Emergency Egress / in Bathroom ?

[Joe Reilly]

Ok, I am kinda scratching my head on this one. I have an Owner's Suite (Formerly called Master Suite) with a bathroom without a door going into sink/tub area, but has a door going into the toilet area and that toilet area has an exterior door within it.

Ok...Stage is set...

My dilemma is that the Owners bedroom window has bars on it with no quick release, is the bathroom exterior door considered an egress point ? I can consider the bathroom as still flowing as the same room, but on the same point I can also note that the Bedroom is a room, and the Bathroom is a room and egress needs to go outside and not into another room.

Thoughts on it ?

[Gunnar Alquist]

Ok, I am kinda scratching my head on this one. I have an Owner's Suite (Formerly called Master Suite) with a bathroom without a door going into sink/tub area, but has a door going into the toilet area and that toilet area has an exterior door within it.

Ok...Stage is set...

My dilemma is that the Owners bedroom window has bars on it with no quick release, is the bathroom exterior door considered an egress point ? I can consider the bathroom as still flowing as the same room, but on the same point I can also note that the Bedroom is a room, and the Bathroom is a room and egress needs to go outside and not into another room.

Thoughts on it ?

Joe,

I believe you have it right.

SECTION R310
EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND RESCUE OPENINGS
R310.1 Emergency escape and rescue opening required.
Basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room shall
have not less than one operable emergency escape and rescue
opening.

I am working from the CA Residential Code, but it should be pretty much the same thing as the IRC model. The code doesn't include bathroom/toilet room attached to a sleeping room. It clearly states "every sleeping room".

It is possible that the contractor talked the building inspector into accepting the exterior door from the toilet room as acceptable. I see that kind of thing locally. I do not believe that meets the letter of R310.

But then again, my opinion is based entirely on my own illusion of self-importance. :cool:

[Joe Reilly]

Thanks Gunner, I am in California too but generally work off of the IRC.

[Gunnar Alquist]

Thanks Gunner, I am in California too but generally work off of the IRC.

Joe,

This is a useful site. It has all of the California codes.

https://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/bsc.ca.gov/

[Joe Reilly]

Thanks, a lot of sites we just end up stumbling across.