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Table of Contents

100 Congregate Residences (Dormitories) and Guest Rooms
100.01 Scope
100.02 Definitions Applicable to this Section
100.03 General Requirements
100.04 Rescue and Ventilation
100.05 Protection of Vertical Openings
100.06 Protection from Hazards
100.07 Emergency Lighting
100.08 Fire Protection and Alarms

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100. CONGREGATE RESIDENCES (DORMITORIES) AND GUEST ROOMS. (7-1-97)

01. Scope: (7-1-97)

a. Congregate residences (dormitories) and guest rooms shall conform to all other applicable requirements of this standard as well as the following provisions. Nothing in this standard shall be construed to prohibit better or otherwise safer conditions than specified herein. (7-1-97)

02. Definitions: For definitions of other terms used in this section, see sub-section 010 of this standard. (7-1-97)

a. Congregate Residences (Dormitories) is any building or portion thereof which contains facilities for living, sleeping, and sanitation, and may include facilities for eating and cooking, for occupancy by other than a family. (7-1-97)

b. Guest Room is any room or rooms used or intended to be used by a guest for sleeping purposes. Every one-hundred (100) square feet of superficial floor area in a dormitory shall be considered to be a guest room. (7-1-97)

03. General Requirements: (7-1-97)

a. Each guest room shall be provided with a door and frame each having a fire protection rating of twenty (20) minutes, and shall be equipped with a self-closing device. Exception: In existing buildings, previously approved one and three-fourths (1 3/4) inch solid bonded wood core doors and frames may remain in use. (7-1-97)

b. No transom shall be installed in partitions of sleeping rooms in new buildings. In existing buildings, transoms shall be fixed in the closed position and shall be covered or otherwise protected to provide a fire resistance rating at least equivalent to that of the wall in which they are installed. (7-1-97)

04. Rescue and Ventilation: (7-1-97)

a. Every sleeping room below the fourth (4th) story or in a basement shall have at least one operable window or exterior door approved for emergency egress or rescue. The window or door shall be operable from the inside to provide a full clear opening without the use of separate tools. (7-1-97)

b. All egress windows from sleeping rooms shall have a minimum net clearance opening of five-point-seven (5.7) square feet. The minimum net clear opening width dimension shall be twenty (20) inches. Where windows are provided as a means of egress or rescue, they shall have a finished sill height not more than forty-four (44) inches above the floor. (7-1-97)

c. Window wells at escape or rescue windows shall comply with the following: the clear horizontal dimensions shall allow the window to be fully opened and provide a minimum accessible net clear opening of nine (9) square feet, with a minimum dimension of thirty-six (36) inches; window wells with a vertical depth of more than forty-four (44) inches shall be equipped with an approved permanently affixed ladder or stairs that are accessible with the window in the fully open position; and the ladder or stairs shall not encroach into the required dimensions of the window well by more than six (6) inches. (7-1-97)

d. Bars, grills, gates, or similar devices may be installed on emergency escape or rescue windows, doors, or window wells, provided the devices are equipped with approved release mechanisms which are open-able from the inside without the use of a key, special knowledge or effort, or tools and the building is equipped with properly installed smoke detectors. (7-1-97)

05. Protection of Vertical Openings: (7-1-97)

a. Every exit stair and other vertical openings shall be enclosed or protected in accordance with section 040 of this standard. (7-1-97)

06. Protection From Hazards: (7-1-97)

a. Every hazardous area shall be separated from other parts of the building by construction having a fire resistance rating of at least one (1) hour and communicating openings shall be protected by approved automatic or self-closing fire doors. Hazardous areas include, but are not limited to: boiler and furnace rooms, laundries, repair shops, room or space used for storage of combustible supplies and equipment in quantities deemed hazardous by the authority having jurisdiction. (7-1-97)

07. Emergency Lighting:

a. Any congregate residences (dormitory) with over twenty-five (25) rooms shall be equipped with exit lighting and emergency lighting in accordance with section 042 of this standard. EXCEPTION: Where each guest room has a direct exit to the outside of the building at ground level. (7-1-97)

08. Fire Detection and Alarms: (7-1-97)

a. Every dormitory or congregate residences three (3) stories or more in height or containing more than twenty (20) sleeping rooms shall have an approved fire alarm system installed in accordance with section 064 of this standard. (7-1-97)

b. Every congregate residence (dormitory) and every guest room used for sleeping purposes shall be provided with smoke detectors. Smoke detectors shall be located in each sleeping room/area and at a point centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to each separate sleeping area. When actuated, the detector shall provide an alarm in the sleeping room. (7-1-97)