Metting Room floor receptacles

[Mr. Inspector]

2017 NEC 210.71 (B) (2) requires floor receptacles in meeting rooms at least 12' wide and 215 sq ft. I need to be sure when they are required in an existing building with a concrete floor. In this case they want to enlarge an existing meeting room that will meet the room size requirements for floor receptacles.
1. Will they need to cut open the existing slab and add the floor receptacles?
2. Will they also need to add the wall receptacles spaced per NEC 210.71 (B) (1) in the existing walls or just the new walls.

 

[jar546]

2017 NEC 210.71 (B) (2) requires floor receptacles in meeting rooms at least 12' wide and 215 sq ft. I need to be sure when they are required in an existing building with a concrete floor. In this case they want to enlarge an existing meeting room that will meet the room size requirements for floor receptacles.
1. Will they need to cut open the existing slab and add the floor receptacles?
2. Will they also need to add the wall receptacles spaced per NEC 210.71 (B) (1) in the existing walls or just the new walls.

So is this a Level 2 alteration?

 

[steveray]

Prescriptive maybe… work area, likely not…

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Prescriptive maybe… work area, likely not…

No guessing allowed. The applicant has to choose the method, and declare it on the construction documents.

We can't tell them which method to use, nor can we assume one method or another.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Pennsylvania Existing Building Code:

301.3 Alteration, Addition or Change of Occupancy​

The alteration, addition or change of occupancy of all existing buildings shall comply with one of the methods listed in Section 301.3.1, 301.3.2 or 301.3.3 as selected by the applicant. Sections 301.3.1 through 301.3.3 shall not be applied in combination with each other.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

Prescriptive maybe… work area, likely not…

Did not say what method yet. This is the first plan review. I never ever got the method without asking on the first review. Also unless I dealt with this building before I always need to ask for current C. O. so I know that it is not a Change of Occupancy. We have a lot of commercial buildings without a C. O. because local enforcement of codes only started 20 years ago.

Occupancy is B. For electric plans do not indicate any changes of receptacles, only lighting.

Prescriptive maybe… work area, likely not…

I don't see anything about electric in the Prescriptive Chapter in the 2018 IEBC.

 

[jar546]

Did not say what method yet. This is the first plan review. I never ever got the method without asking on the first review. Also unless I dealt with this building before I always need to ask for current C. O. so I know that it is not a Change of Occupancy. We have a lot of commercial buildings without a C. O. because local enforcement of codes only started 20 years ago.

If no CO and L&I does not have any records then it is an uncertified building.

BTW, Section 807 Electrical applies because based on your original description, it is obvious that this is a Level 2 at a minimum.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

BTW, Section 807 Electrical applies because based on your original description, it is obvious that this is a Level 2 at a minimum.

But chapter 8 is for level 2 alterations. Levels apply only under the work area method. Does not apply if they choose the prescriptive method.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

2018 IEBC Level 2 alterations
SECTION 807
ELECTRICAL
807.1 New installations. Newly installed electrical equipment
and wiring relating to work done in any work area shall
comply with all applicable requirements of NFPA 70 except
as provided for in Section 807.3.
807.2 Existing installations. Existing wiring in all work
areas in Group A-1, A-2, A-5, H and I occupancies shall be
upgraded to meet the materials and methods requirements of
Chapter 7.

If they are using Level 2 method this indicates to me that they don't need to add any receptacles in the enlarged meeting room. But if they do add at least one receptacle they would need to add all of the wall and floor receptacles. Is this right?

Jar: About half of all the plan reviews i do for commercial jobs in this area don't have any current C. O.'s. I treat them as a Change of Occupancy, from nothing to something.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

PA Existing Building Code (from UpCodes):

601.1 Scope The provisions of this chapter shall be used in conjunction with Chapters 7 through 12 and shall apply to the alteration, addition and change of occupancy of existing structures, including historic and moved structures, as referenced in Section 301.3.2. The work performed on an existing building shall be classified in accordance with this chapter.

601.1.1 Compliance With Other Alternatives
Alterations, additions and changes of occupancy to existing structures shall comply with the provisions of Chapters 7 through 12 or with one of the alternatives provided in Section 301.3.

So ... classification of work into Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 applies only to chapters 7 through 12.

Chapter 7 ==> Alterations - Level 1

Chapter 8 ==> Alterations - Level 2

Chapter 9 ==> Alterations - Level 3

Chapter 10 ==> Change of Occupancy

Chapter 11 ==> Additions

Chapter 12 ==> Historic Buildings

The prescriptive Method is chapter 5. Since chapter 6, Classification of Work, applies only to chapters 7 through 12, it obviously does not apply to the Prescriptive Method (chapter 5) or to the Performance Method (chapter 13). Therefore, section 807 doesn't apply under the Prescriptive Method unless there is something in chapter 3 or chapter 5 that tells us it applies.

This is why the applicant NEEDS to tell us up front what compliance method they are using. Generally, they have no idea -- they just draw plans without ever opening up the IEBC. We routinely reject alteration plans that don't declare the compliance method, and the questions we receive in response clearly show that the designers don't have any idea what the IEBC says.

Also, if they are using the Work Area Method, the IEBC says they have to show the work area(s) on the plans. It's very rare to see that done on a first submittal.

 

[jar546]

About half of all the plan reviews i do for commercial jobs in this area don't have any current C. O.'s. I treat them as a Change of Occupancy, from nothing to something.

As you should be.