Codes & Regulations Flashcards
Accessible Parking
2010 ADA standards and local codes determine the number of accessible parking spaces based off the total number of parking spaces available
Located close to the building and marked with the intl symbol for accessibility;
Should be adjacent to an accessible aisle; 5’ wide standard, 8’ wide for van
a percentage of accessible spaces may be required to be van, max slope of 2% maintained
Spaces are 8’W; is a 5’ aisle is used with a van, the space must be 11’W
Ramp not allowed with van spaces
Fire resistance rating
the length of time that the item can withstand a standardized fire resistance test
building codes specify the min fire-resistance ratings the building elements must have in various circumstances
Fire dampers
device installed in ducts and air transfer openings that is designed to automatically close on detection of heat to resist the passage of flame
Duct penetrations through fire resistant barriers are protected with fire dampers placed in line with the wall
Smoke dampers
device installed in ducts and air transfer openings that are designed to resist the passage of smoke
Fire partitions
a wall assembly with a 1-hour fire-resistance rating; must be continuous; used in the following designated locations:
-walls separating dwelling units
-Walls separating guest rooms in Group R-1 (hotels), R-2, and I-1 occupancies
-Walls separating tenant spaces in covered and open malls
-corridor walls
-elevator lobby separation for Groups I-2, I-3, and high-rise buildings and elsewhere required by the code
Openings in fire partitions
must have a min rating of ¾ hours, except for corridors, which must be protected by 20-min fire-protection assemblies
Fire barrier
a vertical or horizontal assembly that is fire-resistance rated and designed to restrict the spread of fire, confine it to limited areas, and/or afford safe passage for protected egress; must be continuous; must be greater than 1 hour rating; usually offers more protection that a fire partition; used to:
-enclose vertical exit enclosures, exit passageways, horizontal exits, and incidental use areas
-separate different occupancies in a mixed occupancy situation
-separate single occupancies into different areas
-otherwise provide a fire barrier where specifically required by a code provision in the IBC as well as the other international codes
In fire barriers openings are limited
max aggregate width of 25% of the length of the wall, single openings cannot exceed 156 SF; unless both fire areas are sprinklered or they are fire doors serving an exit enclosure
Fire wall
a fire resistance rated wall this is used to separate a single structure into separate construction types or to provide for allowable area increases by creating what amounts to separate buildings even though they are attached; must extend from the foundation through the rood; must be 2-4 hour resistance; built so that one side can collapse and not affect the wall or adjacent building
Smoke barrier
continuous vertical or horizontal membrane with a min fire-resistance rating of 1 hour that is designed an constructed to restrict the movement of smoke; passive; openings at least 20 min rating
What is considered a finish
textile wall and floor coverings, wainscoting, paneling, heavy wall covering, those applied structural or for decoration, acoustical correction, surface insulation, or similar purposes
Finishes rated according to ASTM E84
Class I are more resistant to flame spread than Class II; Class I would be used in vertical exits, exit passageways, exit access corridors in Groups I-1, I-2, and I-3 occupancies; if sprinklered Class II are allowed
Combustible decorative materials are limited
to 10% of the specific wall or ceiling area to which the material is attached, except in A occ where up to 75% is allowed if sprinklered and in Group R-2 where up to 50% is allowed if sprinklered
Determining the occupancy group is the first step in the code analysis process
Assembly
+ A-1: with fixed seating for viewing of movies theaters, live performance
+ A-2: for food and drink consumption
+ A-3: for worship, recreation, etc. not classified elsewhere
+ A-4: for viewing of indoor sports
+ A-5: for outdoor sports
Business (B) for office or service transactions
Educational (E) > 5 people through 12th grade
Factory and Industrial
+F-1: moderate hazard
+F-2: low hazard
Hazardous (H)
Institutional
+ I-1: > 16 ambulatory people on 24 hour basis
+I-2: medical care on 24 hour basis
+I-3: > 5 people restained
+I-4: daycare for > 5 adults or infants (<2.5 yr)
Mercantile (M)
Residential
+ R-1: for transient lodging
+R-2: with 3 or more units
+R-3: 1 or 2 dwelling units with attached uses or child care < 6, less than 24 hours care
+R-4: residential assisted living where number of occupants >5 but < 16
Storage (S)
Utility (U)
Mixed occupancy
When a building or area has 2 or more occupancies
Occupancy separation
IBC Table 508.4 shows required occupancy separations ranging from 1-4 hours; its a possible a fire-rated partition is not required between occupancies if the building is fully sprinklered
If storage is less than 100 SF
It is classified as an accessory to main occupancy
Accessory occupancies
-A space or room that is ancillary to a main occupancy but that does not exceed 110% of the floor area of the story in which it is located
-does not need to be separated by a fire barrier
-exceptions: live/work units, most Group H occupancies, dwelling units in Group I-1, R-1, R-2, and R-3 occupancies must be separated from other units
Incidental uses
Ancillary to a main occupancy and has the same classification as the nearest main occupancy, but poses a greater level of risk than that occupancy
must be separated form the main occupancy by a fire barrier, be sprinklered, or both
cannot exceed 10% of the area of the story on which it is located
Classification of construction type based on
the fire-resistance rating of the major construction components, including structural frame, bearing walls, exterior and interior non bearing walls, floor construction, and roof construction
What limits the area and height of a building
Construction type and occupancy groups
Noncombustible types
Types I and II
Combustible types
Types II, IV, and V
Most and least fire restrictive types
Type I most
Type V least
Fire Zones
areas the local government may divide the city into representing the degree of fire hazard
Fire Hazard
based on density, access for fire fighting equip, existing building heights, etc; the most hazardous are classed as fire zone 1
Allowable Height
-Chapter 5 of IBC
-Determined by the construction type, occupancy, and sprinklers
-the more hazardous a building is the smaller it should be to make it easier to egress and fire rescue
Allowable floor areas
Determined by the construction type, occupancy, and sprinklers, and the amount of building frontage on a public way or open space
Area factor increase based on frontage
If at least 25% of the building’s perimeter is located on a public way or open space, the basic allowable area may be increased; the open area must be on the same lot or dedicated to public use, and accessible from a street or fire lane
public way or open space must be 20’ wide from the building face to:
-the closest interior lot line
-the entire width of the street, alley, or public way
-the exterior face of an adjacent building on the same property
Mixed occupancy group
when the area of each separated occupancy is expressed as the ratio of its actual building area to its allowable building area, the sum of the ratios in each story must not be greater than 1
Fire walls can be used to separate occupancies when?
when max allowable floor area is reached in an existing building that is changing occupancy
Location of Property
IBC Section 602
determined by specifying the fire resistance of exterior walls based on distance from property lines or adjacent building
Means of egress
a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from any point in a building or structure to a public way
Means of egress consists of 3 parts
The exit access
The exit
The exit discharge
The exit access
may or may not be protected; may include rooms, spaces, aisles, intervening rooms, hallways, corridors, ramps, and doorways; where travel distance is measured and regulated
The exit
the portion that provides a protected path of egress between the exit access and exit discharge; fully enclosed and fire rated; travel distance not an issue once the exit path has been reached
The exit discharge
between the termination of the exit and the public way; usually exterior elements and oaths; can include building lobby of multistory building
Occupant load is established by taking the largest number determined by one of 3 methods
Occupant Load by Actual Number
Occupant Load by Table
Occupant Load by Combination
Occupant load by actual number
usually only used in spaces with fixed seating so you can literally count the number of people that can be in a space
Occupant load by table
calculate the area in SF assigned to a particular function and divide by an occupancy load factor as given in the code (table 1004); most common method
+gross floor area includes stairs, corridors, toilet rooms, mech rooms, closets, and interior partition thickness
+net floor area includes only the space actually used by the occupant
Occupant load by combination
when an occupant load form an intervening space or accessory area exits through a primary space, the egress facilities from the primary space occupant load must include the occupant load of the primary space plus the occupant load of the intervening or accessory space
Required number of exists
at least 1 exit required, 2 or more exits when the occupant load of a space or the common path of egress travel exceeds the numbers given in table 1006
Common path of egress travel
-The portion of the exit access travel distance measured from the most remote point within a story to the point where the occupants have separate access to 2 exits of exit access doorways and can make a choice about which direction to go
-even if occupant count is smaller than counts given in table 1006, if exit travel path is exceeded more than 1 exit is required
Separation of exits
When 2 doors are required in a non-sprinklered building, they must be not less than ½ the length of the max overall diagonal dimension of the building or area to be served; if sprinklered, the distance is reduced to ⅓ of the overall length; if 3 exits required, 2 must follow the above rule and the other must be accessible if one of the 2 becomes blocked
Width of exits
-Stairways factor of .3”; .2” if the building is fully sprinklered and fire alarmed
-doors factor of .2”; .15” if the building is fully sprinklered and fire alarmed
Egress can pass through an adjoining or intervening space if these 3 conditions are met:
-one of the 2 rooms or spaces is an accessory to the other
-neither room or space is a Group H occupancy
-there is a discernible path of egress travel to an exit
Egress cannot pass through
kitchens, storerooms, closets, or spaces used for similar purposes, nor through any room that can be locked to prevent egress
Size of a corridor is determined by
by multiplying the occupant load by the appropriate factor; must not be less than 44”
Required width may not be reduced except in the following ways
-a door fully open may not project more than 7”
-handrails may not reduce the width more than 4.5” on each side
-trim and other decorative materials may not reduce the width more than 1.5” each side
-light fixtures and furnishings may not project more than 4” between the heights of 27” and 80” AFF
Corridors must be fire-resistance rated and constructed as fire partitions except in one of the following exceptions:
-Group E occupancies where classrooms and assembly rooms have half their required egress leading directly to the exterior at ground level
-corridors in a dwelling unit or a guest room in a Group R occupancy of sleeping unit in Group I-1 and Group R occupancies
-corridors in open parking garages
-Group B occupancies that require only one exit by other provision in the code
The level of safety the occupant is under when entreating a corridor must persist until exit
egress from the corridor must not pass through intervening rooms unless its a lobby, foyer, or reception room basically constructed as an enlarged version of the corridor
A dead end corridor
Exists when a person is in a part of a building that requires 2 means of egress but has only one choice of direction that leads to an exit access doorway or an exit
Is limited to 20’
Clear width of doors
-must always be 32” min; measured between the face of the door and the doorstop when the door is 90 degrees; door width is actually 36”
-min width must be sufficient for the occupant load served
-max width is 48”
Door swings
-must swing in the direction of travel if occupant load is 50 or more
-Doors must be recessed if swinging into corridors
Interior exit stairways
Must be completely enclosed
4 or more story interior exit stairway
2 hour rating walls
1.5 hour rating doors
Less than 4 story interior exit stairway
1 hour rating walls
1 hour rating doors
All stairways width requirements
-Serving 50 or more occupants must be 44” wide min or the width determined by multiplying occupant load by the egress factor, whichever is larger
-less than 50 occupants must be 36” min
Handrails for stairways
-if accessible means of egress, 48” min between handrails
-handrails may project into the required width 4.5”
-handrails on both sides, if more than 5’ wide an intermediate handrail is required; between 34-37” from tread, 12” extensions; 1.5-2” thick, not less that 1.5” from wall
Landings for stairways
at top and bottom and not less than the width of the stair but not more than 48” if the stair is a straight run; 12’ max vertical distance between landings
High-rise buildings
-Occupied floors more than 75’ above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access
-sprinklered, smoke detectors and alarms, communication systems, a central control station for fire department use, smoke control for exit stair enclosures, and standby power systems
Guards
Must be 42” high; 4” sphere can’t pass through
Floor area ratios
-The ratio of the gross floor area within a structure to the area of the lot on which the structure is situated
-must be developed with regard to setbacks
Bulk plane restrictions
Establishes an imaginary inclined plane beginning at the lot line of the center of the street at a given elevation and slopes at a prescribed angle toward and over the lot, of which the building cannot cross
Variance
Permission to deviate from the zoning regulations when zoning restrictions create undue hardships or the zoning ordinance does not completely cover unusual conditions
Conditional use permit
allows a nonconforming use or other use in the zoning ordinance if the property owner meets certain conditions
Accessible routes
-should be as close to general routes as possible
-5’ turning radius, if circle can’t be provided use a T-shape 36” min
-corridors 36” wide and min 32” at doors/passages which can’t be more than 24” long
-2 wheelchairs need 60”
Toilet rooms turning space
can overlap with the required clear floor space at fixtures and controls and with the accessible route
Turn in corridors or around obstructions
Reach ranges when forward reach is unobstructed
high reach is 48”, low reach is 15” min
Reach ranges when forward reach is obstructed
high reach is 44” when over 20-25”
Reach ranges when clear floor space allows parallel approach
side reach is 48” max; if there’s an obstruction the reach is the same if the obstruction is 10” max depth and 34” max height
Doorways is sufficient door clearance is not provided
Power assisted mechanisms must be installed
Maneuvering Clearances at single doors
Maneuvering clearances at double doors
Opening force for doors
cannot be more than 5 pounds of force per foot max
Accessible hardware
-Thresholds cannot exceed ¼”
-if ¼” rise is exceeded, for every ¼” over the first ¼” there must be a slope out ½”
-round doorknobs not allowed
-Hardware not mounted more than 48” aff
-closers should slow closing time
Toilet stall accessibility
-door swings out away from toilet
-1 ambulatory stall where there are 6 or more toilet/urinal fixtures
-clearance depth depends on wall hung vs floor mounted toilet
-typical, 60” width, 56” depth, toilet is 16-18” on center from stall wall
Grab bar mounting height
33-36” aff
Toilet stall clearances
Urinals
Elongated rim at 17” max aff and 13.5” min depth
clear floor 30” x 48”
urinal shields not extending beyond face of rim can have 30” clearance between them
Accessible Lavatories and sinks
-If pipes are exposed they must be insulated
-faucets operable by one weak hand
-mirror bottoms 40” max from floor
-max depth of sink bowl is 6.5”
Accessible lavatories and drinking fountain clearances
Accessible drinking fountains
IBC requires 2 fountains, 1 for wheelchair users and 1 for standing users
Clear floor space at accessible bathtubs
Grab bars at accessible bathtubs
One located 9” above top of bathtub
The rest located 33-36” AFF
Accessible showers
-In hotels and other suite/room type facilities a certain number of roll in showers must be provided
-permanent seat in smaller configuration, foldaway seat in the larger
-36” x 36” min for smaller with clear space 36” deep 48” wide
-30” x 60” min for larger with clear space 36” deep and 60” wide
Accessible floor surfaces
-Stable, firm, and slip resistant
-if elevation change is ¼” - ½” it must be beveled with slope no greater than 1:2
-if elevation change is greater than ½” it must be accomplished with a ramp
Accessible ramps
-Slope cannot be greater than 1:12
-max rise 30”
-if existing conditions prevent 1:12 , 1:10 can be allowed if the rise does not exceed 6”; 1:8 is allowed if the rise does not exceed 3”
-min clear width 36”; landings as wide as the ramp
-Landing length 60”
-handrails required if ramp is greater than 72” long and 6” high
Accessible stairs
-max riser for stairs 7”, min tread 11”; open risers not allowed
-if stair is considered part of the accessible route, clear width between handrails must be 48”; area of refuge must be provided to accommodate a wheelchair space of 30” x 38” for each 200 occupants; area of refuge not required if building is sprinklered
Protruding objects
-cannot reduce the clear width required for an accessible route
-an object can protrude from the wall any width so long as the clear width is maintained and it is a max of 27” aff
-Vertical clearance cannot be reduced to less than 80”, otherwise a guardrail must be provided
Detectable warnings
-A surface feature to warn of hazards on a circulation path
-truncated domes .2” in height, spaced 1.6”-2.4” oc in a grid pattern
-24” continuous strips at open edges
Accessible signage and alarms
-Signage for visually impaired required
-signage at elevators
-emergency warning systems should be visual and audible
-ADA requires accessible symbols at certain accessible rooms and features
-permanent indication signs for rooms; letters in uppercase ⅝”-2” high and 1/32” deep with braille
-directional and informational signs; letters in upper or lowercase ⅝”-3” high
-international symbol for accessibility at parking spaces, passenger loading zones, accessible entrances, and toilet and bathing facilities when not all are accessible
Accessible telephones
-If public telephones provided, one is required on each floor to comply with ADA requirements
-TDD telecommunication device for the deaf
Accessible seating
-If fixed or built in seating or tables in a common use area, at least 5% and no fewer than 1 of the seating areas must be accessible
-seats must include a companion seat and be located on a means of egress path
-at tables provide the standard 30” x 48” space, but a front approach table allows 17”-25” of the 48” length to be under the table, and at a side approach 19” of the 48” length can be under the table
Accessible elevators
-Call button 48” max aff
-hall lantern 72” min aff; visual and audible
-raised and braille floor designation sign on each side of the elevator 60” aff
-floor buttons 48” max aff; unless serves more than 16 openings, 54” max aff
