Attic Egress Window Requirements

Have a minimum net opening area of at least 5 7 square feet.

Attic egress window requirements.

The minimum egress window opening height is 24 high. The egress window must have a glass area of not less than 8 of the total floor area of room s for which it is servicing to allow the minimum amount of sufficient natural light. Since you re below ground you have to make sure that the window can still fully open without obstruction. Please be aware of the definition and egress requirements of a habitable attic as it relates to dwellings built from the 2012 irc.

Have a minimum opening height of at least 24 inches. The clear opening must add up to 5 7 square feet. The window must open a minimum width of 20 inches. Basement egress windows have special requirements.

Irc r310 1 requires all sleeping rooms to have emergency escape and rescue openings however i think the irc is limited to 3 story residences. The minimum opening area of the egress window is 5 7 square feet. Attic egress openings must. Have a minimum opening width of at least 20 inches.

Ibc 1029 1 requires sleeping rooms below the 4th story to have emergency escape and rescue openings. Since the staircase to the attic can act as a chimney for the fire to quickly spread it s necessary to have a secondary point of egress or exit. This would imply that some egress windows are expected to be more than 15 or 20 ft. The minimum egress window opening is 20 wide.

Attics are the worst place to be in a fire because heat and fire rise rapidly. The trickiest part is the window egress. Egress laws that call for at least one window in these rooms typically require the following. To qualify a basement window as an egress you may also have to install window wells to enlarge windows and allow access.

Attics that meet the size and ceiling height criteria of the habitable attic definition in chapter 2 are considered habitable. Have an egress point. When a door is being used to meet the egress requirements it must be either a side hinged door or a slider. The 2009 and 2015 irc verbiage is similar and still applicable.

Having said that there are some broad standards dictated by the international residential code irc. The base of the well can be no more than 44 inches above the bedroom floor. If the sill is below ground the window itself will need larger dimensions 9 square feet. Also note that if a window is being used to meet the egress requirements in addition to the above the sill height of the window shall not be more than 44 inches above the finished floor.