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A2 versus A3

What occupancy classification would you assign to this place of assembly?

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    3
BayPointArchitect

BayPointArchitect

Sawhorse
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
516
Location
Lincoln
Given: New wedding venue for 150 people. Food will always be catered in from Chipotle. The business will have a liquor license. Calculated occupant load is 150 people.

As always, thanks in advance.

ICC Certified Plan Reviewer
NFPA Certified Fire Plan Examiner
 
BayPointArchitect said:
Given: New wedding venue for 150 people. Food will always be catered in from Chipotle. The business will have a liquor license. Calculated occupant load is 150 people.

As always, thanks in advance.

ICC Certified Plan Reviewer
NFPA Certified Fire Plan Examiner
Click to expand...
It is a good question
Is food always provided?

  • 303.3 Assembly Group A-2 Restaurants, cafeterias and similar dining facilities (including associated commercial kitchens)
  • 303.4 Assembly Group A-3 Assembly uses intended for worship, recreation or amusement and other assembly uses not classified elsewhere in Group A ... Including....Community halls; Places of religious worship...

Are you implying that just because there is the presence of food, it is a A-2?
Does that mean a church hall suddenly becomes a A-2, when they have food? What is it when there is no food?


Is the primary function a Community Hall that can have food, or a Hall (A2) that, by definition, must have food. (definition: "...assembly uses intended for food and/or drink consumption...")
Is the intent to always have food and drink?
 
mark handler said:
It is a good question
Is food always provided?

  • 303.3 Assembly Group A-2 Restaurants, cafeterias and similar dining facilities (including associated commercial kitchens)
  • 303.4 Assembly Group A-3 Assembly uses intended for worship, recreation or amusement and other assembly uses not classified elsewhere in Group A ... Including....Community halls; Places of religious worship...

Are you implying that just because there is the presence of food, it is a A-2?
Does that mean a church hall suddenly becomes a A-2, when they have food? What is it when there is no food?


Is the primary function a Community Hall that can have food, or a Hall (A2) that, by definition, must have food. (definition: "...assembly uses intended for food and/or drink consumption...")
Is the intent to always have food and drink?
Click to expand...
As a wedding venue, I would say that the intent is to have food--a few weddings may not have any.

I have been to meetings rented in the private back rooms of restaurants where food is offered during a reception period prior to the meeting, but no food is provided during the meeting. A restaurant has an obvious intent that food and drink will be provided, but food/drink is not always the situation.

If the venue mentioned was open to all kinds of events other than weddings--with or without food or drink (like a community hall)--the Group A-3 occupancy would be more appropriate.
 
SECTION 302
OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION
AND USE DESIGNATION
302.1 Occupancy classification. Occupancy classification
is the formal designation of the primary purpose of the building,
structure or portion thereof. Structures shall be classified
into one or more of the occupancy groups specified in this
section based on the nature of the hazards and risks to building
occupants generally associated with the intended purpose
of the building or structure. An area, room or space that is
intended to be occupied at different times for different
purposes shall comply with all applicable requirements associated
with such potential multipurpose.
 
I have always proposed them as A-2. I have obtained several variances for event barns where food and liquor are catered in. Occupancies have varied in range from 100 to almost 250 (depending on the size obviously). But event barns are very popular here and I have done probably 8 variances for these in the past 5-6 years. In my opinion they fall under banquet halls, tavern, bars, restaurants. Because they are serving food. Not always, but typically.
 
Our final conclusion was to classify this as an “A2” occupancy. What that triggers is a fire sprinkler system for an existing tenant space located within a larger strip mall. Because the adjacent tenant spaces will not be sprinkled, the tenant separation walls need to be upgraded from one-hour to two-hour (Life Safety Code requirement = sprinkled versus non-sprinkled areas).

Thanks everyone.
 
BayPointArchitect said:
Our final conclusion was to classify this as an “A2” occupancy. What that triggers is a fire sprinkler system for an existing tenant space located within a larger strip mall. Because the adjacent tenant spaces will not be sprinkled, the tenant separation walls need to be upgraded from one-hour to two-hour (Life Safety Code requirement = sprinkled versus non-sprinkled areas).

Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
One thing I have done in the past is obtain a variance for tenant spaces. I had one community center (read strip mall) with no sprinkler. The building owner leased it to a restaurant. This put the building over area. We obtained a variance to bring in a fire main and build a fire riser room. They also had the cost to run a water main large enough for the required supply. The new tenant then had a sprinkled space. They installed a dry system in the attic of the building for the full length and then agreed that as tenants either turned over, or remodeled, the existing spaces would add sprinklers. The state commission approved this.
 
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