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what is a bedroom

E

edo

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
15
Location
South bay of San Francisco
Example: If I construct a wall in the middle of a living room without a door, does that create two bedrooms or i need to install a door in-order for the two rooms to be considered bedroom?

What is the definition of a bedroom?

Thanks in advance.
 
As a rule, we define a bedroom as a room with a clothes closet........but that probably would not stand under scrutiny. If the designer labels it as a bedroom (sleeping room), and it meets the requirements as such, then it is, what it is, move on.
 
If the plans indicate that it is a bedroom, then inspect as a bedroom. If the plans indicate it is a sewing room or library room, then inspect accordingly. I normally indicate on the Certificate of Occupancy how many bedrooms were approved so if they change later, I am covered. As it has been indicated here numerous times, "what if" is not something we can inspect so go by the plans.
 
Every county I work in has its own definition. If there is no window then it cannot be a bedroom. If the room does not have a bathroom associated with the space, ie you have to walk across a living area to get to the bath then it is not a bedroom.

They used to use the closet idea but most don't anymore.
 
The question comes down to who decides what a room is. Does the owner get to pick? How about the designer? In as much as the code has specific requirements for various rooms I think it falls on the code official to determine what the rooms are.

Some planning departments require a certain amount of parking per bedroom.

Some jurisdictions size a water heater per the number of bedrooms.

Septic systems are sized per the number of bedrooms.

Density studies are based on bedrooms.

I have seen many houses where every room including the garage is a sleeping room.

The owner could say that he has a one bedroom, one den, one study,one office house.

Many times I have heard, "It is the kid's playroom/den/study/sewing room/library/office/TV room/exercise room/store room and it doesn't require an EERO or smoke detector, and in times past, arc fault protection.

I always tell them that the building department makes that determination.

The particular use that is present is no indication of what a room is.

A sleeping room isn't required to have a closet or direct access to a bathroom or a hallway that leads to a bathroom.

Any room can have a closet and a door to a bathroom.

Nobody said that this would be easy.
 
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ICE said:
The question comes down to who decides what a room is. Does the owner get to pick? How about the designer? In as much as the code has specific requirements for various rooms I think it falls on the code official to determine what the rooms are.Some planning departments require a certain amount of parking per bedroom.

Some jurisdictions size a water heater per the number of bedrooms.

Density studies are based on bedrooms.

I have seen many houses where every room including the garage is a sleeping room.

The owner could say that he has a one bedroom, one den, one study,one office house.

Many times I have heard, "It is the kid's playroom/den/study/sewing room/library/office/TV room/exercise room/store room and it doesn't require an EERO or smoke detector and in times past, arc fault protection.

I always tell them that the building department makes that determination.

The particular use that is present is no indication of what a room is.

A sleeping room isn't required to have a closet or direct access to a bathroom or a hallway that leads to a bathroom.

Any room can have a closet and a door to a bathroom.

Nobody said that this would be easy.
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The reason that the building code doesn't regulate things like this is to give the code official some room to apply logic given their jurisdiction. For instance; ICE might find people sleeping in garages in his jurisdiction, but in ours that would be extremely unlikely without significant renovations.
 
A definition for bedroom needs to be addressed by the building. If you look at IRC 1401.3 for sizing of the HVAC system for occupancy load is based on bedrooms plus 1.
 
2006IRC, sec. R304.2 Other Rooms. Other habitable rooms shall have a floor area of not less than 70sf, exceptions: Kitchens.

Sec. R304.1 Minimum area, Every dwelling unit shall have one habitable room that shall have not less than 120 sf of gross floor area. Not knowing all the issues, but beaware of these two requirements when dividing up rooms.

Pc1
 
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Habitable rooms would be: living rooms, bedrooms and a kitchen.

OP sez he/she is dividing a living room, maybe creating two bedrooms. Both bedrooms would also require emergency egress and SD's. Closets would be a hint it's a beroom to the BO or inspector. HVAC issues and wall support below the floor should be considered as well.

pc1
 
Typo on post #14, should read 120sf not 12. Sorry not a sawhorse yet! Maybe the moderator can correct it for me?

pc1
 
Dennis said:
Every county I work in has its own definition. If there is no window then it cannot be a bedroom. If the room does not have a bathroom associated with the space, ie you have to walk across a living area to get to the bath then it is not a bedroom. They used to use the closet idea but most don't anymore.
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None of that is code language.
 
IPMC definition

BEDROOM. Any room or space used or intended to be used for sleeping purposes in either a dwelling or sleeping unit.

Sometimes a code official may want to label a den or craft room as a bedroom but then the "bedroom" may not comply with other code requirements. I agree note the number of bedrooms on the CO along with the use of the other room (den, office, craft) and move on

404.4.3 Water closet accessibility.

Every bedroom shall have access to at least one water closet and one lavatory without passing through another bedroom. Every bedroom in a dwelling unit shall have access to at least one water closet and lavatory located in the same story as the bedroom or an adjacent story.

ANSI

1002.2 Primary Entrance.

The accessible primary entrance shall be on an accessible route from public and common areas. The primary entrance shall not be to a bedroom.
 
This was the same question that brought me to this forum years ago. I researched this heavily and tried to find a fair definition. I couldn't, but I learned a lot.

I couldn't find a definition that would still allow my fellow countrymen the freedom of architecture and use of their private home that they should be afforded. This is a huge problem for us when it comes to basement finishing...a big thing in my region.

We finally decided it was up to the designers, not us. We require each room be labeled on the plans. By gosh if someone wants a sewing room, exercise room, craft room or the like it's not our place to tell them they can't have it. If they label it as such, we put a giant red sticker on the plans that states "Not reviewed for compliance as a bedroom or sleeping room". We also make it very clear that this is the legal description and use of the room that will forever be discoverable in our records by anyone that wishes...including real estate agents and lawyers.

Personal opinion:

[soapbox]

In our country, I believe that we should be able to buy enough rope to tie a noose if we wish. We also must be accountable for the results of that noose. We cannot prohibit your buying the rope based what you "may" do with it. We cannot prohibit you from buying string, just because you "may" represent it as a climbing rope when you sell it to someone else. We cannot restrict the rights of responsible Americans that wish to truly have a sewing room, just because we assume it "may" be used as a bedroom in the future. It would be nice if we could have more personal responsibility and less society regulation. As a proud administer of government regulations, I can confidently say we have too much regulation.

Cheers to your sewing room! Enjoy it! I stand by your right to have it, by not by your fraud to use it or sell it as a bedroom. Although...I encourage the next family to come check our records before they buy. Another example of personal responsibility. Hey...I can dream..

[/soapbox]
 
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I know that there is no easy answer to this. If it looks like a bedroom, smells like a bedroom, etc ....... I treat it as a bedroom. I try to keep in mind that the current resident may want to call it an office, but the house will probably be owned by others over it's life. The realtor will probably list it as a bedroom and sell it to the new owner as a bedroom. They have no idea that it isn't a bedroom and use it as a bedroom. You can't stop people from using a dining room as a bedroom, but most dining rooms are obvious due to their location in relation to other rooms. If I think a room looks like a bedroom, the average person will also assume it is a bedrrom and the room will likely be used as a bedroom eventually. If the builder doesn't like it, appeal my decision.

We aren't inspecting what the current person is going to do with the house .... we are inspecting a house for the current and all future owners / occupants.
 
I'm a little bit luckier, Planning dep't has ordinance under parking requirement.

It states, A dan, library, study or similar habitable room which functionally could be used as a bedroom shall be considered a bedroom for purposes of determining required parking.
 
We inspect according to what the plans have labeled. If the plans say bedroom it is a bedroom. If the plans say dog wash room it is a dog wash room and will be inspected as a dog wash room. The county real estate assessor records the number of bedrooms based on the plans. This puts it in the official and public record as such. Note the CO and sleep well.
 
the room is what the plans say it is. i can point out that it cannot be used as a bedroom, but that's about it.

on a side note, the Sanitation dept in the town I used to work had jurisdiction over septic systems. for system size calculations, they took the total number of rooms and divided it in half to determine the numberof bedrooms as applicable to design. their state code.
 
MikeC said:
We aren't inspecting what the current person is going to do with the house .... we are inspecting a house for the current and all future owners / occupants.
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I would have to disagree. We are inspecting to current code, given current conditions, and current plans. If it is listed as an office on the plans, it is an office. If and when a new owner changes the use to a bedroom, then we have a violation. Not before. We can not predict, or plan, for all future violations.
 
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