[bmancanfly]

Does the elecrical service line, to the main panel in the house, have to be in a conduit? The service line will be running through the attic away from where anyone will have contact with it. The electrician gave me a quote without conduit and he says that it is not necessary.

 

[kbsparky]

Once the "service" line enters the house, it requires overcurrent protection and a disconnecting means.

IF you have an outside disconnect, then the line can run just about anywhere -- through the attic, in a basement, or underneath in a crawl space.

If there is no outside disconnect, then you should not have more than a few feet of line inside of the structure. One exception is your lines installed in a conduit encased in not less than 2" of concrete, creating a core duct.

 

[bmancanfly]

There is a main breaker outside the house. So does that mean that the service line to the inside panel does not have to be in a conduit?

 

[Speedy Petey]

These rules are different for many areas. As KB said, you can have unfused service entrance cables in the structure anywhere from 0' to 10' or more. Most areas require the main disconnect/panel within 5'-6'.

Some areas require conduit, some don't.
In your case conduit would only be required if it is a local amendment.

 

[220/221]

There is a main breaker outside the house. So does that mean that the service line to the inside panel does not have to be in a conduit?

In most cases, yes. It is treated no differently than any other circuit in the house.

In some locations there may be local requirements especially for codos/townhouses that share walls/attics.