North Carolina Question

[LGreene]

Is anyone familiar with the NC Building Code? There's a paragraph specific to NC that I'd like some help with:

407.10 Locks and latches. Door-locking arrangements shall be permitted in Group I-2 where the clinical or security needs of the patients require specialized locking measures for their safety or the safety of others, provided keys are carried at all times by staff that are responsible for the evacuation of the occupants within the locked building unit(s). Provisions for remote locking and unlocking of occupied rooms are required where more than 10 locks are necessary to be unlocked in order to move occupants from one smoke compartment to another smoke compartment. These locks may include mechanical locks, electromagnetic locks and other approved locking devices.

The building in question is assisted living, with 20+ dwelling units. The unit entry doors are lockable on the outside, with free egress from within each unit. The architect is asking if the doors need remote unlocking based on the section above.

To me it sounds like the section above is like the section for controlled egress locks in health care, where the lock is impeding egress. It doesn't seem like it would apply when there is free egress but I'm not familiar with how this section is normally interpreted.

 

[cda]

I would ask why is it considered an I-2.


If anyone can just freely open the door and walk out, I would say it does not apply.

 

[steveray]

I'm with CDA on that...

 

[LGreene]

I would ask why is it considered an I-2.

That's a very good question. The architect told me that it is I-2 and asked about the NC section, so I just looked at the NC paragraph without asking him why it's an I-2. I will ask.

 

[cda]

That's a very good question. The architect told me that it is I-2 and asked about the NC section, so I just looked at the NC paragraph without asking him why it's an I-2. I will ask.

And can they walk out anytime they want??

 

[LGreene]

And can they walk out anytime they want??

I believe so, yes. It looks like the senior apartment building my grandma lived in - basically regular little apartments with some extra amenities in the common area like a dining room and a sunroom. If it turns out that this is actually a memory care facility, the residents would not be locked in their units but maybe the exterior doors would have controlled egress locks. I have submitted a question to the NCDOI to find out where this paragraph applies. The 2012 NC code deletes the IBC section that allows controlled egress in some I-2 units, so I believe this paragraph is the replacement for that and would not apply when doors allow free egress.

 

[cda]

Can they do delayed egress??

Or the warning system when a person approaches an exit.

 

[LGreene]

Can they do delayed egress??

Or the warning system when a person approaches an exit.

They can use either of those to secure the area if they want to, but the architect's question was about the individual dwelling unit doors. I got a response from the SFM's office saying that the paragraph is intended to apply to doors that are locked on the egress side (the dwelling unit doors are not). The NC paragraph basically replaces the IBC section on controlled egress, and allows the doors to be mechanically locked or electrically locked, unless there are more than 10 doors that would have to be unlocked to move from one smoke compartment to the other in which case electric locks with remote release are required.