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Bedroom Entry

McShan

McShan

Bronze Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Louisiana
Can you enter a bedroom through another bedroom if both have egress windows? 2015 I codes
 
Not prohibited by IRC Section R311.

Only issue I foresee is carbon monoxide alarms. Technically I would say not required, but I would concede if challenged and add one in the second bedroom, that way you have one outside the first bedroom.
 
classicT said:
Not prohibited by IRC Section R311.

Only issue I foresee is carbon monoxide alarms. Technically I would say not required, but I would concede if challenged and add one in the second bedroom, that way you have one outside the first bedroom.
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I would concur.............

R311.1 Means of egress. Dwellings shall be provided with a
means of egress in accordance with this section. The means
of egress shall provide a continuous and unobstructed path of
vertical and horizontal egress travel from all portions of the
dwelling to the required egress door without requiring travel
through a garage. The required egress door shall open directly
into a public way or to a yard or court that opens to a public
way.
 
Check the IPMC if you use that.....I think our health/housing codes don't allow it here....

404.4.2 Access from bedrooms. Bedrooms shall not constitute
the only means of access to other bedrooms or habitable
spaces and shall not serve as the only means of
egress from other habitable spaces.
Exception: Units that contain fewer than two bedrooms.
 
Even if you can/could, why would you want too?!? I guess there might be reasons but I can't imagine why you would design it that way. But I'm guessing that you're not asking as a design question, probably something existing? Are you asking as tenant, owner, or prospective buyer?
 
I believe the net effect is you are not supposed to call it a bedroom - such as in a real estate listing. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as intervening bedroom can't lock someone in. Bedrooms often have had a "sitting room" or separate dressing room.
 
steveray said:
Check the IPMC if you use that.....I think our health/housing codes don't allow it here....

404.4.2 Access from bedrooms. Bedrooms shall not constitute
the only means of access to other bedrooms or habitable
spaces and shall not serve as the only means of
egress from other habitable spaces.
Exception: Units that contain fewer than two bedrooms.
Click to expand...


Applies to existing only????
 
Like Rick18071 said, it is a conflict that IRC allows it, but then the CO is issued, and IPMC is applied, that says you can't.
 
I'd be interested to know if a plan submitted for review under IRC has ever shown this arrangement - only means of egress through a bedroom - or if the arrangement resulting from use of the intervening room being used as a bedroom.

I'm not sure I actually support to the UPMC requirement, as it would seem to discriminate against some minorities but regardless, it would seem possibly a result of the greater attention paid to IRC versus IPMC by, among others, home builders and designers. Ultimately for IRC it will come down to labels on a drawing, easy to solve by changing the label. The IPMC is more a judgement of how it's being used, not a plan label, and would require rearranging furniture to fix. I'm not trying to be cynical but cite the occupants for this and they move the bed in the intervening room into the more distant room, and are in compliance. How often are you going to check to see that they have remained in compliance?

Does IPMC define bedroom? Is a room with a sofa bed a bedroom? It just feels on thin ice to try to regulate where someone can sleep in their own dwelling.
 
From the 2018 IPMC

BEDROOM. Any room or space used or intended to be used
for sleeping purposes in either a dwelling or sleeping unit.
 
I look at the IPMC as a way to potentially protect tenants from property owners who are misrepresenting a house. If nobody ever complained to the AHJ than likely not going to be enforced. If a tenant complains about various issues and this were to come up as part of an enforcement it could protect the current and future tenants. I've seen several rental units advertised as "4 bedroom" that really were 2 bedroom with an office and a den. That's my two-cents.
 
Joe.B said:
I look at the IPMC as a way to potentially protect tenants from property owners who are misrepresenting a house. If nobody ever complained to the AHJ than likely not going to be enforced. If a tenant complains about various issues and this were to come up as part of an enforcement it could protect the current and future tenants. I've seen several rental units advertised as "4 bedroom" that really were 2 bedroom with an office and a den. That's my two-cents.
Click to expand...
Fair and good point. Truth in advertising - rental or sale - is increasingly looser and missing. Those industries should police themselves but obviously don't. To bad the truth is not revealed before lease or sales agreement is signed.
 
bill1952 said:
Fair and good point. Truth in advertising - rental or sale - is increasingly looser and missing. Those industries should police themselves but obviously don't. To bad the truth is not revealed before lease or sales agreement is signed.
Click to expand...
It astounds me how many leases here are signed "sight unseen", we are a college town with high demand for rentals. Then they call us in after they've signed a year lease hoping that we can force them to fix things, or help them break the lease. Almost always there's nothing we can (or should) enforce. But once in a while we can help.
 
Not all AHJ's adopt the IPMC. We have our own ordinance for certain issues but do not use the IPMC. Tried couple yours ago to get it adopted but the city council shot it down.
 
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