Section 345B- Access and Means of Egress Facilities and Emergency Escapes (Part I)

Index of Sections

SECTION 345B -ACCESS AND MEANS OF EGRESS FACILITIES AND EMERGENCY ESCAPES (PART ONE)

Code Plain English

345B.1 General.
Access and means of egress facilities and emergency escapes shall be in conformance with CBC Chapter 3, Section 310.4 and as provided herein.

The Oakland Live/Work Building Code's treatment of Disabled Access is based on several basic principles derived from the UBC, Title 24 (The California State Building Code) and ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal Civil Rights Legislation)

345B.1.1 Accessibility
345B.1.1.1 General. Spaces Open to the General Public Or Common Use Spaces.
Provisions of this chapter notwithstanding, buildings with JLWQ occupancies that have spaces regularly open to the public or for common use of the occupants of the building shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations pursuant to Chapter 11B.
Any commercial building must be made fully accessible. A live/work unit which allows employees or walk-in commercial trade (not just by appointment) must be fully accessible where these activities occur because it is considered to be on the "commercial" end of the commercial/residential scale. This includes a fully accessible bathroom (or at least W.C. and lavatory), a level-in path of travel (including ramps if necessary) all the way from site entry to the unit's work area. At least one handicapped parking space is also required. The accessible bathroom(s) may be common in a multi-unit project. Both men's and women's bathrooms must be provided if more than four employees are present or four units with employees are built.

345B.1.1.2 JLWQ Occupancies Without Employees and/or Not Regularly Open to the Public and Not Publicly-funded.
Buildings or portions of buildings with JLWQ Occupancies that are not publicly funded, do not have employees nor are regularly open to the public, nor are commercial spaces may comply either with the residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11A or with the non-residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11B.
Privately funded apartment buildings are usually required to have a fully accessible path of travel to all ground floor units and to any elevator-accessed floors. In addition -- and this applies to live/work units without employees or walk-in trade -- the units must be constructed as adaptable, which means that they would be able to be converted to accommodate a disabled person in a wheelchair if necessary. In practice, the result is somewhat larger bathrooms, a portion of the unit's kitchen counters able to be lowered to wheelchair height, and several other features.

345B.1.1.3 JLWQ Occupancies With Employees and/or Regularly Open to the Public and Not Publicly-funded.
Buildings or portions of buildings with JLWQ Occupancies that are not publicly funded, but do have employees and/or are regularly open to the public shall comply with the non-residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11B.
There are some important exceptions to the adaptability requirements for live/work units without employees:
Townhouse units and multi-level units -- which can mean live/work units containing mezzanines, sleeping mezzanines or built-in sleeping bunks -- are exempt from accessibility or adaptability requirements within the unit itself, even if the building is elevator accessed to the main floors (but not all floors) of these multi-level units. Note that a mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine or built-in sleeping loft must have habitable space below it to qualify as such and to exempt the unit from accessibility requirements, in addition to the unit's not accommodating employees or walk-in trade.

Live/work buildings with less than three rental units or less than four condominium units are exempt from accessibility and adaptability requirements.

345B.1.1.4 Publicly-funded JLWQ Without Employees and Not Regularly Open to the Public.
Buildings with F-7 Occupancy JLWQ that are publicly funded (owned, operated, or maintained by a public jurisdiction) and do not have employees and are not regularly open to the public shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations for publicly funded residential occupancy pursuant to Chapter 11B and also Federal requirements if more stringent.

Keep in mind that the foregoing is a concise summary of accessibility in live/work. The most important litmus test for accessibility is the amount of commercial activity, turning on employees and walk-in trade. The most important factor in "non-commercial" live/work accessibility is whether it is multi-level, in which case it is exempt.

345B.1.1.5 Publicly-funded JLWQ With Employees and/or Are Regularly Open to the Public.
Buildings with F-7 Occupancy JLWQ that are publicly funded (owned, operated, or maintained by a public jurisdiction) and do have employees and/or are regularly open to the public shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations pursuant to Chapter 11B and also Federal requirements if more stringent.

345B.1.2 Means of Egress Facilities

345B.1.2.1 Number of Exits.
Number of Exits shall be in conformance with CBC Chapter 10. Occupant Load Factor shall be pursuant to Section 345B.6

334B.2 Number of Exits.
The "occupant load factor" is the number of square feet which the code has determined will accommodate one person. 200 is the occupant load factor for all types of live/work spaces *, which means that it would require 2000 square feet to reach an occupant load of 10 (200 x 10 = 2000), which would trigger a requirement for a second means of egress out of that individual unit. The two exits are required to be a distance apart equal to at least half of the longest diagonal distance in the unit. It is also true that anytime there are more than 10 occupants above the first floor of a building, then that floor must have two means of egress. Usually this means stairs, often in fire-rated towers.

345B.1.2.1.1 Individual Units of Group F-7 or 8 and R-7 or 8 Occupancies.
In individual spaces of Group F-7 or 8 or R-7 or 8 Occupancies a minimum of two exits shall be required from the individual space when the number of occupants is 10 or more. For special provision for exits due to hazardous materials in an individual space see Section 348B.1.2.

345B.1.2.1.2 Existing Building Exits.
One of the required exits for an existing Building serving an F-7 or R-7 Occupancy may be a fire escape in conformance with Section 8-502 of the 1998 California Historical Building Code.

345B.1.3 Stairways.

345B.1.3.1 General.
Stairways within an individual JLWQ Occupancy unit shall comply as a minimum with the requirements for a residential or other private stair where the occupant load is less than 10 and as herein provided. Stairways serving two or more individual JLWQ Occupancy units or an occupant load of 10 or more shall comply with CBC Chapter 10, Section 1003.3 and as herein provided.

345B.1.3 Stairways.
345B.1.3.1 General.
Staircases which are permitted in residences are also typically permitted within live/work units, including 8" riser on 9" tread, winders and, when serving less than 400 square feet, spiral stairs. Additionally, ship’s stairs or ladders are permitted for access to mezzanines, sleeping mezzanines, and sleeping bunks with units. The use of ladders is a code relaxation–requiring a Notice of Limitation–for JLWQ only.

345B.1.3.2 Stairways in an Individual F-7 or R-7 JLWQ Occupancy Unit. Stairways in an individual unit of F-7 or R-7 or R-9 Occupancy may alternatively comply with Section 345B.1.3.2.1 for a ship stair access, Section 345B.1.3.2.2 for a ladder access, or with Section 345B.1.3.2.3 for other means of access to a mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine, or built-in sleeping bunk. See Figures A-3B-1A & 1B; A-3B-2A & 2B; and A-3B-3.

345B.1.3.2.1 Ship Stair. A ship stair (ships ladder) which is a fixed ladder within the pitch range of 41.5 to 75 degrees from the horizontal, equipped with treads and stair rails may provide access to a private mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine, or built-in sleeping bunk within an individual unit of F-7 or R-7 Occupancy provided a warning sign and illumination are installed at the ship stair to meet the requirements of the Building Official. There shall be 6-8" minimum headroom provided at the top of the ship stair except the headroom clearance for access to a built-in sleeping bunk may be 3'6" minimum.

345B.1.3.2.2 Ladder. A ladder may provide access to a sleeping mezzanine or a built-in sleeping bunk within an individual F-7 or R-7 Occupancy if the rungs are 14" maximum on center, 20 inches minimum wide, with 7 inches minimum toe space (measured horizontally from the outside of the rung to the face of a wall or other surface) and a safety cage of 30 inches' minimum clear dimension is provided above 6'-8" height above the bottom of the ladder when the floor to floor height traversed by the ladder is greater than 9 feet and provided that a warning sign and illumination are installed at the ladder to meet the requirements of the building official.

345B.1.3.2.3 Other Means of Individual Unit Stairway Access. Other means of access to a sleeping mezzanine or built-in bunk bed by means of prefabricated access equipment (folding stairs, etc.) may be used if equivalent to the above, subject to building official approval and provided a warning sign and illumination are installed at the access. Alternative stairways pursuant to 1998 CBC Section 1003.3.3.7 may be utilized in F-7 or 8 and R-7 or 8 Occupancies.

345B.1.3.2.4 Landing at a Sleeping Mezzanine. A stairway, ship stair (ships ladder), ladder or similar equipment providing access to a sleeping mezzanine in a JLWQ shall terminate in a landing with a 3' minimum dimension in any direction. The landing shall have 6'-8" minimum headroom. There may be a single step up to the floor of the sleeping mezzanine of 12" maximum rise or otherwise steps complying with individual unit residential requirements shall be provided the same width of the landing in the direction up to the floor of the sleeping loft. See Figures A-3B-1A & 1B.

345B.1.3.2.5 Notice of Limitation. See Section X325B.3 for a "notice of limitation" required for any access based on Sections 345B.1.3.2.1, 345B.1.3.2.2, and 345B.1.3.2.3.

345B.1.3.3 Existing Stairways Serving Two or More Individual Units or Ten or More Occupants of an F-7 or R-7 Occupancy. Existing stairways serving two or more individual units of F-7 or R-7 Occupancies may alternatively comply as provided herein. Fire escapes shall comply with Section 345B.1.2.1.2.

345B.1.3.3.1 Existing Width. Existing width of existing stairways shall not be less than 30" clear from wall to wall. Projections into this minimum width shall conform to current code.

345B.1.3.3.2 Rise and Run. Existing rise and run of existing stairways may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed provided that the maximum rise does not exceed eight inches and the minimum tread is not less than nine inches.

345B.1.3.3.3 Headroom. Existing headroom of existing stairways shall not be less than 6 feet 6 inches.

345B.1.3.3.4 Landings. Existing landings of existing stairways may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed but shall not be less than 30 inches in the direction of travel.

345B.1.3.3.5 Handrails. Existing handrails may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed. Handrails on both sides of an existing stairway are not required if the existing stairway was originally constructed with a handrail only on one side and the stairway is less than 36 inches in width.
The top of existing handrails shall not be less than 32 inches in height above landings and the nosing of treads.

345B.1.3.3.6 Guardrails. Guardrails shall conform to CBC Section 509 but need not exceed 36 inches on existing stairways.

345B.1.3.3.6 Interior stairway construction. Existing interior stairway construction may remain if the stairway construction is structurally adequate and the stairway is fully sprinklered.

top

SECTION 345B -ACCESS AND MEANS OF EGRESS FACILITIES AND EMERGENCY ESCAPES (PART ONE)
Code	Plain English
345B.1 General. Access and means of egress facilities and emergency escapes shall be in conformance with CBC Chapter 3, Section 310.4 and as provided herein.	The Oakland Live/Work Building Code's treatment of Disabled Access is based on several basic principles derived from the UBC, Title 24 (The California State Building Code) and ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal Civil Rights Legislation)
345B.1.1 Accessibility 345B.1.1.1 General. Spaces Open to the General Public Or Common Use Spaces. Provisions of this chapter notwithstanding, buildings with JLWQ occupancies that have spaces regularly open to the public or for common use of the occupants of the building shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations pursuant to Chapter 11B.	Any commercial building must be made fully accessible. A live/work unit which allows employees or walk-in commercial trade (not just by appointment) must be fully accessible where these activities occur because it is considered to be on the "commercial" end of the commercial/residential scale. This includes a fully accessible bathroom (or at least W.C. and lavatory), a level-in path of travel (including ramps if necessary) all the way from site entry to the unit's work area. At least one handicapped parking space is also required. The accessible bathroom(s) may be common in a multi-unit project. Both men's and women's bathrooms must be provided if more than four employees are present or four units with employees are built.
345B.1.1.2 JLWQ Occupancies Without Employees and/or Not Regularly Open to the Public and Not Publicly-funded. Buildings or portions of buildings with JLWQ Occupancies that are not publicly funded, do not have employees nor are regularly open to the public, nor are commercial spaces may comply either with the residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11A or with the non-residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11B.	Privately funded apartment buildings are usually required to have a fully accessible path of travel to all ground floor units and to any elevator-accessed floors. In addition -- and this applies to live/work units without employees or walk-in trade -- the units must be constructed as adaptable, which means that they would be able to be converted to accommodate a disabled person in a wheelchair if necessary. In practice, the result is somewhat larger bathrooms, a portion of the unit's kitchen counters able to be lowered to wheelchair height, and several other features.
345B.1.1.3 JLWQ Occupancies With Employees and/or Regularly Open to the Public and Not Publicly-funded. Buildings or portions of buildings with JLWQ Occupancies that are not publicly funded, but do have employees and/or are regularly open to the public shall comply with the non-residential accessibility requirements of Chapter 11B.	There are some important exceptions to the adaptability requirements for live/work units without employees: Townhouse units and multi-level units -- which can mean live/work units containing mezzanines, sleeping mezzanines or built-in sleeping bunks -- are exempt from accessibility or adaptability requirements within the unit itself, even if the building is elevator accessed to the main floors (but not all floors) of these multi-level units. Note that a mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine or built-in sleeping loft must have habitable space below it to qualify as such and to exempt the unit from accessibility requirements, in addition to the unit's not accommodating employees or walk-in trade. Live/work buildings with less than three rental units or less than four condominium units are exempt from accessibility and adaptability requirements.
345B.1.1.4 Publicly-funded JLWQ Without Employees and Not Regularly Open to the Public. Buildings with F-7 Occupancy JLWQ that are publicly funded (owned, operated, or maintained by a public jurisdiction) and do not have employees and are not regularly open to the public shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations for publicly funded residential occupancy pursuant to Chapter 11B and also Federal requirements if more stringent.	Keep in mind that the foregoing is a concise summary of accessibility in live/work. The most important litmus test for accessibility is the amount of commercial activity, turning on employees and walk-in trade. The most important factor in "non-commercial" live/work accessibility is whether it is multi-level, in which case it is exempt.
345B.1.1.5 Publicly-funded JLWQ With Employees and/or Are Regularly Open to the Public. Buildings with F-7 Occupancy JLWQ that are publicly funded (owned, operated, or maintained by a public jurisdiction) and do have employees and/or are regularly open to the public shall comply with the applicable accessibility regulations pursuant to Chapter 11B and also Federal requirements if more stringent.
345B.1.2 Means of Egress Facilities 345B.1.2.1 Number of Exits. Number of Exits shall be in conformance with CBC Chapter 10. Occupant Load Factor shall be pursuant to Section 345B.6	334B.2 Number of Exits. The "occupant load factor" is the number of square feet which the code has determined will accommodate one person. 200 is the occupant load factor for all types of live/work spaces *, which means that it would require 2000 square feet to reach an occupant load of 10 (200 x 10 = 2000), which would trigger a requirement for a second means of egress out of that individual unit. The two exits are required to be a distance apart equal to at least half of the longest diagonal distance in the unit. It is also true that anytime there are more than 10 occupants above the first floor of a building, then that floor must have two means of egress. Usually this means stairs, often in fire-rated towers.
345B.1.2.1.1 Individual Units of Group F-7 or 8 and R-7 or 8 Occupancies. In individual spaces of Group F-7 or 8 or R-7 or 8 Occupancies a minimum of two exits shall be required from the individual space when the number of occupants is 10 or more. For special provision for exits due to hazardous materials in an individual space see Section 348B.1.2.
345B.1.2.1.2 Existing Building Exits. One of the required exits for an existing Building serving an F-7 or R-7 Occupancy may be a fire escape in conformance with Section 8-502 of the 1998 California Historical Building Code.
345B.1.3 Stairways. 345B.1.3.1 General. Stairways within an individual JLWQ Occupancy unit shall comply as a minimum with the requirements for a residential or other private stair where the occupant load is less than 10 and as herein provided. Stairways serving two or more individual JLWQ Occupancy units or an occupant load of 10 or more shall comply with CBC Chapter 10, Section 1003.3 and as herein provided.	345B.1.3 Stairways. 345B.1.3.1 General. Staircases which are permitted in residences are also typically permitted within live/work units, including 8" riser on 9" tread, winders and, when serving less than 400 square feet, spiral stairs. Additionally, ship’s stairs or ladders are permitted for access to mezzanines, sleeping mezzanines, and sleeping bunks with units. The use of ladders is a code relaxation–requiring a Notice of Limitation–for JLWQ only.
345B.1.3.2 Stairways in an Individual F-7 or R-7 JLWQ Occupancy Unit. Stairways in an individual unit of F-7 or R-7 or R-9 Occupancy may alternatively comply with Section 345B.1.3.2.1 for a ship stair access, Section 345B.1.3.2.2 for a ladder access, or with Section 345B.1.3.2.3 for other means of access to a mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine, or built-in sleeping bunk. See Figures A-3B-1A & 1B; A-3B-2A & 2B; and A-3B-3.
345B.1.3.2.1 Ship Stair. A ship stair (ships ladder) which is a fixed ladder within the pitch range of 41.5 to 75 degrees from the horizontal, equipped with treads and stair rails may provide access to a private mezzanine, sleeping mezzanine, or built-in sleeping bunk within an individual unit of F-7 or R-7 Occupancy provided a warning sign and illumination are installed at the ship stair to meet the requirements of the Building Official. There shall be 6-8" minimum headroom provided at the top of the ship stair except the headroom clearance for access to a built-in sleeping bunk may be 3'6" minimum.
345B.1.3.2.2 Ladder. A ladder may provide access to a sleeping mezzanine or a built-in sleeping bunk within an individual F-7 or R-7 Occupancy if the rungs are 14" maximum on center, 20 inches minimum wide, with 7 inches minimum toe space (measured horizontally from the outside of the rung to the face of a wall or other surface) and a safety cage of 30 inches' minimum clear dimension is provided above 6'-8" height above the bottom of the ladder when the floor to floor height traversed by the ladder is greater than 9 feet and provided that a warning sign and illumination are installed at the ladder to meet the requirements of the building official.
345B.1.3.2.3 Other Means of Individual Unit Stairway Access. Other means of access to a sleeping mezzanine or built-in bunk bed by means of prefabricated access equipment (folding stairs, etc.) may be used if equivalent to the above, subject to building official approval and provided a warning sign and illumination are installed at the access. Alternative stairways pursuant to 1998 CBC Section 1003.3.3.7 may be utilized in F-7 or 8 and R-7 or 8 Occupancies.
345B.1.3.2.4 Landing at a Sleeping Mezzanine. A stairway, ship stair (ships ladder), ladder or similar equipment providing access to a sleeping mezzanine in a JLWQ shall terminate in a landing with a 3' minimum dimension in any direction. The landing shall have 6'-8" minimum headroom. There may be a single step up to the floor of the sleeping mezzanine of 12" maximum rise or otherwise steps complying with individual unit residential requirements shall be provided the same width of the landing in the direction up to the floor of the sleeping loft. See Figures A-3B-1A & 1B.
345B.1.3.2.5 Notice of Limitation. See Section X325B.3 for a "notice of limitation" required for any access based on Sections 345B.1.3.2.1, 345B.1.3.2.2, and 345B.1.3.2.3.
345B.1.3.3 Existing Stairways Serving Two or More Individual Units or Ten or More Occupants of an F-7 or R-7 Occupancy. Existing stairways serving two or more individual units of F-7 or R-7 Occupancies may alternatively comply as provided herein. Fire escapes shall comply with Section 345B.1.2.1.2.
345B.1.3.3.1 Existing Width. Existing width of existing stairways shall not be less than 30" clear from wall to wall. Projections into this minimum width shall conform to current code.
345B.1.3.3.2 Rise and Run. Existing rise and run of existing stairways may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed provided that the maximum rise does not exceed eight inches and the minimum tread is not less than nine inches.
345B.1.3.3.3 Headroom. Existing headroom of existing stairways shall not be less than 6 feet 6 inches.
345B.1.3.3.4 Landings. Existing landings of existing stairways may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed but shall not be less than 30 inches in the direction of travel.
345B.1.3.3.5 Handrails. Existing handrails may conform to the code applicable at the time the existing stairway was constructed. Handrails on both sides of an existing stairway are not required if the existing stairway was originally constructed with a handrail only on one side and the stairway is less than 36 inches in width. The top of existing handrails shall not be less than 32 inches in height above landings and the nosing of treads.
345B.1.3.3.6 Guardrails. Guardrails shall conform to CBC Section 509 but need not exceed 36 inches on existing stairways.
345B.1.3.3.6 Interior stairway construction. Existing interior stairway construction may remain if the stairway construction is structurally adequate and the stairway is fully sprinklered.