# Ceiling Heights - Hallway vs Landing vs Habitable Space



## TXDave777 (Jan 9, 2021)

In reading the residential codes for ceiling heights, I have run into several different interpretations on the internet and thought I would reach out for some help.  

I am adding a large 9/12 North-South gable addition that will include living space and a large 3 vehicle garage and workshop on the first level. On the second level, I will have two additional bedrooms and bathrooms.  I will be extending the existing house West-East Hip into the new gable addition which gives me the space to have a staircase going from the existing part of the house to the new second level but it will leave me about a 12-foot long 3-foot wide landing area at the top of the stairs to a cased opening to a common multi-purpose room.

It is going to be a significant challenge to meet the 7' requirement across the entire 3-foot wide area as the area is directly under the East-West Hip Ridge from the main house. There will be an uninhabitable-attic access door in this area but no other doors.  The required ceiling height over the stairs is 6'8" and I was planning on keeping this ceiling height through the common room...

(R305.1) Minimum height. Habitable space, hallways, bathrooms, toilet rooms, laundry rooms ... shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet.

Exception #1: For rooms with sloped ceilings, at least 50 percent of the required floor area of the room must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet and no portion of the required floor area may have a ceiling height of less than 5 feet.

I have seen articles that state that hallways are not habitable rooms and excluded from 305.1 and the minimum height can be 6'8" like the stairs. I can't find a definition of the maximum length of a landing so I'm not sure where to start the 7' requirement. The exception for the sloped area might be pertinent and helpful but would this apply to this area?

I've attached a picture... Any help would be most appreciated.Second Level Floorplan - Walls & Ceilings


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## cda (Jan 9, 2021)

Welcome

Are you mainly in north, south, east, or west, in the Country of Texas ?

Do you mainly work in incorporated cities?


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## cda (Jan 9, 2021)

Not my area, 

But normally if a specific is called out in a section, it applies.

So I am thinking hallway has to be 7.

As I always say, you can submit, and see if it flies.






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						Minimum Residential Ceiling Heights Per Code – Building Code Trainer
					






					buildingcodetrainer.com
				





*RB] HABITABLE SPACE. *A space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces and similar areas are not considered _habitable spaces_.


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## ADAguy (Jan 9, 2021)

a hallway is not a landing.


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## TXDave777 (Jan 10, 2021)

cda said:


> Welcome
> 
> Are you mainly in north, south, east, or west, in the Country of Texas ?
> 
> Do you mainly work in incorporated cities



Thanks... In West Texas and in an incorporated city.


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## TXDave777 (Jan 10, 2021)

cda said:


> Not my area,
> 
> But normally if a specific is called out in a section, it applies.
> 
> ...


Yes.. That makes it clearer... From a strict reading of the IRC 2015 it appears that there are only sloped ceiling exceptions for habitable spaces and it is silent on hallways - which I guess has to be inferred that there is no exception.  That and the fact that after exhaustive searching, I have not found any information that would indicate otherwise. Thanks so much for your help!


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## Robert (Jan 10, 2021)

I'm thinking that hallway is part of an egress path, which would also require the minimum headroom. It seems to me though there is an exception to ductwork/furred clgs. (at least in commercial) that allows a limited lower headroom even along an egress path. Maybe this could apply to residential?


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## Rick18071 (Jan 11, 2021)

There is nothing about an "egress path" in the IRC


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## Paul Sweet (Jan 11, 2021)

The link takes me to a page to log in or sing up for Photobucket.

Can you get the 7'-0" height at least halfway across the hall, and slope down to 6'-8" or so at the side?  That would give you adequate headroom for a basketball player in the middle of the corridor, and the sloped ceiling would be over his shoulders.


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## ADAguy (Jan 11, 2021)

Maybe then you could do an arched or domed ceiling with a minimum clr hgt width of 3', descending to the lower height?


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## TXDave777 (Jan 11, 2021)

Paul Sweet said:


> The link takes me to a page to log in or sing up for Photobucket.
> 
> Can you get the 7'-0" height at least halfway across the hall, and slope down to 6'-8" or so at the side?  That would give you adequate headroom for a basketball player in the middle of the corridor, and the sloped ceiling would be over his shoulders.


Yes... I definitely could do that if it was allowable.  When making the plans, we failed to take into account the loss of a couple of inches for a roof valley that connected a 7/12 Hip roof to a 9/12 Gable.... we are literally inches away on one top corner.  I can totally get 6'8" all the way across with no problem but we will need to do some out of the box framing to take into account the valley.  I was hoping to find something to show the building inspector that allowed a ceiling height of less than 7' or that a hall would qualify for an exception since we will have 80% of the hall at 7'.  I'll check on the Photobucket link. Thanks for your input.


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## steveray (Jan 15, 2021)

Try to call it a landing at 6'8"


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