R311.3 Floors and landings at exterior doors.

[tbz]

So here is the question that keeps coming back around the table, time and time again.

R311.3 requires a landing outside all exterior doors, except for when R311.3.2 exception 2 is met.

The exception in R311.3, says if the floor area is not over 60sqft then you are not required to have the full 36" minimum travel direction

However, it does not say, you can eliminate it fully.

So the common practice is to put guards across a door opening to nowhere, and if the 4-sphere rule is maintained not require a landing, but the more I look at this, where is the justification per code for nothing at all, and if nothing is not allowed, what do you believe is the minimum to be established, since the exception says it does not need to be 36".

 

[steveray]

So....Juliette balconies?

 

[Mr. Inspector]

The exception is for balconies, like this. I would say the landing would need to be as large as possible which means this would need a solid floor.


This would not be a balcony because there is no floor

 

[tbz]

So if it is not a balcony for the exception is it a door or full height window?

The reason I am asking is if it is a door, then landing required.

And where is it, I know this has been regurgitated many times, but the issue has come up in a lecture from both sides, so I am testing the waters again.

 

[steveray]

I would call it a door and a landing if someone could reasonably stand on it....Other than that I could go window and guard....Either way I don't think it really changes how it is constructed....

 

[tbz]

I would call it a door and a landing if someone could reasonably stand on it....Other than that I could go window and guard....Either way I don't think it really changes how it is constructed....

so when an opening has no landing on the exterior, your interpretation is that it is not considered a door by code and becomes a window and follows that portion of the code through the flow chart.

Very logical, so prior to the model code adding the requirements for windows in R312, it was a door, but with windows now in R312 it has a logical flow.

I like it. Thanks MT... moving over to the other thread with that logic.

 

[steveray]

Yep...if there is a 6' drop at the "window" it gets an opening limiter....It gets weird between 30" and 6' though....And I might fight it a little more...