Basement Egress Window Requirements

What s an egress window.

Basement egress window requirements.

The bottom of the egress window opening can t exceed 44 from the finished floor. Basement egress windows have special requirements. When the sill height of an egress window is located below grade common for egress windows provided for a basement a window well must be provided. Basement egress window requirements.

You can arrange the bedroom so that one of the exterior walls has a properly sized egress window or exterior door in it. This means that to meet egress window height requirements a bedroom window must be nearly 4 ft. And every basement bedroom whether existing or added is required by code to have an egress window. The minimum egress window opening height is 24 high.

Since you re below ground you have to make sure that the window can still fully open without obstruction. The area of a window well shall not be less than 9 square feet with a horizontal length width of no less than 36 inches. However if your basement has habitable finished rooms building codes require it to have egress windows or other means of egress patio door etc. There are several options that you can use to achieve the egress requirements for a bedroom in a basement.

If there s a deck or porch above the basement window well at least 36 of headroom is needed. Window wells must be at least 3 x 3 and they must allow the window to open fully. Casement egress windows usually have one or more hinges at the side and swing in or out to open like a door. This height requirement takes it out of the running for most basement egress situations.

Egress requirements whether it is an egress window or an egress door it has to open to the outside and open easily without the use of keys or tools. Let s be honest during a fire stairs could be blocked or damaged. This design can allow for windows to meet the egress requirements while being comparatively small and thus be suitable for basements and areas with limited space. The minimum egress window opening is 20 wide.

The minimum opening area of the egress window is 5 7 square feet. Wide and 4 ft. Make sure the basement window well has enough area to move around in and if the well is especially deep make sure you have a ladder attached to it for an easy getaway. If the window well is more than 44 deep it needs a ladder.

It must also follow code requirements for the. Walk out basement walk out basements provide the most flexibility for building a bedroom in the basement. To meet egress requirements these horizontally sliding windows must be at least 4 ft. All of these rooms are required to have a means of egress.

Different types of windows can serve as egress windows as long as they meet the minimum requirements for size and clearance. An easy to open window that serves as an emergency exit for below ground living space of any kind.