# Required separation between Kitchen and dining room? A-2 restaurant +50 Occ Load



## joetheinspector (Aug 6, 2015)

There is a restaurant in my jurisdiction that has been closed down for over a year. It is in a very old building.

They are wanting to put another restaurant that will serve beer and wine in the same space.

Since it has been closed down they will need to be issued a new certificate of occupancy.

Type VB construction.

Non-sprinklered

A-2 occupancy classification.

Over 50 occupancy load.

2009 IBC or IEBC

Question:

Is there any separation required between the kitchen and dining room? If so how many hour?

What are the applicable code sections?


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## cda (Aug 6, 2015)

Ok dining is an A occupancy

Kitchen maybe and F-1

if that is the case and the building is sprinkled one hour if not two hour  508.4

or look to see if it meets non seperated per 508.3

Have the owner do the analysis and let you review it.

I do not speak IEBC, so that may give him a break


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## BayPointArchitect (Aug 6, 2015)

Back in the day of the 1994 UBC, this restraurant would need to be compartmentalized with a rated wall only if the overall fire area was more than 5,000 S.F.

Today's 2009 IBC has the same criteria per 2009 IBC 903.2.1.2

I would guess that both the kitchen and dining room are less than 5,000 S.F.

If I am correct in my assumption, then no separation is required.

Also review nonseparated occupancies IBC 508.3 and NFPA 101 Section 6.1.14.3.3 for good measure.


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## steveray (Aug 7, 2015)

Complete code analysis of the BUILDING required to answer correctly.....


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## mark handler (Aug 8, 2015)

The simple answer is no-separation required No analysis no further information

2009  International Building Code

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ibc/2009f2cc/icod_ibc_2009f2cc_5_sec008.htm

TABLE 508.4 REQUIRED SEPARATION OF OCCUPANCIES (HOURS)

d. Commercial kitchens need not be separated from the restaurant seating areas that they serve.


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## mark handler (Aug 8, 2015)

2012 Change

http://media.iccsafe.org/news/eNews/2012v9n1/2012_ibc_sigchanges_pgs14-15.pdf

303.3, 306.2 Occupancy Classifi cation of Commercial Kitchens

CHANGE TYPE: Clarification

CHANGE SUMMARY:

The appropriate occupancy classification of a commercial kitchen has been clarified based upon the kitchen's relationship, or lack of a relationship, to dining facilities. 2012 CODE: 303.3 Assembly Group A-2. Assembly uses intended for food and/or drink consumption including, but not limited to: Banquet halls Casinos (gaming areas) Night clubs Restaurants, cafeterias, and similar dining facilities (including associated commercial kitchens) Taverns and bars 306.2 Moderate-hazard Factory Industrial, Group F-1. Factory industrial uses which are not classified as Factory Industrial F-2 Low Hazard shall be classified as F-1 Moderate Hazard and shall include, but not be limited to, the following: Food processing and commercial kitchens not associated with restaurants, cafeterias, and similar dining facilities. (no changes to other uses on the list)

CHANGE SIGNIFICANCE: Commercial kitchens have historically been characterized as two different types, those that are directly associated with a restaurant or similar dining facility and those that are independent of any related dining area, such as a catering business. The appropriate occupancy classification of commercial kitchens has been clarified through text changes in three different areas of the code.

In Table 508.4 regulating separated occupancies, footnote d has been eliminated to help provide clarity to the classification of a commercial kitchen. The past presence of the footnote eliminating any required fi re separation between a commercial kitchen and the restaurant seating area that it serves often led to a conclusion that the commercial kitchen needed to be classified differently than the associated dining area. It was occasionally assumed that if they were intended to both be classified as the same occupancy, that of the restaurant seating area, then there was no relevance to the footnote. However, common practice has always been to include the kitchen area as an extension of the restaurant seating area, causing both spaces to be considered as Group A-2, or Group B for smaller restaurants. In order to clarify the appropriate occupancy classification of the associated kitchen, the footnote has been deleted.

To further identify the classification of the two types of commercial kitchens, additional language has been added to the code listings of those uses classified as Group A-2 and Group F-1 occupancies. Commercial kitchens associated with restaurants, cafeterias, and similar dining facilities, are now considered as a portion of the Group A-2 occupancies classification. Extending this concept, a kitchen associated with a small Group B restaurant would simply be classified as a portion of the Group B occupancy. Although a commercial kitchen does not pose the same types of hazards as an assembly use, the allowance for a similar classification has generally been considered as an appropriate decision. Where the commercial kitchen is not associated with a dining facility, such as a catering business, the kitchen is to be classified as a Group F-1 occupancy in the same manner as any other food processing operations.

IBC 2012

303.3 Assembly Group A-2.

Assembly uses intended for food and/or drink consumption including, but not limited to:

Banquet halls

Casinos (gaming areas)

Nightclubs

Restaurants, cafeterias and similar dining facilities *(including associated commercial kitchens) *

Taverns and bars

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ibc/2012/icod_ibc_2012_3_par009.htm


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## cda (Aug 8, 2015)

Dang

Have to read the foot notes


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## steveray (Aug 10, 2015)

I think I missed "in the same space"....Just watch for the change of occupancy provisions then...


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