Disagreement with plan reviewer

[design4U]

Codeman,

Rather than give you our opinions, I will just give the facts and see if you have the same answer as one or the other of us.
We have a planned 9,000 square foot restaurant area (A2) that will have tables and chairs. The building is a self contained structure not attached to any other.

We are conflicting on these 3 items.

Occupant load?
Number of exits required?
Inches of exit width required?

Building is not sprinklered.

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

What state will the building be located in?

What code is the building being designed/reviewed to, the IBC? What edition, the 2006?

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Rather than give you our opinions, I will just give the facts and see if you have the same answer as one or the other of us.
We have a planned 9,000 square foot restaurant area (A2) that will have tables and chairs. The building is a self contained structure not attached to any other.

We are conflicting on these 3 items.

Lacking the city/county/state where the building is to be located and the code applicable to that city/county/state, the following code references are from the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) with my result being based on that code.

Occupant load?

From the 2006 IBC. (underlining in the code references below is mine)
- 303.1 Assembly Group A
- - A-2 Assembly uses intended for food and/or drink consumption including, but not limited to:
- - - Banquet halls
- - - Night clubs
- - - Restaurants
- - - Taverns and bar

The above fits your stated A-2 occupancy use as restaurant.

- 1004.1.1 Areas without fixed seating. The number of occupants shall be computed at the rate of one occupant per unit of area as prescribed in Table 1004.1.1. For areas without fixed seating, the occupant load shall not be less than that number determined by dividing the floor area under consideration by the occupant per unit of area factor assigned to the occupancy as set forth in Table 1004.1.1. Where an intended use is not listed in Table 1004.1.1, the building official shall establish a use based on a listed use that most nearly resembles the intended use.
- - Exception: Where approved by the building official, the actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space, floor or building is designed, although less than those determined by calculation, shall be permitted to be used in the determination of the design occupant load.

From your information, there is no allowable increase in occupant load.

- TABLE 1004.1.1
- - MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA ALLOWANCES PER OCCUPANT
- - - Assembly without fixed seats
- - - - Concentrated (chairs only—not fixed) ...... 7 net square feet floor area per occupant
- - - - Standing space ................................ 5 net square feet floor area per occupant
- - - - Unconcentrated (tables and chairs) .........15 net square feet floor area per occupant

You stated the restaurant has a planned square foot area for the A-2 occupancy of 9,000 square feet with tables and chairs.
-> 9,000 sq. ft. / 15 net sq. ft. per occupant = a calculated occupant load of 600.

Number of exits required?

The minimum number of exits is 2 (there are some exceptions, none of which apply here), with the number of exits required based on the occupant load. With an occupant load of 600, the minimum number of exits will be based on Table 1019.1.

- 1019.1 Minimum number of exits. All rooms and spaces within each story shall be provided with and have access to the minimum number of approved independent exits required by Table 1019.1 based on the occupant load of the story, except as modified in Section 1015.1 or 1019.2. For the purposes of this chapter, occupied roofs shall be provided with exits as required for stories. The required number of exits from any story, basement or individual space shall be maintained until arrival at grade or the public way.

- TABLE 1019.1
- - MINIMUM NUMBER OF EXITS FOR OCCUPANT LOAD
- - - occupant load per story .................minimum number of exits
- - - - 1-500 ............................................ 2
- - - - 501-1,000 ....................................... 3
- - - - more than 1,000 ............................... 4

The requirements of 1019.1 are not modified by either Section 1015.1 or Section 1019.2, thus the requirements of 1019.1 are applicable. Your restaurant with an occupant load of 600 requires a minimum of 3 exits because the occupant load is between 501 and 1,000.

Inches of exit width required?

Building is not sprinklered.

The number of egress width inches required is based on the occupancy, sprinklered or not, and for stairways and other egress components (such as corridors, exits, etc.).

You stated that the building was not sprinklered, and you did not state anything about the building being more than one story, thus there are no stairways. The occupancy falls under the main occupancy heading in Table 1005.1 (see below).

- 1005.1 Minimum required egress width. The means of egress width shall not be less than required by this section. The total width of means of egress in inches (mm) shall not be less than the total occupant load served by the means of egress multiplied by the factors in Table 1005.1 and not less than specified elsewhere in this code. Multiple means of egress shall be sized such that the loss of any one means of egress shall not reduce the available capacity to less than 50 percent of the required capacity. The maximum capacity required from any story of a building shall be maintained to the termination of the means of egress.
- - Exception: Means of egress complying with Section 1025.

- TABLE 1005.1
- - EGRESS WIDTH PER OCCUPANT SERVED
- - - Occupancies other than those listed below ....... without sprinkler system ...... other than stairways ....... 0.2 inches width per occupant.

The restaurant you are planning which has stated 9,000 sq. ft. of A-2 occupancy area with an occupancy load of 600 would require 600 x 0.2 = 120 inches egress width. This means of egress width may be divided up such that the loss of any one of the 3 exits does not reduce the egress width capacity by more than 50%. Thus, each of the 3 means of egress exits could be sized at 1/3 the required egress width, the loss of one of which would only reduce the egress width by 33-1/3%, which is within the 50% reduction allowed by the code.

Does that answer your questions and does it align with either of your calculations?

Codeman

[design4U]

Codeman,

Your numbers and mine are the same and I thank you for your time sir. The 2006 ICC codes will apply.

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

You are welcome,

By the way, what were their numbers and how did they get them?

Did the other person state the minimum number of exits was 5?

If so, that would be from misreading Table 1019.1. This is from the Commentary to the IBC (underlining and bold are mine): "Where more than 500 occupants are located on a single floor, additional exits must be provided. For example, if a floor has an occupant load of 750, each occupant of that floor must have access to not less than three exits (see Table 1019.1)."

Codeman