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The Building Code Blog

August Update + A Means of Egress Question

8/31/2020

8 Comments

 
It's been a full summer here on my end, at least in one sense. While the pandemic has forced vacation cancellations and generally fewer social gatherings, work has been full steam ahead for the past few months. I've also been working on a weekly basis to help PE Roadmap clients as they study for the Fire Protection PE exam this fall. As we get towards the last remaining months before the October exam, I am looking forward to some more regular posts on the blog, which I anticipate to be a mixture of life safety tools, cheat sheets and code questions.

On another front, I've also had some recent conversations with Joe Meyer over at MeyerFire regarding our Code Calls initiative. While we are still soliciting feedback from Indiana AHJs regarding their local requirements, we are also looking for some ways to further jump start our progress. One of these is putting together a database that provides a link to State/City/County/Municipality local amendments, as well as the link to that jurisdiction's website where you can find contact information. Similar to the main Code Calls database, we are starting in Indiana and hoping to branch out from there. More on that in the coming months.

Code Question - Openings in Stairs From Normally Occupied Spaces

On a recent project, an architect I am working with received a comment stating that openings in stairways are only permitted from normally occupied spaces. I have come across this requirement before, which originates from IBC 1023.4.
​Openings in interior exit stairways and ramps other than unprotected exterior openings shall be limited to those necessary for exit access to the enclosure from normally occupied spaces and for egress from the enclosure. (2015 IBC 1023.4)
While I am quite familiar with this requirement, the fact that it was brought up in this particular situation was shocking. That's because the floor in question, a basement, was designed with two exit stairs and an enclosed corridor running the length of the building and connecting the stairs. I've sketched up a simplified version of the layout below. The plan review comments indicated that the openings into the stairs were from not-normally occupied spaces and did not comply with IBC 1023.4.
Corridor Arrangement
Sketch of the proposed basement layout with a corridor connecting the two exit stairs.
If either of the stairs opened up directly into the mechanical, electrical or storage rooms, this comment would make sense to me. However, the openings into both stairs are from the corridor, which I have always considered normally occupied space. In fact, the IBC actually requires rated corridors to continue to an exit (IBC 1020.6). While the corridors in this design are not currently rated, if the code requires corridors continuity to an exit in certain situations, how could a corridor be considered not-normally occupied here?

Upon a followup conversation with the plan reviewer, the local jurisdiction has taken the position that because all of the rooms (mechanical, electrical and storage) on the floor are considered not-normally occupied, the corridor serving those rooms should be treated the same. The reviewer also cited concern that corridor could be used for storage and result in potential fire spread into the stair.

When I brought up potential solutions, it seems that rating the corridor (or providing a rated stair vestibule) would satisfy the jurisdictions concerns.

What Do You Think?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this situation. Should this corridor be considered not normally occupied? Does this design meet the intent of IBC 1023.4? Let me know in the comments section!

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8 Comments
Don
9/1/2020 10:03:30 am

This arrangement absolutely meets the intent of IBC 1023.4. It's common practice, at least in SoCal, to add a non-rated vestibule between stairs that open directly into MEP rooms to satisfy this requirement.

Also, even if the corridor is 1-hour rated, I'm not sure how that mitigates the issue of considering it a not-normally occupied space or that storage would occur in the corridor.

Reply
Chris Campbell
9/1/2020 12:23:43 pm

Thanks for the input, Don...I agree with your comments.

Reply
Michael Major
9/1/2020 01:22:03 pm

I'm shocked as well. The code defines a corridor as a component in the means of egress.

Anyway.

How about as a solution, placing lines on the ground and signs on the wall of the corridor that say, "By order of the fire marshal, no storage allowed"?

Reply
Kyle M PE
9/15/2020 08:40:32 am

Chris, 2 questions:

- why were 2 exits required?
- No panic hardware or second door from the electrical room?

Reply
Edward Arias
1/30/2021 06:27:20 am

I agree with your positon.

The intent of the code it prevent direct exit stair access from the ROOM not from a corridor.

Plus rating the corridor doesn't solve the potential storage in the corridor. As designers, we can only limit our design to the intended use and if the intended use is a corridor then thats the extent of our design and the operator should consider mitigation procedures to prevent storage in the corridor.

At the end of it, it seems a rated vestibule would really be the best option to make all parties happy.

Reply
MckinneyRee link
10/13/2021 11:59:18 pm

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Reply
Michael P link
12/22/2021 09:24:21 am

I also agree with your position.

We are working on a project where an Owner wants to add an elevator that opens directly into the floor landings of an existing 2-story egress stair shaft. We are planning to add a small ADA compliant vestibule between the new elevator shaft and the existing stair shaft. The vestibule, in effect, would be a very short corridor that provides direct access to the egress stair.

Because an elevator cannot open directly into an exit enclosure, I believe adding the vestibule would create a code compliant condition.

Reply
RT
2/2/2024 05:37:42 pm

Edward is correct. The intent is for the normally unoccupied space not to open directly to the stair. SoCal comment after that is typical of SoCal AHJs. They also like to enforce 15lb door opening force when the CASFM has determined that is not correct when a building is in smoke control mode. The Chapter 11 provisions do not apply and, if enforced, inherently make the buildings less safe. But I digress...

Let's look at it this way. If you had the room opening directly to the stair, that would not be acceptable. Put a vestibule in between and you are compliant, right? So what's the difference here between the vestibule and the corridor provided? Both provide separation.

Just another AHJ not understanding the bigger picture.

Reply



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  • Home
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  • Tools
    • Allowable Height & Area Calculator - Non-Separated Mixed Occupancy
    • Allowable Height & Area Calculator - Separated Mixed Occupancy
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    • Calculated Fire Resistance for Wood Walls
    • Fire and Smoke Damper Tool
    • Fire Wall/Exterior Wall Intersection Tool
    • Frontage Calculator
    • IBC Occupant Load Calculator
    • Plumbing Fixture Calculator
    • Stair Pressurization Estimator