Exit Regulations

Regulations apply to specific parts of exits, such as:

• Side-hinged doors
• Exit route capacity
• Height and width requirements

Side-hinged Doors

A side-hinged door is required for connecting any room to an exit route. If the room is designed to be occupied by more than 50 people, or if it is a high hazard area, the door connecting the room to an exit route must swing out in the direction of exit travel. An example of a high hazard area is a room full of contents that are likely to burn rapidly or to explode.

Exit Route Capacity

Exit routes must support maximum occupant load for each floor served. Capacity cannot decrease in the direction of exit route travel towards the exit discharge.

Height and Width Requirements

An exit route must meet certain height and width requirements, including the following:

• The ceiling of an exit route must be at least seven feet, six inches high.
• An exit access must be at least 28 inches wide at all points. When there is only one exit access leading to an exit or exit discharge, the width of the exit and exit discharge must be at least equal to the width of the exit access.
• The width of an exit route must be sufficient to accommodate the maximum occupant load of each floor served by the exit route.
• Objects that project into the exit route must not reduce the width of the exit route to less than the minimum width requirements for exit routes.

To learn more about Exit Routes and Fire Protection visit our Exit Routes, Emergency Action, Fire Prevention & Protection Online Training web page.