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Restaurant Storage Room Only Accessible By Stairs

A

arwat23

Registered User
Joined
Sep 19, 2023
Messages
131
Location
California
I'm working on a TI project where the building owner wants to put a small storage room on the second floor mezzanine. The building is two stories tall and is mixed use (residential on most of the second floor, restaurants on the first floor). The storage room is only going to be accessed by the owner of the building (not the tenant or the public). No elevator exists in the building, the second floor is less than 3,000 sq.ft. (no elevator should be required because of this I believe, although the ground floor is over 3,000 sq.ft.), and the storage space can only be accessed through the restaurant space we're working on.

Would it be acceptable to not have an accessible route to the storage space? Or does there need to be an accessible route? I'm leaning towards no accessible route being required since it's on a second floor and per California Building Code 11B-206.2.3 Exception 1, but I would like a second opinion in case I'm missing something.
 
arwat23 said:
I'm working on a TI project where the building owner wants to put a small storage room on the second floor mezzanine. The building is two stories tall and is mixed use (residential on most of the second floor, restaurants on the first floor). The storage room is only going to be accessed by the owner of the building (not the tenant or the public). No elevator exists in the building, the second floor is less than 3,000 sq.ft. (no elevator should be required because of this I believe, although the ground floor is over 3,000 sq.ft.), and the storage space can only be accessed through the restaurant space we're working on.

Would it be acceptable to not have an accessible route to the storage space? Or does there need to be an accessible route? I'm leaning towards no accessible route being required since it's on a second floor and per California Building Code 11B-206.2.3 Exception 1, but I would like a second opinion in case I'm missing something.
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Based on the information from the California Building Code (CBC) 11B-206.2.3, it seems that your situation might fall under an exception to the requirement for an accessible route to the storage space on the second floor. According to the CBC, in a two-story public building or facility, if one story has an occupant load of five or fewer persons and does not contain public use space, it is not required to be connected to the story above or below by an accessible route. I could be wrong, as I don't live or work in California. Yet.
 
jar546 said:
Based on the information from the California Building Code (CBC) 11B-206.2.3, it seems that your situation might fall under an exception to the requirement for an accessible route to the storage space on the second floor. According to the CBC, in a two-story public building or facility, if one story has an occupant load of five or fewer persons and does not contain public use space, it is not required to be connected to the story above or below by an accessible route. I could be wrong, as I don't live or work in California. Yet.
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I don't see the exception for 5 or fewer persons in CBC. I'm probably just missing it. Any chance you can point me to that code section?
 
I am confused by the reference to "second floor mezzanine." Is this proposed storage space on a mezzanine that's a mid-level within the second (or first) story, or is this just a chunk of space on the second story that's not accessible to the tenant on the second story?
 
Yankee Chronicler said:
I am confused by the reference to "second floor mezzanine." Is this proposed storage space on a mezzanine that's a mid-level within the second (or first) story, or is this just a chunk of space on the second story that's not accessible to the tenant on the second story?
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Sorry, I wrote that on hardly any sleep and could have worded it far better... It's a second floor space that is not accessible to the residence on the second floor, but my team is calling it a mezzanine (for code reasons, they're tying to call it that). Same level as the second floor, not a space between the second and first floor.
 
arwat23 said:
Sorry, I wrote that on hardly any sleep and could have worded it far better... It's a second floor space that is not accessible to the residence on the second floor, but my team is calling it a mezzanine (for code reasons, they're tying to call it that). Same level as the second floor, not a space between the second and first floor.
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I can't support your team in trying to call something a mezzanine that isn't a mezzanine. I've been fighting a particular engineer in town over that very issue for a good six months, and it's severely delaying the guy's client's permit. If it's a second floor space, then it's not a mezzanine and you help no one by "trying" to call it a mezzanine. [Cue the apocryphal tale of Abe Lincoln and the five-legged dog.]

[/rant mode]

Beyond that, if the building is only two stories in height the exception you cite seems to apply -- but based on the 2 story height, not the area. You have said the second floor is less than 3,000 s.f. The exception seems to require that all stories be less than 3,000 s.f. In any event, a storage space serving only the first floor occupant, accessed only through the first floor space, and not serving any of the primary functions available on the first floor seem to me to fall within the purview of the exception.
 
Yankee Chronicler said:
I can't support your team in trying to call something a mezzanine that isn't a mezzanine. I've been fighting a particular engineer in town over that very issue for a good six months, and it's severely delaying the guy's client's permit. If it's a second floor space, then it's not a mezzanine and you help no one by "trying" to call it a mezzanine. [Cue the apocryphal tale of Abe Lincoln and the five-legged dog.]
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You and me both... I can't tell you how many times I butt heads with some people on my team (supervisors mainly) over stuff like this. And what sucks if I'm usually right and the AHJ agrees with me.
Yankee Chronicler said:
Beyond that, if the building is only two stories in height the exception you cite seems to apply -- but based on the 2 story height, not the area. You have said the second floor is less than 3,000 s.f. The exception seems to require that all stories be less than 3,000 s.f. In any event, a storage space serving only the first floor occupant, accessed only through the first floor space, and not serving any of the primary functions available on the first floor seem to me to fall within the purview of the exception.
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Thanks for the confirmation on how you read this! I really appreciate it.
 
Mr. Inspector said:
Isn't there something in the IBC that you can't exit through a kitchen?
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2021 IBC - 1016.2 Egress Through Intervening Spaces​

Egress through intervening spaces shall comply with this section.
  1. Exit access through an enclosed elevator lobby is permitted. Where access to two or more exits or exit access doorways is required in Section 1006.2.1, access to not less than one of the required exits shall be provided without travel through the enclosed elevator lobbies required by Section 3006. Where the path of exit access travel passes through an enclosed elevator lobby, the level of protection required for the enclosed elevator lobby is not required to be extended to the exit unless direct access to an exit is required by other sections of this code.
  2. Egress from a room or space shall not pass through adjoining or intervening rooms or areas, except where such adjoining rooms or areas and the area served are accessory to one or the other, are not a Group H occupancy and provide a discernible path of egress travel to an exit.
    Exception: Means of egress are not prohibited through adjoining or intervening rooms or spaces in a Group H, S or F occupancy where the adjoining or intervening rooms or spaces are the same or a lesser hazard occupancy group.
  3. An exit access shall not pass through a room that can be locked to prevent egress.
  4. Means of egress from dwelling units or sleeping areas shall not lead through other sleeping areas, toilet rooms or bathrooms.
  5. Egress shall not pass through kitchens, storage rooms, closets or spaces used for similar purposes.
    Exceptions:
    1. Means of egress are not prohibited through a kitchen area serving adjoining rooms constituting part of the same dwelling unit or sleeping unit.
    2. Means of egress are not prohibited through stockrooms in Group M occupancies where all of the following are met:
      1. The stock is of the same hazard classification as that found in the main retail area.
      2. Not more than 50 percent of the exit access is through the stockroom.
      3. The stockroom is not subject to locking from the egress side.
      4. There is a demarcated, minimum 44-inch-wide (1118 mm) aisle defined by full- or partial-height fixed walls or similar construction that will maintain the required width and lead directly from the retail area to the exit without obstructions.
 
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