Is it normal for a breaker box to get hot?

No, it is definitely not normal or safe for a residential circuit breaker box or electrical service panel to become genuinely hot to the touch. While slight, mild warmth can occur during heavy appliance usage due to standard electrical resistance across internal bus bars and breakers, an excessively hot panel indicates severe underlying problems. Common causes of an overheating panel include loose main feeder cable connections, overloaded circuits drawing excessive current, high electrical resistance at terminal lugs, or internal component failure. You can troubleshoot electrical panel safety safely by avoiding bare components and checking temperatures. You can verify that your corrective action is successful when having a licensed professional electrician inspect terminal connections, torque loose lug screws, and resolve overloads restores normal operating temperatures.