Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a)
Exits: Two exits shall be required for stories with less than 500 occupants.
Three exits shall be required for stories with 501 to 1,000 occupants. Four
exits shall be required for stories with more than 1,000 occupants. Two means
of egress are also required from all mezzanines with an occupant load greater
than 50 or with exit travel distance greater than 75 feet.
1. A single exit is permitted in the story at
the level of exit discharge when the occupant load of the story does not exceed
50 and the exit access travel distance does not exceed 75 feet.
2. Existing fire escapes shall be accepted as
providing one of the required means of egress unless judged to be dangerous for
use under emergency exiting conditions. For use of fire escapes, access shall
be through a door except when serving an occupant load of 10 or fewer. All
occupants shall have unobstructed access to fire escapes without having to pass
through a room subject to locking.
i. When
more than one exit is required and there is not sufficient space for an
exterior stair within the lot line, a new fire escape shall be accepted as
providing one of the required means of egress. Newly-installed fire escapes
shall comply with FTO-3.
ii.
Ladders shall be prohibited on fire escapes used as a required means of egress.
(Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(b) Egress Doorways: A minimum of
two egress doorways shall be required for all rooms and spaces with an occupant
load greater than 50 or in which the travel distance exceeds 75 feet. All
egress doors serving an occupant load greater than 50 shall swing in the
direction of exit travel.
1. Exception:
Storage rooms with a maximum occupant load of 10 shall not be required to have
two egress doorways.
2. All
required exit doors equipped with latching devices in buildings or spaces with
an occupant load greater than 100 shall be equipped with approved panic
hardware.
3. If there are more than
two individual rooms which can be used for separate functions, each with an
occupant load of more than 300, the required egress doors from such rooms shall
lead directly outside or to an exit passageway. Exit passageways shall be
completely enclosed by assemblies having a fire-resistance rating of at least
two hours, shall lead directly outside and shall not be used for any other
purpose unless a horizontal exit is provided in accordance with the building
subcode. (Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(c) Capacity of Means of Egress:
The capacity of the means of egress in each work area shall be determined in
accordance with
5:23-6.11(b). The
main exit and at least one remaining exit shall be placed a distance apart
equal to one-half the length of the maximum overall diagonal distance of the
area served in buildings not equipped throughout with an automatic fire
sprinkler system and one-third the maximum overall diagonal distance of the
area served in buildings that are equipped throughout with an automatic fire
sprinkler system. (Plan review -- Building, Fire. Inspection -- Building)
1. Buildings with an occupant load of 100 or
more shall have a main entrance capable of serving as the main exit with an
egress capacity for at least one-half the total occupant load. The remaining
exits shall be capable of providing two-thirds of the total required exit
capacity.
2. Buildings with an
occupant load of more than 300 shall have a main entrance capable of serving as
the main exit with an egress capacity for at least two-thirds of the total
occupant load. The remaining exits shall also be capable of providing
two-thirds of the total required exit capacity.
(d) Dead End Corridors: Existing dead end
corridors shall not exceed 35 feet in length.
Exceptions are allowed as follows:
1. Dead end corridors may be up to 50 feet in
length in a building with an automatic alarm system installed in conformance
with the building code in effect at the time of its installation.
2. Dead end corridors may be up to 70 feet in
length in a building with a suppression system installed in conformance with
the building code in effect at the time of its installation. (Plan
review--Building, Fire. Inspection-- Building)
(e) Means of Egress Lighting: Artificial
lighting with an intensity of not less than one foot candle at floor level
shall be required during all times that the conditions of occupancy of the
building require that the exits be available. Lighting shall also be required
to illuminate the exit discharge. In all buildings, rooms or spaces required to
have more than one exit or exit access, means of egress lighting shall be
connected to an emergency electrical system conforming to NFPA 70 (NEC) except
that continued illumination shall be required to be provided for not less than
one hour in the case of primary power loss.
1.
In buildings used for motion pictures or other projections by means of directed
light, the illumination of aisles may be reduced during periods of projection
to not less than 0.2 foot candle. The switch requirements and location(s) for
controlling egress lighting connected to the emergency electrical system shall
be in conformance with the NFPA 70 (NEC). (Plan review--Building, Fire,
Electric. Inspection--Building)
(f) Illuminated Exit Signs: Illuminated exit
signs shall be provided for all required means of egress in all buildings,
rooms or spaces required to have more than one exit or exit access. Exit signs
shall be visible from the exit access and supplemented by directional signs
when necessary. (Exception: Approved main exterior doors that are clearly
identified as exits are not required to have exit signs.) Exit signs shall meet
the following criteria:
1. Red or green
letters at least six inches high; minimum width of each stroke 3/4 inch on a
white background or in other approved distinguishable colors. Arrows, if
provided, shall be such that the direction cannot readily be changed. The word
"Exit" shall be clearly discernible when the sign is not energized.
2. Exit signs shall be illuminated at all
times when the building is occupied by a source providing at least five foot
candles at the illuminated surface or shall be approved self-luminous signs
which provide evenly illuminated letters with a minimum luminance of 0.06 foot
lamberts. Exit signs shall be connected to an emergency electrical system
conforming to NFPA 70 (NEC) except that continued illumination shall be
required to be provided for not less than one hour in the case of primary power
loss. No emergency power shall be required for approved self-luminous signs.
(Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(g) Handrails: Every required exit stairway
having three or more risers and not provided with handrails or in which the
existing handrails are in danger of collapsing when used under emergency
exiting conditions, shall be provided with handrails for the full length of the
run of steps on at least one side. All exit stairways more than 66 inches wide
shall have handrails on both sides unless the full width of the stairway is not
needed to accommodate the design occupancy. (Plan review--Building, Fire.
Inspection--Building)
(h) Guards:
Every open portion of a stair, landing or balcony which is more than 30 inches
above the floor or grade below and is not provided with guards or those in
which the existing guards are in danger of collapsing when used under emergency
exiting conditions, shall be provided with guards. (Plan review--Building,
Fire. Inspection--Building)
(i)
Vertical Opening Protection: Vertical opening protection for interior stairways
and other vertical openings shall be provided as follows:
1. For vertical openings connecting more than
six floor levels, approved assemblies having a fire resistance rating of not
less than two hours with approved opening protectives shall be
required.
2. For vertical openings
connecting four to six floor levels, approved assemblies having a fire
resistance rating of not less than one hour with approved opening protectives
shall be required.
3. For vertical
openings not exceeding three stories, a minimum 30 minute UFC fire barrier
shall be required. Exceptions are as follows:
i. When connecting the main floor and
mezzanines; or
ii. When all of the
following conditions are met:
(1) The
communicating area has a low hazard occupancy or has a moderate hazard
occupancy which is protected throughout by an automatic suppression system;
and
(2) The lowest or next to the
lowest level is a street floor; and
(3) The entire area is open and unobstructed
in a manner such that it may be assumed that a fire in any part of the
interconnected spaces will be readily obvious to all of the occupants;
and
(4) Exit capacity is sufficient
to provide egress simultaneously for all the occupants of all levels by
considering all areas to be a single floor area for the determination of
required exit capacity; and
(5)
Each floor level, considered separately, has at least one-half of its
individual required exit capacity provided by an exit or exits leading directly
out of that level without having to traverse another communicating floor level
or be exposed to the smoke or fire spreading from another communicating floor
level. (Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection-- Building)
(j)
Structural Elements: Structural elements which are uncovered during the course
of the rehabilitation and which are found to be unsound or otherwise
structurally deficient, shall be reinforced, supported or replaced in
accordance with the applicable structural design criteria of the building
subcode. Where structural elements are sound, there is no excessive deflection
(defined as deflection in excess of the standards set forth in
5:23-6.7(c)1 ) ,
and fixed loads are not changing in a way that will increase the stresses on
existing structures beyond that which is permitted by
5:23-6.7(c),
existing structural elements shall be permitted to remain. (Building)
(k) Plumbing Fixtures: Plumbing fixtures
shall be provided as follows. Where the plumbing subcode allows for the
substitution or omission of fixtures, such substitutions or omissions shall
also be permitted under this section. (Plumbing)
| Total Occupancy< 1
> | Water Closets | Drinking Water Facilities |
Service Sinks |
| Male | Female | Lavatories |
| 1-25 | 1
Unisex | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 and over | Fixtures to be provided
as per Table 7.21.1 of the plumbing subcode. |
| Note 1. For purposes of determining the
number of plumbing fixtures required, total occupancy shall be the anticipated
occupancy of the building under normal use conditions. It is not necessarily
the same as the total permitted occupant load based on egress capacity. |
(l)
Mechanical Requirements: All spaces intended for occupancy shall be provided
with either natural or mechanical ventilation.
1. Spaces intended to be naturally ventilated
shall be provided with openable doors, windows, louvers, or other openings to
the outdoors. The minimum openable area to the outdoors shall be four percent
of the floor area being ventilated. Where rooms without openings to the
outdoors are ventilated through an adjoining room, the unobstructed opening to
the adjoining room shall be at least eight percent of the floor area of the
interior room or space, but not less than 25 square feet. The ventilation
openings to the outdoors shall be based on the total floor area being
ventilated.
2.
Mechanically-ventilated spaces shall comply with the following:
i. Newly-installed HVAC systems shall comply
with the requirements of the mechanical subcode.
ii. Existing systems that are altered or
extended shall not reduce the amount of outside air below the existing rate per
person or the rate included in the mechanical subcode, whichever is lower. As a
minimum, mechanically-ventilated spaces shall be provided with five CFM per
person of outdoor air and 15 CFM of ventilation air per person.
3. All newly-introduced devices,
equipment or operations that produce airborne particulates, odors, fumes,
sprays, vapors, smoke or gases in such quantities to be irritating or injurious
to health shall be provided with local exhaust. (Building)
(m) Interior finishes shall comply with
5:23-6.11(c).
(Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(n) Specific Occupancy Areas: Specific
occupancy areas within the work area, as listed in
5:23-6.30(h),
shall comply with the requirements established in that section for separation
and/or protection. (Building)
(o) Fireblocking and
Draftstopping: When the work being performed creates or exposes the framing of
any wall, floor, ceiling or roof, the framing shall comply with Section 717 of
the building sub-code.
