Building Codes and Inspections/Egress

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Expert: - 8/9/2011


Question
What is the egress door requirement for office spaces.  I would like to use a sliding room divider for my 300sq ft conference room however am I required to have a swing door?  

Please advise,

Thank you!

Jennifer

Answer
As far as accessibility goes, I think the main thing is that you need the proper width for the opening, and you need to find a way that a disabled person can open it without grasping, twisting, etc.. As far as any other codes are concerned, I don't know of any. I have seen sliding doors in office buildings in California, but other states might have other codes. I don't know if it makes a difference, but the rooms weren't conference rooms. I believe they were kitchenette spaces.

I hope this helps. You are always best off to ask your local building officials if you have a local code question. The inspectors there are the ones who make the final decisions, and interpret the codes pretty much as they see them -- not as someone else would.

Sharon Toji  

Building Codes and Inspections

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Sharon Toji

Expertise

I have special expertise in the subject of accessibility codes and guidelines (ADA), and most specifically in the field of signage. If you have a question that is not about the ADA or about signs, I suggest you try the following excellent site: Naffa International BCDG (Building Code Discussion Group). The website address is http://bcodes.infopop.cc/eve/ You do have to register, but it's free. You will find discussions here on all kinds of Building Code Q & A topics. You go to the forum that sounds as if it's close to your topic, check out some of the posts and see if it sounds like a fit. Then pose your question. With luck, you may get some really good answers. You can email some of the experts individually by clicking on the headings of their posts. When you ask a question, of me, or of someone on the above site, tell them your state, and maybe your city if it's a large city. That is crucial for answering code questions. Sharon Toji

Experience

I am a voting delegate to the American National Standards Institute that writes accessiblity standards used by the International Building Code and are the basis for the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). I am also a member of the Access Advisory Committee to the California State Building Standards Commission, among other positions.

Publications
Signs and the ADA (a manual I have written that is used across the country), and articles in many trade journals.

Education/Credentials
BA, Reed College Graduate work, University of Munich (Germany) and University of California, Irvine

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