# Exit lights, required or not?



## fireguy

A customer has a warehouse, it was built with one office, & 2 bathrooms.  The rest was warehouse space.  Since the original build, there have been some minor changes.  The following have been added, An upstairs meeting room,  a radio repair shop, 4 more offices, an exercise room, records storage and a fire dispatch.   The last change was the fire dispatch.  A door into a hall was covered.  The hall leads to an exit.  They then added another door that opened into an existing office, that opened into a hall that was an exit.

The new door does not have an exit sign, nor does the office  have an exit sign.  When is an exit sign required?

The exit path was into a hall that led directly to an exit.  Now the exit path goes through another office, to a hall leading to an exit.   Is this according to code?

What is the distance required for light switches  and doors?  At one time I thought it was light switches within 6 feet of a door.  Has that changed?

The tenant made the changes on their own, w/o the owners knowledge. There was no permit or inspection.


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## cda

Totally lost

Is there only one way in and out of office in question??

Does it meet the black and white

1011.1 Where required. Exits and exit access doors shall be marked by an approved exit sign readily visible from any direction of egress travel. The path of egress travel to exits and within exits shall be marked by readily visible exit signs to clearly indicate the direction of egress travel in cases where the exit or the path of egress travel is not immediately visible to the occupants. Intervening means of egress doors within exits shall be marked by exit signs. Exit sign placement shall be such that no point in an exit access corridor or exit passageway is more than 100 feet (30 480 mm) or the listed viewing distance for the sign, whichever is less, from the nearest visible exit sign.

Exceptions:

1. Exit signs are not required in rooms or areas that require only one exit or exit access.

2. Main exterior exit doors or gates that are obviously and clearly identifiable as exits need not have exit signs where approved by the building official.

3. Exit signs are not required in occupancies in Group U and individual sleeping units or dwelling units in Group R-1, R-2 or R-3.

4. Exit signs are not required in dayrooms, sleeping rooms or dormitories in occupancies in Group I-3.

5. In occupancies in Groups A-4 and A-5, exit signs are not required on the seating side of vomitories or openings into seating areas where exit signs are provided in the concourse that are readily apparent from the vomitories. Egress lighting is provided to identify each vomitory or opening within the seating area in an emergency.


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## Builder Bob

1011.1 Where required.

Exits and exit access doors shall be marked by an approved exit sign readily visible from any direction of egress travel. The path of egress travel to exits and within exits shall be marked by readily visible exit signs to clearly indicate the direction of egress travel in cases where the exit or the path of egress travel is not immediately visible to the occupants. Intervening means of egress doors within exits shall be marked by exit signs. Exit sign placement shall be such that no point in an exit access corridor or exit passageway is more than 100 feet (30 480 mm) or the listed viewing distance for the sign, whichever is less, from the nearest visible exit sign.

Exceptions:

1. Exit signs are not required in rooms or areas that require only one exit or exit access.

2. Main exterior exit doors or gates that are obviously and clearly identifiable as exits need not have exit signs where approved by the building official.

3. Exit signs are not required in occupancies in Group U and individual sleeping units or dwelling units in Group R-1, R-2 or R-3.

4. Exit signs are not required in dayrooms, sleeping rooms or dormitories in occupancies in Group I-3.

5. In occupancies in Groups A-4 and A-5, exit signs are not required on the seating side of vomitories or openings into seating areas where exit signs are provided in the concourse that are readily apparent from the vomitories. Egress lighting is provided to identify each vomitory or opening within the seating area in an emergency.

Pay attention to exception number 1 and exception number 2.


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## steveray

Basically rooms and areas that REQUIRE 2 "exits" (really paths of travel) require the signs....


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## mtlogcabin

Start with the fire code Chapter 11 in the 2012 or chapter 46 in the 2009 they are retroactive requirements that you can apply to any building.

I like to refer to this as this "charging language" as it tells me which direction and code I need to use to achieve compliance.

1104.1 General.

Means of egress in existing buildings shall comply with the minimum egress requirements when specified in Table 1103.1 as further enumerated in Sections 1104.2 through 1104.24, and the building code that applied at the time of construction. Where the provisions of this chapter conflict with the building code that applied at the time of construction, the most restrictive provision shall apply. Existing buildings that were not required to comply with a building code at the time of construction shall comply with the minimum egress requirements when specified in Table 1103.1 as further enumerated in Sections 1104.2 through 1104.24.

Since this was boot legged in recently you can require the installation to meet the current or previous edition of the codes your jurisdiction adopted.


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## Pcinspector1

fireguy, your thread, Exit lights, required or not?

Did you also have a question about exit lighting?

Hallway most likely needs emergency exit lighting and depending on the rooms may need emergency lighting?

pc1


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## fireguy

Pcinspector1 said:
			
		

> fireguy, your thread, Exit lights, required or not? Did you also have a question about exit lighting?
> 
> Hallway most likely needs emergency exit lighting and depending on the rooms may need emergency lighting?
> 
> pc1


I see some exit doors that have an exit light and some that do not.  I do not know what triggers the requirement for a light.  I was hoping for some guidance on the requirements.


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## cda

""""The path of egress travel to exits and within exits shall be marked by readily visible exit signs to clearly indicate the direction of egress travel in cases where the exit or the path of egress travel is not immediately visible to the occupants."""""

If you do not think a person knows which way to an exit,      add an exit sign


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## mtlogcabin

Fireguy

there are exit signs and there is emergency illumination (exit lighting) both are required when two exits are required.

1006.3 Illumination emergency power.

The power supply for means of egress illumination shall normally be provided by the premises' electrical supply.

In the event of power supply failure, an emergency electrical system shall automatically illuminate all of the following areas:

1.	Aisles and unenclosed egress stairways in rooms and spaces that require two or more means of egress .

2.	Corridors , exit enclosures and exit passageways in buildings required to have two or more exits .

3.	Exterior egress components at other than their levels of exit discharge until exit discharge is accomplished for buildings required to have two or more exits .

4.	Interior exit discharge elements, as permitted in Section 1027.1, in buildings required to have two or more exits .

5.	Exterior landings as required by Section 1008.1.6 for exit discharge doorways in buildings required to have two or more exits .


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## cda

If you do not think a person knows which way to an exit, add an exit sign

Where an occupancy has two or more required exits or exit accesses, the means of egress must be provided with illuminated signs that readily identify the location of, and indicate the path of travel to, the exits. The signs must be illuminated with letters reading "Exit." The illumination may be internal or external to the sign. The signs should be visible from all directions in the exit access route. In cases where the signs are not visible to the occupants because of turns in the corridor or for other reasons, additional illuminated signs must be provided indicating the direction of egress to an exit. "Exit" signs must be located so that, where required, the nearest one is within 100 feet (30 480 mm), of the sign's listed viewing distance. While not a referenced standard, UL 924 permits exit signs to be listed with a viewing distance of less than 100 feet (30 480 mm). When a sign is listed for a viewing distance of less than 100 feet (30 480 mm) the label on the sign will indicate the appropriate viewing distance. If such a sign is used, the spacing of the signs should be based on the listed viewing distance.

Typically, once an occupant enters an exit enclosure, exit signs are no longer needed; however, in buildings with more complicated egress layouts, it is possible that the direction for egress travel within the exit is not immediately apparent. For example, exit passageways can be part of the path of exit travel at the level of exit discharge or transfer floors. Evacuees may hesitate or be confused when the vertical travel becomes horizontal travel, which may result in a delay in evacuation. In these situations, exit signs may be needed within the exit enclosure (see Figure 1011.1).


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## jar546

Testing 1 2 3 testing 1 2 3


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## fatboy

chirp.........chirp.............kinda quiet on the weekends................


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## north star

*= | = | =*





> "What is the distance required for light switches  and doors?  At one time I thought it was light switches within 6 feet of a door.  Has that changed ?"


I haven't found any dimensional [ Commercial ] requirement to have the light switches installed near or at doors.........There isn't anything in the NFPA, or

the I-codes.



*= | = | =*


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## mark handler

north star said:
			
		

> I haven't found any dimensional [ Commercial ] requirement to have the light
> 
> switches installed near or at doors.........There isn't anything in the NFPA, or
> 
> the I-codes.


http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-8932.html


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## Builder Bob

Mark,

 You are correct .......   however, several factors come int play such as - energy code, means of egress must be illuminated at all times a building is occupied(a.k.a. night tme security lights).....etc.

The arguement comes with stairways ------ since the codes now cover emeregency responders, the stairways should be illuminated 24/7/365.


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## JBI

You lost me at "...  A door into a hall was covered.  The hall leads to an exit.  They then added another door that opened into an existing office, that opened into a hall that was an exit."

Is that a hall that takes you through an office at some point?


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