No, individual circuit breakers inside your main electrical service panel should never feel hot to the touch. While a standard breaker may feel slightly warm during periods of heavy electrical usage due to natural resistive heating across its internal bimetallic strip, it should always remain comfortable to keep your fingers on. If a circuit breaker feels excessively hot, burning, or scorching, it indicates abnormal high electrical resistance caused by loose wire terminal lug screws, an overloaded branch circuit, or internal contact pitting from age. You can troubleshoot electrical panel safety safely by avoiding bare components and checking temperatures with an infrared thermometer. You can verify that your corrective action is successful when having a licensed professional electrician inspect terminal connections, torque loose lug screws, and replace overheating breakers restores safe operating temperatures.
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