# Veterinary Hospital Occupant Load



## javadeen (Jun 24, 2015)

Hi there!

I am working on an addition to a vet hospital - just wondering if there is anyone else who has had experience with this and what you have used for the occupant load factor for:


Treatment area/lab/surgery

Exam Room

Kennels/ICU

Waiting Area

A business occupancy load seems excessive for the staff specific areas.

Thanks in advance!


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

Welcome.....


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

What building code and edition are you using?

What sq ft and what occupant load are you coming up with for each area?


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

Treatment area/lab/surgery. Maybe 240

Exam Room                          Maybe 240

Kennels/ICU.                        Maybe 300

Waiting Area.                        7 or 15

Some of the areas you might just assign occupant load based on what the business says for employees in the area

Are you asking because of bathrooms or some other reason??


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## javadeen (Jun 24, 2015)

North Carolina Building Code 2012

Here is an estimate of the spaces:

Treatment area/lab/surgery:  1040 sqft

Exam Rooms: 375 sqft total (4 separate exam rooms)

Kennels/ICU:  630 sqft

Waiting Area:  540 sqft

If it needs to be a business occupancy than I would be at 26 occupants.  However, the kennel area will not have 7 occupants, ever.  I am just not having any luck finding what occupancy load others have used in these instances, and then I can review with AHJ.


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## steveray (Jun 24, 2015)

Unless you are beating it down to less than 15, I don't know of a benefit to being <26....just use the 26?


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## javadeen (Jun 24, 2015)

Bathrooms is one of the driving factors, I was trying to stay below the requirement for needing a male and female restroom (which is 25 in NC).  I will have plenty of egress inches.

Thanks!


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

Without seeing a floor plan

I think you are going in the right direction

I would do three people to each exam room

Kennel, depending on kennel layout would do three

Waiting room if chairs are to be installed, count the chairs.

Submit it to the ahi for 24 occupant load and see if it flys.

If not see what occupant load factor they use for each area.

1004.1.2

Exception: Where approved by the building official, the actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space, floor or building is designed, although less than those determined by calculation, shall be permitted to be used in the determination of the design occupant load.


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## mtlogcabin (Jun 24, 2015)

Number of employees plus the number of seats in the waiting area.


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

mtlogcabin said:
			
		

> Number of employees plus the number of seats in the waiting area.


Need to add dog load!!

Plus your missing owner load.


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## north star (Jun 24, 2015)

*~ % ~*



javadeen,

I have reviewed plans for a Veterinary Facility before......I used a "B"

Occupancy Group throughout........Also, do not forget about the ADA

\ Accessibility requirements of the NC Accessibility Code & the latest

[ Federal ] ADA Standards.



*~ % ~*


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

It



			
				north star said:
			
		

> *~ % ~*
> 
> javadeen,
> 
> ...


It is a B, he is trying to get the occupant load below 25


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## north star (Jun 24, 2015)

*$ ~ $ ~ $*



Apply the appropriate Occupancy Group designation, ...arrive

at the calculated Occupant Load.......If over 25, then appeal to

the BO or Appeals Board if there is one, for a variance.

Otherwise, install separate facilities.

This seems pretty clear to me that separate facilities are

required by "the letter of the code".

*$ ~ $ ~ $*


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## JBI (Jun 24, 2015)

cda said:
			
		

> Need to add dog load!!Plus your missing owner load.


cda - There is no requirement to provide fixtures for dogs, only humans. The owners are accounted for in the waiting area seating.

The only edition of the N.C. Code on the ICC website (that I found) was the 2002 edition...


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## mtlogcabin (Jun 24, 2015)

AREA, BUILDING. The area included within surrounding exterior walls (or exterior walls and fire walls) exclusive of vent shafts and courts. Areas of the building not provided with surrounding walls shall be included in the building area if such areas are included within the horizontal projection of the roof or floor above.

Don't include the wall thickness in the area calculations. Every 200 ft in length of a 6" wall would require an additional occupant. Adding up the numbers you provided = 2,585 sq ft. building looks like you only need find about 300 sq ft of storage area to make it work.


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

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				JBI said:
			
		

> cda - There is no requirement to provide fixtures for dogs, only humans. The owners are accounted for in the waiting area seating. The only edition of the N.C. Code on the ICC website (that I found) was the 2002 edition...


I mormally go into a the exam room with my dog, because the dog has adhd.

So one doctor one nurse one owner one dog equals three occupant load


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

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				JBI said:
			
		

> cda - There is no requirement to provide fixtures for dogs, only humans. The owners are accounted for in the waiting area seating. The only edition of the N.C. Code on the ICC website (that I found) was the 2002 edition...


I mormally go into a the exam room with my dog, because the dog has adhd.

So one doctor one nurse one owner one dog equals three occupant load


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## javadeen (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks for all of the feed back!  In my previous square footage post I did not include the offices...because I knew what their occupancy load factor would be.

Basically the building is 2950 sqft of space that is occupied.  Of that, I see 1310 sqft being business occupancy load - spaces that the customers will be and the offices.  But the other 1640 sqft are the lab, treatment, surgery, and kennels (they are not boarding animals - it would just be in case the owner dropped them off for their appointment or if they need to be locked up between treatments).  So that's the area I am wondering if it is a different occupancy type than Business.  I more so see it as a 'inpatient treatment area' even though that definition is for humans.

Thanks again!


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

It is a B

Considered part of the business

SECTION 304 BUSINESS GROUP B

304.1 Business Group B.

Business Group B occupancy includes, among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, for office, professional or service-type transactions, including storage of records and accounts. Business occupancies shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Airport traffic control towers

Ambulatory care facilities

Animal hospitals, kennels and pounds

Banks

Barber and beauty shops

Car wash

Civic administration

Clinic, outpatient

Dry cleaning and laundries: pick-up and delivery stations and self-service

Educational occupancies for students above the 12th grade

Electronic data processing

Laboratories: testing and research

Motor vehicle showrooms

Post offices

Print shops

Professional services (architects, attorneys, dentists, physicians, engineers, etc.)

Radio and television stations

Telephone exchanges

Training and skill development not within a sch


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

javadeen said:
			
		

> Thanks for all of the feed back!  In my previous square footage post I did not include the offices...because I knew what their occupancy load factor would be.Basically the building is 2950 sqft of space that is occupied.  Of that, I see 1310 sqft being business occupancy load - spaces that the customers will be and the offices.  But the other 1640 sqft are the lab, treatment, surgery, and kennels (they are not boarding animals - it would just be in case the owner dropped them off for their appointment or if they need to be locked up between treatments).  So that's the area I am wondering if it is a different occupancy type than Business.  I more so see it as a 'inpatient treatment area' even though that definition is for humans.
> 
> Thanks again!


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## JBI (Jun 24, 2015)

cda - No one disagrees with the Occupancy Classification of B, but occupant loads are determined by 'function of space' in Chapter 10, so breaking down the different ways the spaces are used could make a difference. IF the kennel areas are deemed 'low hazard storage' for example the occupant load could drop dramatically from an 'office space' designation. Business areas are 1 per 100sf, warehouses are 1 per 500sf, one fifth the OL.


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

JBI said:
			
		

> cda - No one disagrees with the Occupancy Classification of B, but occupant loads are determined by 'function of space' in Chapter 10, so breaking down the different ways the spaces are used could make a difference. IF the kennel areas are deemed 'low hazard storage' for example the occupant load could drop dramatically from an 'office space' designation. Business areas are 1 per 100sf, warehouses are 1 per 500sf, one fifth the OL.


I agree, just the op, was mixing monkeys and uncles in some of the posts.

The entire building should be a B

and each use area should be looked at for occuppant load factor.


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## north star (Jun 24, 2015)

*~ ~ : ~ ~ : ~ ~*

Big John,

Respectfully asking, but how does one get a 500 sq. ft. per occ.

from Table 1004.1.2 [ aka - Warehouse ] "low hazard storage",

when Section 304.1 clearly indicates the kennels to be a "B"

Occ. Group.  [  100 sq. ft. per occ.  ] ?........The function of the

kennel spaces is a "B" Occ. Grouping.



*~ ~ : ~ ~ : ~ ~*


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## JPohling (Jun 24, 2015)

I have done a few of these.  I use 1/100 typically throughout unless there is a large storage function.  1/15 at waiting.  2013 CPC 422.2 exception (3) allows a unisex restroom in lieu of separate restrooms for B occupancies less than 50 occupants.


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## JBI (Jun 24, 2015)

North Star, Simply applying the Code as written. If it were a large break room in a B occupancy and exceeded the allowable thresholds, it would be treated as an A for things like occupant load, egress, sprinklers, and even plumbing facilities. This is no different other than it's for dogs to remain until picked by their humans. Using the warehouse provision is reasonable and might bring the OL below the need for separate facilities.


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

O



			
				north star said:
			
		

> *~ ~ : ~ ~ : ~ ~*Big John,
> 
> Respectfully asking, but how does one get a 500 sq. ft. per occ.
> 
> ...


My thoughts a few posts back

Treatment area/lab/surgery. Maybe 240

Exam Room Maybe 240

Kennels/ICU. Maybe 300

Waiting Area. 7 or 15

I do not think applying 100 through out is correct


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## north star (Jun 24, 2015)

*# ~ # ~ #*

Let me ask the question another way...

Please cite the applicable code section(s) that will allow

the dogs \ cats \ other to be classified as a "low hazard

storage" function [ i.e. - an S-2  ] vs. Section 304.1 [ i.e.

- kennels as a "B"  ].

Please, ...let's start with the "letter of the code" first.

Thanks !



*# ~ # ~ #*


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

TABLE 1004.1.2 MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA ALLOWANCES PER OCCUPANT

Ag allows 300 sq ft per cow

And I took 240 sq ft for inpatient treatment  for the exam rooms and treatment rooms

Also:::

1004.1.2

Exception: Where approved by the building official, the actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space, floor or building is designed, although less than those determined by calculation, shall be permitted to be used in the determination of the design occupant load.


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## cda (Jun 24, 2015)

A B does not automatically equal 100 sq ft factor


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## JBI (Jun 24, 2015)

And...

*1004.1.2 Areas without fixed seating.   *

The number of occupants shall be computed at the rate of one occupant per unit of area as prescribed in Table 1004.1.2. For areas without _fixed seating_, the occupant load shall not be less than that number determined by dividing the floor area under consideration by the _occupant load_ factor assigned to the function of the space as set forth in Table 1004.1.2. Where an intended function is not listed in Table 1004.1.2, the _building official_ shall establish a function based on a listed function that most nearly resembles the intended function.

The kennel area in my opinion most closely resembles a low hazard storage room.


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