Thread: Stairway Illumination

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I don't know of any requirement for lights at the landings. This is what the IRC says about stairs and hallways.

E3803.3 Additional locations. At least one wall switch-controlled lighting outlet shall be installed in hallways, stairways, attached garages, and detached garages with electric power.
At least one wall-switch-controlled lighting outlet shall be installed to provide illumination on the exterior side of each outdoor egress door having grade level access.A vehicle door in a garage shall not be considered as an outdoor egress door. Where lighting outlets are installed in interior stairways, there
shall be a wall switch at each floor level to control the lighting outlet where the stairway has six or more risers.

Dan,

By "landings" you mean the lower and upper floors, or intermediate landings?

If you mean intermediate landings, they are all 'part of' the stair.

If you mean the lower and upper floors, the code reference Scott posted from the IRC covers it (actually, that reference also covers it if you are referring to intermediate landings too).

Originally Posted by Jeff Eastman

Okay...I'm going to take on the big guns....landings are required to be illuminated

IRC2003, R303.6: "All interior and exterior stairways shall be provided witha a means t illuminate the stairs, including the landings and treads.......for interior stairs the aritificial light sources shall be capable of ilminating treads and landings....

Jeff,

Did you read this in my post above? "If you mean intermediate landings, they are all 'part of' the stair."

Once you hit the floor, while the floors *ARE* "landings", you do not need special lighting over them, the lighting FOR THE STAIR should also illuminate the landings.

One light, over the stairs, to illuminate the stair (which includes the landings).

My guess as to what Dan was referring to would be: a) there is a light for the upstairs hall (the upper landing), b) a light for the stair, and, c) a light for the downstairs hall (the lower landing). That means the light for the upper hall can be switched separately, as can be the light for the lower hall.

It would be a rare case indeed if the light for the stair did not also illuminate the entire stair (including the landings).

You do not have to have a dedicated light for the landings. Landings could be illuminated by the light over the stairs or by the light in the room that the stairs are going to. You only need (11 Lux or 1 Foot-Candle) this is about equal to a 15 watt bulb. In other words it does not need to be very much light. This is about as much light as the walk way in a movie theater.