Occupied Roof Egress

The means of egress system serving any story or occupied roof shall be provided with the number of exits or access to exits based on the aggregate occupant load served in accordance with this section.

Occupied roof egress.

The state architect office responsible for public schools will define these area as occupied assess as part of the egress provisions a 4 outdoor assymbly or a 3 if less than 500. The path of egress travel to an exit shall not pass through more than one adjacent story. Areas for green roofs not intended for human occupancy are subject to section bc 1607 11 3 for minimum live load requirements. For example 1910 37 now requires that a means of egress be at least 28 inches wide.

Occupied rooftops and terraces are considered special purpose roofs and are subject to section bc 1607 11 2 2 for minimum live load requirements. The means of egress system serving any story or occupied roof shall be provided with the number of exits or access to exits based on the aggregate occupant load served in accordance with this section. The stairway must be enclosed in a penthouse at the roof level. Access to an occupied roof is required to be by stairway meeting the code requirements for exit stairs specified in section 1011.

The egress from the space must be sized for the roof occupant load and must be continuous to the exit discharge at grade. 1006 3 egress from stories or occupied roofs. The means of egress system serving any story or occupied roof shall be provided with the number of exits or access to exits based on the aggregate occupant load served in accordance with this section. Ibc 2015 section 1006 3 added language which specifically recognizes that occupied roofs exist and stipulates egress requirements associated with them.

I would allow the use of the roof since it should be a. The area of the occupied roofs shall not be included in the building area as regulated by section 506. A roof level or portion thereof shall be permitted to be used as an occupied roof provided the occupancy of the roof is an occupancy that is permitted by table 504 4 for the story immediately below the roof. Paragraph 7 2 1 5 8 9 from nfpa 101 says that roof doors have to either allow free egress from the roof or be kept locked.

Substituting a performance oriented criterion such as a requirement that a means of egress be of adequate width to support building occupants would eliminate the minimum width but might also reduce the protection provided to those seeking to leave the workplace. I would classify it as an assembly area and make sure that it met all life safety requirements for egress.