Landing between front door and storm door

[Mr. Inspector]

Someone is building a 2' bump out at the front door with a storm door. This is the means of egress. There will be 2' between the doors. Code requires a 36" landing on both sides of a door. But storm doors are usually just inches away from the main door and I never herd of an inspector failing this. This seems safer then if the doors were just inches away from each other. Code seems to be silent about this. Would this comply with code?

 

[steveray]

yes

 

[ICE]

I wonder if R311.3.3 is still valid. It seems to me that the section was written to address doors that are mere inches away from the egress door and moving the storm door 24" changes things up.

R311.3.3 Storm and screen doors. Storm and screen doors shall be permitted to swing over exterior stairs and landings.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

I wonder if R311.3.3 is still valid. It seems to me that the section was written to address doors that are mere inches away from the egress door and moving the storm door 24" changes things up.

R311.3.3 Storm and screen doors. Storm and screen doors shall be permitted to swing over exterior stairs and landings.

Code does not have a definition for doors, so It's hard to know if these are considered "doors" and if they need to have a 36" landing on each side of them or between a regular door and a storm or screen door and if the have to comply with any other sections the code.. To me it sounds like their are no code rules for side hinged or sliding screen or storm doors at all, like Bilco doors, in the code and they can be anywhere.
I would like other opinions.

 

[TheCommish]

24 inches between seems awkward and unusual.
Lacking definition in the code the word door has the ordinary meaning

 

[rktect 1]

Still needs the required 36 inch landing.

 

[steveray]

Is there 12" past the storm door adding to the 24"?

 

[Inspector Gift]

This was a unique question! The 24 inches between the entry door and storm door seems rather odd and somewhat awkward. But I would allow it.

Our residential code requires a FLOOR or LANDING on each side of a door -- and yet the code also allows a door at the top of interior stairs as long as the door does not swing over the stairs.

Since a landing must be as wide as the door and at least 36 inches in the direction of travel, then the 24 inches of floor area between the entry door and the storm door does NOT qualify as a landing. BUT since a FLOOR does not have a minimum dimension, why then doesn't the 24 inches of level floor space between doors qualify as a floor?

 

[bill1952]

Why can't the interior landing for the storm door be measured with main door open, so the landing extends 12" into interior? Seems to meet the functional need for a landing.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

24 inches between seems awkward and unusual.
Lacking definition in the code the word door has the ordinary meaning

I tried it and it and is a lot less awkward than a storm or screen door just a few inches from a door like they normally are.

Why can't the interior landing for the storm door be measured with main door open, so the landing extends 12" into interior? Seems to meet the functional need for a landing.

If I could go by this for all doors they would never need any landing for one side of doors at all.

This was a unique question! The 24 inches between the entry door and storm door seems rather odd and somewhat awkward. But I would allow it.

Our residential code requires a FLOOR or LANDING on each side of a door -- and yet the code also allows a door at the top of interior stairs as long as the door does not swing over the stairs.

Since a landing must be as wide as the door and at least 36 inches in the direction of travel, then the 24 inches of floor area between the entry door and the storm door does NOT qualify as a landing. BUT since a FLOOR does not have a minimum dimension, why then doesn't the 24 inches of level floor space between doors qualify as a floor?

I see what you mean. There is no required size for the floor at a door, only for landings. There are no stairways near the doors, so no landings.