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Permitted width reduction @ stairway landings

Mitch

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Oct 8, 2021
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17
Location
Brooklyn, NY
IBC 2015 Section 1011.6 Stairway landings.
"...Every landing shall have a minimum width measured perpendicular to the direction of travel equal to the width of the stairway.... Doors opening onto a landing shall not reduce the landing to less than one-half the required width..."
According to my understanding of the above, a door opening onto a stairway can come pretty close to the stairs as shown in the image below. However, the close proximity doesn't seem right. Am I overlooking or misinterpreting something?

image (4).png
 
Not so sure about that....

1005.7.1 Doors

Diagram
Doors, when fully opened, shall not reduce the required width by more than 7 inches (178 mm). Doors in any position shall not reduce the required width by more than one-half.
Exceptions:
  1. Surface-mounted latch release hardware shall be exempt from inclusion in the 7-inch maximum (178 mm) encroachment where both of the following conditions exist:
    1. The hardware is mounted to the side of the door facing away from the adjacent wall where the door is in the open position.
    2. The hardware is mounted not less than 34 inches (865 mm) nor more than 48 inches (1219 mm) above the finished floor.
  2. The restrictions on door swing shall not apply to doors within individual dwelling units and sleeping units of Group R-2 occupancies and dwelling units of Group R-3 occupancies.
 
You are interpreting it correctly, but you still have to provide the proper clearances at the door per ANSI/ICC A117.1. Therefore, an 18-inch area is required on the latch side.
Why would a door maneuvering clearance be required if the stairway is not part of an accessible means of egress? ANSI/ICC A117.1 only requires doors which are part of an accessible route to provide clearances and stairways are not a component of accessible routes.
 
Why would a door maneuvering clearance be required if the stairway is not part of an accessible means of egress? ANSI/ICC A117.1 only requires doors which are part of an accessible route to provide clearances and stairways are not a component of accessible routes.
Stairways are not exempted locations from the accessible route requirements in IBC Chapter 11. Unless you provide two elevators as the minimum accessible means of egress (AMOE), stairways will likely provide at least one, if not both, of the AMOE, especially if they include an area of refuge.

Not all disabilities are wheelchair-related--someone with a cane, missing a limb, etc. may have difficulty opening a door if there is no space provided on the latch side.
 
Move the door closer to the wall so it will give the maneuvering clearance and not swing as far into the path of travel.
 
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