Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) Smoke alarms:
Battery-powered, single station smoke alarms or smoke alarms complying with the
building subcode shall be required in individual guest rooms. (Fire)
(b) 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. When more than one exit is
required, 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. Window access to fire
escapes shall be permitted from individual guestrooms.
iii. Window access shall be permitted to
serve more than one guestroom for bed and breakfasts provided that the window
serves a floor with a maximum occupant load of 10 and that the window has a
clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, a minimum net clear opening of 24
inches in height, a minimum net clear opening of 20 inches in width, and a sill
height of not more than 44 inches above the finished floor.
iv. For bed and breakfasts, where a door is
required because the occupant load served exceeds 10, the door shall have a
clear opening of at least 10 square feet, a minimum net clear opening of 54
inches in height and a minimum net clear opening of 24 inches in
width.
2. 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.
3. Multilevel guest
units do not require an exit from each level within the unit provided that
these conditions are met: The building is Type I or Type II construction, with
travel distance within the dwelling unit not exceeding 75 feet or the building
is not more than three stories and all third floor space is part of a dwelling
unit located in part on the second floor and no habitable room has a travel
distance of greater than 50 feet from the door of the room to the entrance of
the dwelling unit.
4. A single exit
is permitted from floors that are not more than 16 feet above grade provided
that each unit on such floors has an operable window with a sill height of not
more than 44 inches.
5. A single
exit is permitted in buildings that are not more than two stories in height
from floors that are more than 16 feet above grade with not more than four
dwelling units per floor and exit access travel distance not exceeding 50 feet
and with a minimum fire resistance rating of one hour for the exit enclosure
and opening protectives and provided that each dwelling unit on such floors has
an operable window with a sill height of not more than 44 inches. (Plan
review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(c) Emergency Egress Windows: When the work
being performed creates a bedroom below the fourth floor, at least one sleeping
room window or exterior door shall:
1. Be
operable;
2. Have a sill height of
not more than 44 inches;
3. Have a
width of at least 20 inches, a height of at least 24 inches, and have a minimum
total area of 5.7 square feet measured from head to sill and side to
side.
4. Windows are not required
to meet these requirements in buildings where the sleeping room is provided
with a door to a corridor having access to two remote exits or in buildings
equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system.
(d) 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 dwelling unit,
guest room or rooming unit corridor doors shall be at least 1 3/8 inch solid
core wood or approved equal with approved door closers and shall not have any
glass panels, other than approved wire glass in metal frames. Corridor doors
shall not be constructed of hollow core wood, shall not contain louvers and
shall not be of panel construction. Doors shall fit both plumb and level in
frames, and be reasonably tight fitting. All replacement doors shall be 1 3/4
inch solid core wood or approved equal, unless existing frame will accommodate
only a 1 3/8 inch door. (Note: Existing doors meeting HUD Guidelines or BOCA
Existing Structures Code (1984) for a rating of 15 minutes or better shall be
accepted.)
3. In buildings equipped
with an automatic sprinkler system, doors are required only to provide a smoke
barrier, to be free of louvers, to fit plumb and level and to be reasonably
tight fitting.
4. All doors opening
onto a passageway at grade or onto an exit stair shall be self-closing or
automatic closing by listed closing devices. (Plan review--Building, Fire.
Inspection--Building)
(e) 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).
(Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(f) 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 an automatic sprinkler system
installed in conformance with the building code in effect at the time of its
installation. (Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(g) 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. (Plan
review--Building, Fire, Electric. Inspection--Building)
(h) 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 criteria contained in (h)1 and 2 below:
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.
3. Exception: When the
second means of egress is a fire escape that is accessed directly from the
individual sleeping room, illuminated exit signs shall not be required above
the means of egress serving the fire escape. (Plan review--Building, Fire.
Inspection--Building)
(i) 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)
(j) 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)
(k)
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 one-hour UFC fire barrier shall
be required, with the following exceptions:
i.
Vertical opening protection shall not be required in buildings not exceeding
three stories with an automatic sprinkler system throughout; or
ii. In buildings with not more than 25 guests
when the following conditions are met:
(1)
Every sleeping room is provided with an operable window having a sill height
not greater than 44 inches;
(2)
Every sleeping room above the second floor is provided with direct access to a
fire escape or other approved secondary exit;
(3) Any exit access corridor exceeding eight
feet in length which serves two means of egress, at least one of which is an
unprotected vertical opening, is separated from the vertical opening by a
one-hour UFC fire barrier; and
(4)
The building is protected throughout by a supervised, automatic fire alarm
system, installed in accordance with the UCC. (Plan review--Building, Fire.
Inspection--Building)
(l) Transoms and Other
Interior Openings: All transoms shall be either glazed with 1/4 inch wire glass
set in metal frames and permanently secured in the closed position or sealed
with materials consistent with the corridor construction. Any other sash, grill
or opening in a corridor, and any window in a corridor not opening to the
outside air shall be sealed with materials consistent with the corridor
construction. (Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(m) Boiler/Furnace Equipment Rooms:
Boiler/furnace equipment rooms shall be enclosed by one hour fire-rated wall
and ceiling assemblies.
1. Exception:
Enclosure shall not be required for boiler/furnace equipment of low pressure
type (operating at pressures of 15 psig or less for steam equipment or 160 psig
or less for hot water equipment) when installed in accordance with
manufacturer's recommendations or for boiler/furnace equipment of residential,
single-family type (200,000 BTU per hour input rating or less.)
2. Exception: Enclosure shall not be required
for boiler/furnace equipment rooms equipped with a limited area sprinkler
system in accordance with Section 903.3.8 of the building subcode. (Plan
review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(n) 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)
(o) Electrical Equipment and
Wiring: Guestrooms shall be provided with one switch-controlled ceiling or wall
type outlet or equivalent to illuminate entrances and exits. Additionally, each
guest bathroom shall be provided with at least one duplex receptacle outlet
which is GFCI protected and at least one switch-controlled lighting
outlet.
(p) Plumbing Fixtures:
Plumbing fixtures shall be provided as required by Table 7.21.1 of the plumbing
subcode. Where the plumbing subcode allows for the substitution or omission of
fixtures, such substitutions or omissions shall also be permitted under this
section. (Plumbing)
(q) 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)
(r) Interior
finishes shall comply with
5:23-6.11(c).
(Plan review--Building, Fire. Inspection--Building)
(s) 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.
1. Exception: Specific
occupancy areas within and serving a dwelling unit are not required to comply
with this section. (Building)
(t) Accessibility of Sleeping Rooms: At least
one sleeping room or suite of every 25 or fewer that are part of the scope of
work shall be made accessible unless the facility already provides the number
of accessible sleeping rooms required by Chapter 11 of the building subcode. In
addition, at least one sleeping room or suite of every 25 or fewer that are
part of the scope of work shall be equipped with a visual alarm and
notification device for the hearing impaired unless the facility already
provides the number required by Chapter 11 of the building subcode.
(Building)
