Pennsylvania Code
Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Part I - Department of Labor and Industry
Chapter 50 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS-BUILDINGS
MEANS OF EGRESS
Section 50.23 - Means of egress capacity
Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024
(a) A unit of width is the required width for one person or a single line of persons to exit from a building.
(b) The units of width table shall be as follows:
| Units | Doorways (Width in inches) | Stairs & Corridors (Width in inches) |
| 1 1/2 | 32 | 36 |
| 2 | 40 | 44 |
| 2 1/2 | 50 | 50 |
An additional 10 inches shall be required for each 1/2 unit of width above 2 1/2 units. Credit for units of width shall not be given for a fractional part other than 1/2 unit.
(c) Doorways shall have a minimum clear opening of 32 inches except as indicated in §§ 50.25(q) (relating to stair towers) and 50.26(q) (relating to intercommunicating stairways).
(d) The capacity in number of persons per unit of width for approved components of means of egress shall be 60 persons. Buildings protected by automatic sprinkler systems shall be allowed 90 persons per unit of width.
(e) The following table lists the maximum permissible square feet per person for the purpose of determining the minimum number of units of exit:
Occupants Based on Net Floor Area
| Square Feet Per Person | |
| All purpose rooms | 10 |
| Bowling alleys (exclusive of area occupied by the alleys) | 10 |
| Classrooms | 28 |
| Court rooms and other public rooms in public buildings (exclusive of seating) | 40 |
| Dance halls, lodge halls and similar occupancies | 7 |
| Dining areas | 15 |
| Dormitories and wards | 75 |
| Drafting rooms and engineering rooms | 60 |
| Factories for heavy manufacturing, garages, warehouses, etc. | 300 |
| Factories for light manufacturing | 80 |
| Hotels and apartments (the actual capacity of sleeping areas) | 125 |
| Laboratories | 100 |
| Libraries, reading rooms and museums | 30 |
| Main exercise rooms of gymnasiums | 10 |
| Markets and showrooms and mercantile establishments | 50 |
| Offices up to 400 square feet in area | 100 |
| Offices more than 400 square feet in area | 60 |
| Power houses, boiler rooms, and the like | 500 |
| Recreation rooms | 10 |
| Vocational shops and similar occupancies in schools | 100 |
| Rooms or areas with fixed seats-One occupant per seat |
This section cited in 34 Pa. Code § 51.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 52.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 53.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 54.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 55.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 56.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 57.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); 34 Pa. Code § 58.23 (relating to means of egress capacity); and 34 Pa. Code § 59.23 (relating to means of egress capacity).
