the disconnecting means standard. The standard describes the requirement as"switches or six circuit breakers".
A new question warrants a new thread.
What do you see as a problem? And why not start a new thread? 
It’s funny. I actually had this come up today myself. It was a building with 4 apartments and offices in the first floor. The service came in the basement, into a very large disconnect, through the meters and on their way to the apartments, etc. Directly to the right was the main panel for the first floor apartments which was wired like a main panel-fine. The apartment panels were wired like subpanels and didn’t have a main disconnect. I am thinking that’s ok. Am I correct?
Looks li!e the disconnect is right below each meter socket.
The service disconnecting means needs to be accessible to the occupants but does not need to be in the apartment panel.
A big concern I’d address in report is clarification of which panel/sub-panel feeds which unit.
This may make it easier to understand…
The PANEL does not require the disconnect, the BUILDING/STRUCTURE does.
So each building/structure requires a disconnect (where it is served by more than on breanch circuit) located in or on the building at the closest practical point where the conductors enter the building.
May I use a 30 amp breaker on the bus bar as my main disconnect (and power fee) in a detached building subpanel? NJ local inspector says no. He wants me to connect to the subpanel lugs.
It’s a six breaker panel but I’ll have to add a junction box to gain enough cable to reach the lugs. I thought I was being conservative putting in a single breaker as a main.
The breaker would require a hold-down means. I have no idea what code your inspector is citing.
Why not splice in the panel?
I agree with Jim as long as the back fed CB has a clip, rivet or some other approved means to hold it in place it’s code complaint. Since it’s in a detached structure a disconnecting means is required. It could be up to 6 CB’s or a single main.
Thank you! The hold down must be the issue.
P.S. I thought splices inside a panel were not allowed.
A common electrical myth, they are permitted in a panel. {NEC 312.8}
