AskCodeMan

Hello friends, I am looking at a floor plans design which show an elevator on a 5 story apartment building open to the exit stair case landing. I wonder if is this allowed by fire code or building code.
thanks
Wil

First a question - is the elevator lobby and exit stairway open or enclosed?

I would presume that the exit stairway would be enclosed, in which case the exit stairway likely needs to be pressurized when the fire alarm system goes into alarm mode. As such, there would be a door at each landing closing the stairway off from the other areas.

Hi Jerry, yes this is an enclose stair case with the elevator opening in to this stair case.
See sketch attached
thanks
Wilfredo

First, a couple of things I noticed at first glance in that drawing (i.e., there are these "buts"):
- The stair width is shown as 3'8" (44"), which would be the minimum width as measured in accordance with code stair width measuring at and above handrail height. If there is any ... any ... center divider in that stair, then the minimum 44" width is likely not going to be there.
- The landing depth (run of the landing in the direction of travel) has a minimum of the width of the stair, in this case matching the 44" ... however, any coating applied to that wall may very well reduce the landing to less than minimum as measured from the riser edge to the wall (the depth of the landing), so I would check on what coating is going to be applied to that wall. To complicate the matter even further, there is a fire sprinkler standpipe in that required landing area (the fire sprinkler standpipe needs to be outside the minimum required landing area.
- No handrail extensions are shown where the handrails are not continuous, and there does not appear to be sufficient space (one tread depth between the bottom riser) and that door for the lower handrail extension.
- The bottom landing depth shown as 4'3" (51") and the minimum handicapped accessible turning turning radius for wheelchairs (60") seems to be a mismatch.
- The door to the stairway (as it is shown), when opened, blocks the elevator door opening, it also may be blocking 50% of the stair width during its swing. Hard to know from that drawing, especially with stair direction arrows both pointing the same direction.
- The turning radius on the corridor side of the door to the stairway and its approach, push side, with closer, need to be checked to make sure they meet the minimum requirements (they might).

To your question:
- 3002.7 Common enclosure with a stairway.
- - Elevators shall not be in a common shaft enclosure with a stairway.
- - - Exception: Elevators within open parking garages need not be separated from stairway enclosures.

However, the actual elevator shaft and stairway shaft are only common through the elevator doors/elevator lobby, so we go to the following:
- 3006.2 Hoistway opening protection required.
- 3006.3 Hoistway opening protection
- 3006.4 Means of egress

3006.3 indicates that the elevator lobby needs to be protected and separate.

Keeping in mind that there were a lot of "buts" before we even got to the question.