• 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

Does a storage room at an M occupancy require a separation?

D

DavidLopez

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
1
Does a storage room at an M occupancy require a separation? per table 508.4 there is no requirement between a M and S1 but if between M and S2 yes it is required?
 
Welcome to the forum!

Need more info, what code are you operating under? What are the sizes of the M and the storage room? What are you storing? Is the building sprinklered?
 
It is possible under 508.3 to have a non-sperated M & S-2 as long as you meet the most restrictive requirements of Chapter 9 for each occupancy. As fatboy mentioned more info is needed
 
David

Welcome , since no one else wants to say hi

How did you find us??

Do you mind saying what line of work you are in
 
Under the 2003 codes...we have to seperate (1hr) or sprinkler storage rooms over 100 square ft.....I know in the newer codes that goes away to some extent....And like MT says, if the whole building works as storage or M, you might be good as well......Many different ways to shear a cat!

And Welcome!
 
Any hazmats driving this separation? If not, it just another room in an occupancy that looks and acts like storage.

Does anyone besides me miss the old UBC B-2? We never had this level of occupancy drama.
 
Isn't the easiest way to deal with a store room is to consider it accessory to the main occupancy if it is less than 10% of the floor area? Is there anything forcing you to use the incidental use table for storage room if it could be deemed accessory?
 
By definition M use is the "display and sale of merchandise and involves stocks of goods, wares or merchandise incidental to such purposes"...

So the salews floor and the incidental stock is the same use catergory. Older codes BOCA 4 one had a percentage but it is really irrelevant

think of the Sams Costco all storage all mercantile or the old style shoe store 1 on display 200 in stock - both are mercantile
 
I found an interesting article which covers the idea of using incidental areas VS using non-separated. I'm not 100% sure it is right but it seems to make sense:

Single News View[tt_news]=69583&cHash=82d9ce9092&r44b=no

"Prior to the 2012 edition of the IBC, the incidental use provisions could be strategically applied at the option of the engineer. The engineer had the option of applying the incidental use provisions or applying the separated or nonseparated occupancies provisions of the code. In the 2012 IBC, the incidental use provisions were moved to Section 509: Incidental uses, through which the incidental use requirements apply regardless of the code strategy for mixed occupancies. Therefore, application of the incidental use provisions is no longer optional in the 2012 IBC. However, some of the rooms or areas that were historically identified as incidental uses have been revised in recent editions of the code. For example, prior to the 2009 IBC, storage rooms greater than 100 sq ft in area had been included in the incidental use provisions of the code. With the 2009 and 2012 editions, storage rooms are no longer considered incidental uses."
 
Note that under Table 509 Incidential uses in 2012 Storage rooms are no longer listed as incidental uses--so no separation required
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top