Egress is something a lot of homebuyers don’t really think about initially, but it’s something all home inspectors are constantly looking for during a home inspection. The term egress is literally defined as the action of going out or leaving a place. While all habitable buildings in the United States have means of egress requirements, this blog will touch on two of the most common issues documented by this Tallahassee home inspector.
Means of Egress Requirements for Doors
Every residence should have at least one exit door, providing direct access from the habitable portions of the dwelling to the exterior without requiring travel through the garage. These doors must be side hinged and at least 3 ft wide and 6 ft 8 inches tall. These doors must also be readily opened from the inside without the use of a key or special tool or knowledge. This requirement exists because you never know who may need to get out of the house during an emergency such as a fire, and you don’t want anything to impede that progress. One of the most common issues we note about this is when homeowners replace locks with two sided deadbolts that require a key.
Double sided keyed deadbolts impede egress
Another Example of a door that wouldn’t be able to be used in an emergency situation without first locating a key.
Means of Egress Requirements for Windows
If a room is to be used as a sleeping room, there should be at least one emergency escape and rescue opening that should directly open to the outside. Again, in the event of a house fire, if the inside of the home is impassable, you need a way to get out or have a first responder able to get in. Obviously any kind of door would meet this means of egress requirement, but more commonly found in bedrooms are windows. The base of a window must not be more than 44 inches off the floor and have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet. While there are a lot of different ways to get to the minimum of 5.7 sq ft, there are still required minimums for both height and width. The minimum net clear opening height needs to be 24 inches or greater and the width needs to be at least 20 inches. These requirements are so small children or impaired individuals can still manage to get out or a first responder can get in. This is also why bars over windows are called out.
Even the 6’4″ home inspector would have a hard time getting out of this window that had a sill height of 46″.
For a a more in-depth study, click here: 2014 Florida Building Code, Chapter 10 means of egress.
