[hbuilder]

I am doing some wiring as part of finishing my basement.

Is it required to ground the switches? Most of the regular two way switches have ground screw built in.

Thanks

[tkrussell]

Yes, ground the switches.

[hbuilder]

Thanks tkrussel!

I will ground switches too,
Original builder did not ground switches in the other levels though.

[tkrussell]

Short cuts, got to love it. The ground is given so little respect. Most do not realize the ground is the most important wire in any electrical system.

While the occurrence is possible but not often probable, a wire at a switch can short out to the metal strap that attaches the switch to the box. If the box is plastic, this means an ungrounded switch will become live. Most plates are plastic, so no harm there. However, most screws that attach a plate to a device are metal. Anyone touching a grounded surface, such as a sink or an appliance, and comes in contact with the plate screw is, don't mean to be crude, but screwed.

Some inspectors actually recognize this, and some switches purchased and installed do not have the ground screw, so the inspectors require that nylon screws be used. The strap may become live due to a short, but will not cause any harm.

I do not care for this solution, since if a short does occur, it will remain there indefinitely until someone comes along and removes the plate, thus exposing the underlying live strap. Imagine your wife removing the plates to wash them or to paint.