Window egress - sleeping room with bathroom

[Denise DuLac]

We are adding a bathroom to an existing bedroom. There is a short hall (60") to the small bathroom ( no door ). The bathroom area has a large 4'x4' window(quite visible from the sleeping room). The existing bedroom has a window that does not meet egress standards (3'x3' slider). My question is this: Is this bedroom/bathroom considered one room or two.

Local inspector is requiring us to change the existing window to meet the 5.7sf egress size. Her argument is that if we were to sell the house, and the new owners put in a door to the bathroom, the window in the bedroom would not meet code for egress.

Not sure where we stand.

[Jerry Peck]

We are adding a bathroom to an existing bedroom. There is a short hall (60") to the small bathroom ( no door ). The bathroom area has a large 4'x4' window(quite visible from the sleeping room). The existing bedroom has a window that does not meet egress standards (3'x3' slider). My question is this: Is this bedroom/bathroom considered one room or two.

Local inspector is requiring us to change the existing window to meet the 5.7sf egress size. Her argument is that if we were to sell the house, and the new owners put in a door to the bathroom, the window in the bedroom would not meet code for egress.

Not sure where we stand.


The local inspector is correct.

You want to have, are required to have, direct access to the outdoors through the emergency escape and rescue opening "from the sleeping room".

From the 2006 IRC. (underlining is mine)

SECTION R310
EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND RESCUE OPENINGS

R310.1 Emergency escape and rescue required. Basements and every sleeping room shall have at least one operable emergency and rescue opening. Such opening shall open directly into a public street, public alley, yard or court. Where basements contain one or more sleeping rooms, emergency egress and rescue openings shall be required in each sleeping room, but shall not be required in adjoining areas of the basement. Where emergency escape and rescue openings are provided they shall have a sill height of not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) above the floor. Where a door opening having a threshold below the adjacent ground elevation serves as an emergency escape and rescue opening and is provided with a bulkhead enclosure, the bulkhead enclosure shall comply with Section R310.3. The net clear opening dimensions required by this section shall be obtained by the normal operation of the emergency escape and rescue opening from the inside. Emergency escape and rescue openings with a finished sill height below the adjacent ground elevation shall be provided with a window well in accordance with Section R310.2. Emergency escape and rescue openings shall open directly into a public way, or to a yard or court that opens to a public way.

Not from or through an adjacent room, but from "every sleeping room".

If you were to try to use that bathroom window, then the occupants of the "sleeping room" (the bedroom) must first go through that "doorway", and that "doorway" does not open directly to "Such opening shall open directly into a public street, public alley, yard or court", you now have to "go through" the adjacent room, which mean you cannot use that doorway, which means the bathroom window is not acceptable for use as an emergency escape and rescue opening.