Increase in Elevation of Front Door threshold

[questioningcode]

I live in a city where code restricts any increase in the elevation of an existing residential front door threshold to two feet for new construction. Everything I have found indicates that builders interpret "front door threshold" to be synonymous with "finished floor elevation" or "first floor elevation," implying that code also limits how high a new first floor can be over the existing first floor. However, in my city a builder can increase the first floor elevation as high as they want, as long as the front door threshold remains only two feet above the existing threshold elevation. The city has explained that this can be accomplished by building a split foyer. So one builder recently applied for a variance for a 4.5 ft increase, was denied, but then submitted a plan that keeps the front door threshold at the 2 ft maximum increase allowed while increasing the first floor and garage by the desired 4.5 ft. This seems to go against the spirit of the code, which was intended to maintain uniformity with adjacent homes. It seems to me that the city is helping the builder bypass the code while appearing to enforce it. Does anyone have any experience or understanding of this issue?

 

[ICE]

That is a Planning Dept. Regulation. Planning Dept regulations can be as varied as there are Planning departments.

 

[TheCommish]

Also as varied depending on what side of the street you are on, a zoning requirements not a building code requirement.

 

[questioningcode]

Also as varied depending on what side of the street you are on, a zoning requirements not a building code requirement.

Maybe I was too convoluted in asking my question. When, if ever, is it normal to interpret a zoning/variance code that limits an increase in front door threshold to 2 ft so literally to say that it applies to the front door threshold ONLY and not also to the FFE? FFE should include the front door threshold, correct? Every preceding decision I have found equates threshold with FFE - if builder wants to increase the threshold height that also means he wants to increase the FFE. It is all about grading and about a new construction lot ending up higher than adjacent lots and causing runoff problems. The City's decision to limit the requested variance to the height of the front door threshold alone but to allow the main floor FFE and the Garage FFE to be raised beyond the allowable 2 ft increase seems highly unconventional.

 

[Paul Sweet]

You have to go by what the code actually says, not what you think it should say.

 

[steveray]

IMO...If you want to limit grading, limit grading...It is basically irrelevant to what height the FF is at...

 

[TheCommish]

Maybe I was too convoluted in asking my question. When, if ever, is it normal to interpret a zoning/variance code that limits an increase in front door threshold to 2 ft so literally to say that it applies to the front door threshold ONLY and not also to the FFE? FFE should include the front door threshold, correct? Every preceding decision I have found equates threshold with FFE - if builder wants to increase the threshold height that also means he wants to increase the FFE. It is all about grading and about a new construction lot ending up higher than adjacent lots and causing runoff problems. The City's decision to limit the requested variance to the height of the front door threshold alone but to allow the main floor FFE and the Garage FFE to be raised beyond the allowable 2 ft increase seems highly unconventional.

The height of the FFE is driven the landing requirements of the building code for doors, not the zoning for the threshold elevation.

2021 IRC

R311.3.1 Floor Elevations at the Required Egress Doors

Landings or finished floors at the required egress door shall be not more than 11/2 inches (38 mm) lower than the top of the threshold.

R311.7.6 Landings for Stairways

There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The width perpendicular to the direction of travel shall be not less than the width of the flight served. For landings of shapes other than square or rectangular, the depth at the walk line and the total area shall be not less than that of a quarter circle with a radius equal to the required landing width. Where the stairway has a straight run, the depth in the direction of travel shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm).

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Maybe I was too convoluted in asking my question. When, if ever, is it normal to interpret a zoning/variance code that limits an increase in front door threshold to 2 ft so literally to say that it applies to the front door threshold ONLY and not also to the FFE?

A zoning code is a zoning regulation, written and interpreted by whatever body the jurisdiction has empowered to write and enforce its zoning regulations. What you think or what we think doesn't matter. What you need to look at is the history of that jurisdiction's enforcement of that regulation.

FFE should include the front door threshold, correct? Every preceding decision I have found equates threshold with FFE - if builder wants to increase the threshold height that also means he wants to increase the FFE.

Every preceding decision you have found .... where? This is a local zoning regulation, but a building code requirement. The only preceding decisions that have any impact are other cases under that regulation within that jurisdiction.

It is all about grading and about a new construction lot ending up higher than adjacent lots and causing runoff problems. The City's decision to limit the requested variance to the height of the front door threshold alone but to allow the main floor FFE and the Garage FFE to be raised beyond the allowable 2 ft increase seems highly unconventional.

Again, it depends on how the jurisdiction has applied the same regulation to other properties in that jurisdiction.

 

[questioningcode]

A zoning code is a zoning regulation, written and interpreted by whatever body the jurisdiction has empowered to write and enforce its zoning regulations. What you think or what we think doesn't matter. What you need to look at is the history of that jurisdiction's enforcement of that regulation.



Every preceding decision you have found .... where? This is a local zoning regulation, but a building code requirement. The only preceding decisions that have any impact are other cases under that regulation within that jurisdiction.



Again, it depends on how the jurisdiction has applied the same regulation to other properties in that jurisdiction.

Exactly, this is a zoning issue. And yes, all prior variance decisions to increase the elevation of the front door threshold in the City have used the FFE and front door threshold elevation interchangeably, going back 10 years. In fact, most builders, including the builder in question, apply for an increase in FFE, not for an increase in "front door threshold," knowing that one implies the other. But in this one recent variance application, the one I cited, the City all of a sudden maintained that the terms were not interchangeable ("front door threshold" and "FFE"). In other words, the City seemed to be telling the builder how to get around the grading limitation by suggesting that he stick to the allowable 2 ft increase for the threshold but go ahead and increase the FFE (thus also the overall grade, over existing grade). In effect the builder gets the full increase that he wanted, despite the fact that his variance application was denied. Just didn't seem right. Even the Variance Board of Appeals members were confounded. The City still contends that the zoning code only refers to "front door threshold" and not to "FFE". How in the world are the two separable? Seems fishy in my opinion.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

The City still contends that the zoning code only refers to "front door threshold" and not to "FFE". How in the world are the two separable? Seems fishy in my opinion.

You have the zoning code, and we don't. What is the exact language in the regulation?

Next question: Do the zoning regulations include definitions? Legally, when an ordinance includes definitions, those definitions govern over any ordinary, dictionary definitions. If an ordinance, regulation, or statute does not include definitions, then normally-accepted dictionary definitions apply. Assuming no definitions in the zoning ordinance, my (personal and professional) view as an architect, planner, building official and editor, is that "front door threshold" means the threshold of the front entrance door, and nothing else. "FFE" in architecture typically stands for "Finished Floor Elevation" but in this context probably means "First Floor Elevation," which clearly is different from front door threshold elevation.

I live in a part of the country where "raised ranch" houses are extremely common. In that type of design, the lower level is generally half underground, the front entrance door is half a story above the lower floor elevation, and the "main" floor elevation is a half story above the entrance foyer/landing at the front door. The only part of such houses that's at the front door threshold elevation is the stair landing at the entrance door.

 

[Paul Sweet]

Try to find out why this 2 ft. limit is in the zoning code. I'm wondering if it is to limit the height of ramps that people sometimes add to their houses.

Raised ranch homes were very common in the 70s and 80s, but I haven't seen many new ones recently.

You can always request the city council to change the requirement if you can demonstrate a good reason to do so.