Basement Stairs Building Code
On March 1 2021 By Amik.
Basement stairs building code. If the distance between floor levels exceed 147 inches the flight of stairs would require a level landing somewhere in-between to break up the flight of stairs. Staircase code states that stairs must be 3 feet wide or wider. Convenience stairs also referred to as monumental stairs in the code are not subject to the same requirements as those used for egress.
The new basement staircase is 5 treads down and then your on a landing and then another 5 treads down to get to the basement floor for a total of 11 steps. There may be local or state building codes for how many inches off-center you can space studs such as 16 or 24 inches apart and how much clearance you need for ceilings landings for. The stairs should be 36 inches wide minimum.
Stairways shall be not less than 36 inches 914 mm in clear width at all points above the permitted handrail height and below the required headroom height. As long as the 3-foot width standard is met you can expand the stairs width as far as you wish. Building codes often require insulation and moisture barriers.
Stairways shall not be less than 36 in clear width at all points above the permitted handrail height and below the required headroom height. Stairways serving bulkhead enclosures not part of the required building egress providing access from the outside grade level to the basement shall be exempt from the requirements of 780 CMR 53 1143 and 53115 where the maximum height from the basement finished floor level to grade adjacent to the stairway does not exceed eight feet 2438 mm and the grade level opening to the stairway is. Ramp headroom in accordance with Section 101252.
All youve got is an opening in the ceiling. The emergency escape window shall be operable from the inside without the use of special knowledge tool or extra force. Stair headroom in accordance with Section 10113.
So far weve discussed stair requirements based on the building code. There are situations where a stair is not mandated by code but having one provides a convenience for accessing the basement. Minimum head clearance from the nosing of the stair treads to the finished ceiling shall not be less than 6.