Landing for garage walk through door?

[jburkman]

Jerry,
Is there an exception for not requiring a platform 30"x36" landing in the gargae when the garage walk through door opens into the garage. According to a builder of one of my cleints he says it is not required.
Can you provide the building code reference that you use for this
safety issue? I think it is 311.4.1 and what is your interpetation?
Thanks
Jeff

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Jeff,

Not knowing what state you are in, I will provide a reference from the 2006 IRC, and this is the section your referenced: "I think it is 311.4.1 and what is your interpretation?"

The builder is correct ... *IF* certain conditions are met ... that no landing is required at the door from the house to the attached private garage. However ... those conditions must be met, otherwise a landing is required.

From the 2006 IRC. (underlining and bold are mine)
-> R311.4.3 Landings at doors. There shall be a floor or landing on each side of each exterior door. The floor or landing at the exterior door shall not be more than 1.5 inches (38 mm) lower than the top of the threshold. The landing shall be permitted to have a slope not to exceed 0.25 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent).
- -> Exceptions:
- - -> 1. Where a stairway of two or fewer risers is located on the exterior side of a door, other than the required exit door, a landing is not required for the exterior side of the door provided the door, other than an exterior storm or screen door does not swing over the stairway.
- - -> 2. The exterior landing at an exterior doorway shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches (196 mm) below the top of the threshold, provided the door, other than an exterior storm or screen door does not swing over the landing.
- - -> 3. The height of floors at exterior doors other than the exit door required by Section R311.4.1 shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches (186 mm) lower than the top of the threshold.
- -> The width of each landing shall not be less than the door served. Every landing shall have a minimum dimension of 36 inches (914 mm) measured in the direction of travel.

First, the door which is excluded for the exceptions is the required exit door, and, being as one is not allowed to be required to use the garage as an exit, the door from the house to the garage becomes a door which is "other than the required exit door", which means the exceptions may be applied to that door from the house to the garage.

Now, what that is stating is that the house to garage door ("other than the required exit door') is not required to have a landing *IF* ...
- - -> 1. *IF* ... the stairway has more than two risers (most house to garage doors have only one riser, but two risers are allowed here), and the door *does not* swing out over the stairway. Being as almost all house to garage doors swing into the house, the door does not swing over the stairway.
- - -> 2. If a landing is installed, then the landing shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches below the top of the threshold, again, provided the door does not swing out over the landing. If the door does swing out over the landing, the landing must be level with, or within 1/2 inch of, the floor inside (the within 1/2 inch of is coming from memory and would need to be verified if that became a problem).
- - -> 3. *IF* ... the floor height is not more than 7 3/4 inches below the top of the threshold.

Now, presuming that the house to garage door opens inward into the house (not out over the stairway, and one riser is a stairway), and the riser height down to the garage floor is 7-3/4 inches or less BELOW THE TOP OF THE THRESHOLD (don't just think maximum riser height allowed is 7-3/4 inches, so that riser from the garage floor is allowed to be 7-3/4 inches, that would be incorrect, *in this case* the 7-3/4 inches is from the floor, past the top of the riser, to the top of the threshold), then a landing is not required as you effectively have your landing at the garage floor, and you effectively have your maximum riser height of 7-3/4 inches from the garage floor to the top of the threshold, and the door does not swing out over it, basically you now have met the same requirements as you would have to meet if you installed a landing, so ... why install the landing?

Makes sense when thought of that way, right?

Hope that information helps.

Codeman

[dkeating]

Hi Jeff,

Not knowing what state you are in, I will provide a reference from the 2006 IRC, and this is the section your referenced: "I think it is 311.4.1 and what is your interpretation?"

The builder is correct ... *IF* certain conditions are met ... that no landing is required at the door from the house to the attached private garage. However ... those conditions must be met, otherwise a landing is required.

From the 2006 IRC. (underlining and bold are mine)
-> R311.4.3 Landings at doors. There shall be a floor or landing on each side of each exterior door. The floor or landing at the exterior door shall not be more than 1.5 inches (38 mm) lower than the top of the threshold. The landing shall be permitted to have a slope not to exceed 0.25 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent).
- -> Exceptions:
- - -> 1. Where a stairway of two or fewer risers is located on the exterior side of a door, other than the required exit door, a landing is not required for the exterior side of the door provided the door, other than an exterior storm or screen door does not swing over the stairway.
- - -> 2. The exterior landing at an exterior doorway shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches (196 mm) below the top of the threshold, provided the door, other than an exterior storm or screen door does not swing over the landing.
- - -> 3. The height of floors at exterior doors other than the exit door required by Section R311.4.1 shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches (186 mm) lower than the top of the threshold.
- -> The width of each landing shall not be less than the door served. Every landing shall have a minimum dimension of 36 inches (914 mm) measured in the direction of travel.

First, the door which is excluded for the exceptions is the required exit door, and, being as one is not allowed to be required to use the garage as an exit, the door from the house to the garage becomes a door which is "other than the required exit door", which means the exceptions may be applied to that door from the house to the garage.

Now, what that is stating is that the house to garage door ("other than the required exit door') is not required to have a landing *IF* ...
- - -> 1. *IF* ... the stairway has more than two risers (most house to garage doors have only one riser, but two risers are allowed here), and the door *does not* swing out over the stairway. Being as almost all house to garage doors swing into the house, the door does not swing over the stairway.
- - -> 2. If a landing is installed, then the landing shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches below the top of the threshold, again, provided the door does not swing out over the landing. If the door does swing out over the landing, the landing must be level with, or within 1/2 inch of, the floor inside (the within 1/2 inch of is coming from memory and would need to be verified if that became a problem).
- - -> 3. *IF* ... the floor height is not more than 7 3/4 inches below the top of the threshold.

Now, presuming that the house to garage door opens inward into the house (not out over the stairway, and one riser is a stairway), and the riser height down to the garage floor is 7-3/4 inches or less BELOW THE TOP OF THE THRESHOLD (don't just think maximum riser height allowed is 7-3/4 inches, so that riser from the garage floor is allowed to be 7-3/4 inches, that would be incorrect, *in this case* the 7-3/4 inches is from the floor, past the top of the riser, to the top of the threshold), then a landing is not required as you effectively have your landing at the garage floor, and you effectively have your maximum riser height of 7-3/4 inches from the garage floor to the top of the threshold, and the door does not swing out over it, basically you now have met the same requirements as you would have to meet if you installed a landing, so ... why install the landing?

Makes sense when thought of that way, right?

Hope that information helps.

Codeman

Jerry,

What about this scenario; a door from the kitchen area opens immediately over a stair with 3 risers in the laundry/mud room?

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

a door from the kitchen area opens immediately over a stair with 3 risers in the laundry/mud room?

The stair from the kitchen to a laundry room / mud room must comply with this:
- From the 2006 IRC. (underlining and bold are mine)
- - R311.5.4 Landings for stairways. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway.
- - - Exception: A floor or landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs, including stairs in an enclosed garage, provided a door does not swing over the stairs.
- - - A flight of stairs shall not have a vertical rise larger than 12 feet (3658 mm) between floor levels or landings.
- - - The width of each landing shall not be less than the width of the stairway served. Every landing shall have a minimum dimension of 36 inches (914 mm) measured in the direction of travel.

The step down from one level to the next is a stair, it is a one step stair, but a stair nonetheless. A stair is defined as (from the 2006 IBC):
- STAIR. A change in elevation, consisting of one or more risers.

I.e., there is a floor surface you stand on, a riser (where you step up or down depending on the direction you are traveling), then another floor surface you step up or down to.

Because the door swings out over the step down (if I am understanding you correctly), there needs to be a landing at the same height as the floor inside on each side of the door. As the door swings out over the lower surface, re-hanging the door to swing over the higher floor would be the easier correction as long as the door does not interfere with anything else.