• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

stair

  1. S

    Modern stair tread code interpretation

    Hi all, We're having a code disagreement in our office I was hoping you could weigh in on. Does the stair design in the image attached meet the IRC 2021 (Connecticut)? The intention is for the stair to have a modern design, with no squared off nosing projection, with a tread depth less than...
  2. C

    R2 - Type VA - Exterior door ratings - Exterior Stair Classification

    I have a 3 story R2 project, designed as type V-A construction fully sprinkled. It is on the smaller side so each level only has 4 units that open directly to a 8'x8' area then directly to the 1 exterior egress stair. The stair is completely open on 1 side and bound by exterior walls on most of...
  3. rjjh

    Hotel Room Deck and Egress requirements (California Building Code)

    Hi All, I'm probably overthinking an easy issue, but thought/tips/reassurance much appreciated! I have a modular hotel unit R-1 occupancy in California with a single egress door (5'-6" wide clear) to an exterior deck (see current layout snippet below). This is a non-ADA/accessible unit (ADA...
  4. tomtomtom

    "Within Dwelling Units"

    I try not to disparage building officials, but this is a new thread related to a previous one, discussing an issue where language is inadequate in code, and literal readings do not serves the spirit of the code: The IBC provides numerous exceptions for R-2 and R-3 uses, I am unable to find...
  5. F

    Egress Stair 36” wide - B Occupancy

    Hello everybody, I am new to the forum although I wanted to join for a while. I have a question regarding the stair width calculation I hope you may answer or help with. These are the project specs: Location: Omaha NE (IBC 2018 adopted code) Number of stories: ground level + second story...
  6. C

    Stair landings and office politics

    Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster. I'd love to get anyone's take/advice on how you'd handle a situation with code compliance. I'm new to an office and was asked to help do some field reports for a project far along in CA. I was specifically asked to check the stairs and found one to...
  7. A

    Egress from basement- Sidewalk door?

    I need to provide a second exit from an overlarge basement storage area in a building addition. My only viable location would be installing a sidewalk door. I designed a project years ago where it was explicitly stated in the code that one basement exit could be via such a door., but I can't...
  8. Arch_teach

    intermediate handrail req. on non-egress wide stair?

    So I have a question regarding wide stairs. First, I did find this thread: define monumental stair However, all the discussion (as well as code that I can see in IBC) concerns required egress width as a controlling factor. So what are the requirements, if any, for intermediate handrails on a...
  9. P

    Open Staircases

    We have a unique situation on a part completed building that has not yet been approved by Civil Defence Fire authority here. The building is approx 141meters high over 37 floors and is residential occupancy. The main building is served by two staircases of correct width. The staircases are...
  10. eyan50495

    Exit Discharge on Public Way

    A question came up today at my office about discharging a stair. This is NYS IBC and is a multifamily building. We are trying to determine if your stair can exit onto a public way. We are trying to determine what the code says not necessarily what is good practice. There is a road on our...
  11. B

    Enclose Existing Outdoor Stair - Using Existing Framing

    Hi, all. Looking for some insight on the flexibility of the 2018 IEBC and 2018 IBC. The project has 5 exterior wood stairs that each serve three stories and 6 apartments units (30 total apartment units). The building was originally built early 1900's and also has an interior stair at the front...
  12. M

    Egress Through Non-rated Lobby

    Hello Folks. My team and I are in the preliminary design phase for a fire station in the suburb of Seattle area. The building has two stories which requires two interior exit stairways. The code is IBC 2018. Please see the Level 1 plan from the attached link. The most of the occupancy in the...
  13. A

    Existing fixed stair to renovated attic ... Can I use the existing 30" stair or do I need to increase width?

    Here are the details: This is an existing single story home. There is a 30" fixed stair to the attic. The attic is currently unfinished, but has large areas that meet IRC 305 head height requirements that the owner would like to capture. The desire is to convert ~500-800SF of the attic to...
  14. M

    Exterior and interior Exits Discharge

    I'm working on 4 stories hotel with 3 exits discharge serving the 4 stories and one exit discharge serves one story the exits discharge for 4 stories are 3 stairs, one of those discharge directly to the exterior of the hotel while the others discharge inside the building, also the stair that...
  15. C

    Exterior Steps width that would not require a handrail

    If a design is going down a hillside adjacent to a building at 9.7% over 75 feet. Steps with 5' separation, 8' long with a 6" drop are designed. Does it require a handrail? Thank you for the help.
  16. D

    Open Exit Stair

    I know this has been asked in the past but i am still confused. I have a 2-stroy R-2 building. Double loaded 1 hour rated corridor, 10 units down and 10 units up. Code requries 2 exits stairs. I would like to have one of the exits open using exemption 1019.3.4. However 1023.2 states exit...
  17. J

    12 FT stair landing required in Assembly spaces?

    TIA. Trying to find out if the 12 FT elevation change limit before a required landing in a stair applies to an Assembly, Unconcentrated classification. Please share IBC 2015 reference if you know it.
  18. M

    Wanting to build a large pirate ship replica for an escape game.

    So I've already made multiple escape games in the past and manage to meet all the normal code requirements for stairs, doors, hallways etc... But for our next project we are wanting to make a big pirate ship game. It would be a large freestanding "ship" that's inside a large room. We want the...
  19. E

    IRC single family dwelling open stairway limit

    Is there any limitation in the IRC (2012 or other) that limits the number of floors an open stair can connect in a single family dwelling?
  20. 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...
  21. J

    Spiral stair on back yard deck - help please!

    Hi all, thanks for reading. I'm in NYC, currently renovating my home, have a metal grate deck on a second floor on the backyard and I'm building a spiral stair to the first floor so I can get down to the garden without having to go through the bottom floor (it will be rented to a tenant). The...
  22. V

    Stair Support in Exit Enclosure

    I have read the earlier discussion on the topic of structural penetrations of a rated exit enclosure, but I remain unclear as to what is permissible. We are working on a 5 story, Type II-B building. Vermont has replaced IBC chapter 1000 with NFPA 101 for matters of m.o.e. We have a 2-hr wall...
  23. S

    Egress Balconies 1021.2 Wall Separation

    Balcony with stairs at each end, no protection required for adjacent windows to the balcony & stairs for a building not more than 2 stories....correct? 1021.2 Wall Separation exception, if an exterior balcony has stairs at each end no separation or opening protection is required. The balcony...
  24. J

    Stair Head Clearance Issue

    I am working on a stair that has a potential head clearance issue. This is a switchback style stair, so right above you is a stringer running parallel to the stringer you are on. There is a center rail running up the stringer, and above that, there is a beam supporting the stringer directly...
  25. N

    Clearance @ fire stair tread and door

    Can anyone comment on the minimum distance between the nosing of the top tread and the door opening edge? The only thing I could find was the minimum size stair landings to be the same depth as the width of the stair.
Top