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egress

  1. B

    NYS attic to habitable space conversion - sprinkler system?

    I am an assistant building inspector in Westchester County, NY and I am reviewing a set of plans for a 2 family house where they are turning their attic into habitable space (going from a 2 story to a 3 story building). Because their is only one means of egress from the 3rd story, I have been...
  2. J

    2 story office building and operable windows question...

    Need a little help! I am located in Alabama and we are working on a small 2 story office building. Here is the breakdown of the building: 1st Floor: 3,115 SF (load 31) 2nd Floor: 1,625 SF (load 16) Occupancy: B There is one central egress stair in the building (only 1 egress required per...
  3. M

    Seeking Clarification on R310.6

    I live in MA, and I have recently run into problems with the building inspector and my basement which I finished without a permit. (Yes, I know, shame on me, but I was young, dumb, didn't think I needed one, etc) The basement was empty when I purchased my condo. Concrete walls, concrete...
  4. WindowlessBuildingOwner

    Dilemma: A looong townhouse, buildings on both sides so no windows, how can we build bedrooms?

    We're trying to work out a design, and our structural engineer (who is licensed to submit stamped plans) is trying to figure this out as well, but we can't seem to figure out the right solution. Could anyone help me figuring out this dilemma? Location: New Castle County, Delaware Age: 1880s...
  5. S

    Can a second story door lead to a flat roof without a railing?

    Hi all - we have an unusual project in San Diego where we converted a garage by adding a second story to it under CA's new granny flat law. To do this we had to step the second story in on two sides due to setbacks and being right on the property line. This left us with a big blank flat roof on...
    • SJP415
    • Thread
    • egress granny flat loft loft egress roof access roof door roof egress roof maintenance
    • Replies: 37
    • Forum: Residential Building Codes
  6. M

    Stair Egress Signage

    What would be the correct wording for the direction/location to an exit that is on a landing between the first & second level of a building?
  7. 1

    Lock on Balcony Door in R-2 Apartment

    In a new construction (IBC 2015) R-2 residential apartment building, there are balconies with dividers to prevent occupants from accessing the neighboring balcony. The dividers can be circumvented by occupants, so locks are desired for security purposes to prevent others from entering the...
  8. LGreene

    What type of switch would you accept?

    Hi All - Last week I posted a question on iDigHardware and didn't receive a lot of feedback, which usually means that iDH readers don't know the answer. I'd like to ask your opinion and get your insight either here on the forum or on the iDH blog post. It has to do with what type of switch...
  9. A

    Egress Through Fire Wall Used Fir Area Separation

    The code allows you to use a fire wall to consider a portion of the building as a separate building for building area calculations. When this is done, are you allowed to have egress through the fire wall to share an exit or does each separate "building" need to have the required 2 exits?
  10. A

    Egress Through Fire Wall Used For Area Separation

    The code allows you to use a fire wall to consider a portion of the building as a separate building for building area calculations. When this is done, are you allowed to have egress through the fire wall to share an exit or does each separate "building" need to have the required 2 exits?
    • Adrienne
    • Thread
    • area separation cbc egress fire fire wall ibc required exit
    • Replies: 3
    • Forum: California
  11. A

    Oversized egress paths with secondary uses.

    Something our office hasn't run into before- Project is a 7000sf restaurant: The owner wants hand wash sinks outside of the WC in a rear hall which also serves egress. The minimum path width is 3'9" the hall is 5'1" wide, and the proposed sinks are 14" deep- so there is no projection into the...
  12. S

    Third Floor R3 occupancy above Business - egress requirements

    Hi, I would like help confirming the egress requirements of a single apartment on the third story of a building, with two separate business tenants on stories 1 and 2 below. The building is not planned to be sprinklered. The building code is IBC 2012 in Connecticut. Story 1 – Business – 8...
  13. LGreene

    Reduction in Egress Width

    I'm trying to find "proof" in the IBC of something that I thought I already knew, but I'm having trouble. Imagine a vestibule, with a pair of doors on the interior (leading from the lobby to the vestibule) and a single door on the exterior. I didn't think that was allowed because it reduced...
  14. LGreene

    Non-code-compliant security devices

    There was a discussion on the door and hardware forum that veered into this topic a bit, but I'd like to get some more insight from any AHJs. There is currently a lot of talk about the retrofit locking devices used by some schools for classroom security (AKA classroom barricade devices). These...
  15. LGreene

    Classroom Security

    I saw a post on LinkedIn from a fire marshal who is battling with the local police chief and school district about the use of classroom barricade devices...the law enforcement argument is that life safety codes are archaic. If anyone else is facing this problem, I just wrote an article for...
  16. A

    CORRIDOR vs BLDG Lobby

    Thanks for viewing: I am designing a remodel for a lobby of a 27 story building built in 1953 (non-sprinklered). The main entrance/exit I am moving over 1 structural bay. Existing entrance is all non-rated glass doors and windows. There is also a secondary exit in the back via a fire-separated...
  17. E

    IBC 2012 Egress Questions

    Hey all, Working on a project, and I have two basic IBC 2012 questions: 1) Minimum # of stairs needed for a 12' ceiling height? 2) Given project occupant load of 300, how many 36" wide doors are needed? [2 doors? 300 x .2 = 60" --> therefore 2 doors needed to satisfy this requirement?]...
  18. LGreene

    Sensor Bars for Egress

    Since this question came to me from a code official, I thought y'all might be interested in reading about it. The issue is the use of sensor bars in a school that require building occupants to remove their gloves in order to exit. The blog post is here...
  19. LGreene

    What's an access-controlled egress door?

    I know the answer to this question. The problem is trying to convince people of the answer. There is a section in NFPA 101 with this title, and there was a section in the IBC until the 2015 edition when it was changed to "Sensor Release of Electromagnetically Locked Egress Doors." I have been...
  20. LGreene

    North Carolina Question

    Is anyone familiar with the NC Building Code? There's a paragraph specific to NC that I'd like some help with: 407.10 Locks and latches. Door-locking arrangements shall be permitted in Group I-2 where the clinical or security needs of the patients require specialized locking measures for...
  21. LGreene

    Posting Occupant Load to Avoid Panic Hardware

    Many times I have seen an occupant load posted at 49 people. I guess that could be the calculated occupant load, but in some cases I have seen that occupant load posted in order to avoid a second exit, outswinging doors, and/or panic hardware. I looked in the IBC Commentary for something...
  22. C

    Kindergarden Accessibility Inquiry

    Hello, My wife is set to move into a classroom next year in an existing school building to teach Kindergarten. Though every Kindergarten classroom has windows and an direct access/egress door, this particular room has neither. There is a door (other than the hall entry one) that leads into...
  23. A

    IRC 2015 spiral stairs for egress

    IRC 2015 - Am I correct in understanding that spiral stairs now qualify as a primary means of egress from an upper level? They fall within Section R311.7 as mentioned below in R311.4. Some stairs within 311.7 are specifically excluded such as Alternating Tread Devices (R311.7.11). However there...
  24. annoyitated

    IBC 2009 Assembly Exits

    I have attached a diagram and am curious as to the required width of Corridor A and Corridor B. My reading of 1028.3 Exception is that they would need to dispersed and accommodate 100 percent of the required width. Both Sections 1028.2 and 1028.3 discuss distribution of exits but not really...
  25. LGreene

    Proposed Change to NFPA 101

    Several changes have been proposed for the 2018 edition of NFPA 101, which would allow the locking devices on classroom doors to be released with 2 operations instead of 1. I haven't found any research or data to show that this would not have a negative impact on life safety. The NFPA...
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