Dave,
First, a clarification - you said:
On the second and third floor, there are 8 two story town home rentals.
Those are not townhouses, they are apartments or condos (which are addressed the same as apartments in the Building Code).
You mentioned the CBC, which is likely referring to the California Building Code. I will reference the IBC, which is the base code for the CBC, and I will invite my California code guy (who understands the nuances of the California codes better than I do as California codes are often amended to be quite different from the base codes.
The above is from the IBC (International Building Code) - the 2018 IBC code defines townhouse as follows: (underlining is mine)
- [A]TOWNHOUSE. A single-family dwelling unit constructed in a group of three or more attached units
in which each unit extends from the foundation to roof and with open yard on at least two sides.
Your description does not fit that - as such, the units are "apartments" - that does not affect this discussion, that is just a point of clarification for accuracy and use of terminology.
From the 2018 IBC: (underlining and bold are mine)
-
1006.3 Egress from stories or occupied roofs.
- -
The means of egress system serving any story or
occupied roof shall be provided with the number of separate and distinct exits or access to exits based on the aggregate occupant load served in accordance with this section. Where stairways serve more than one story, only the occupant load of each story considered individually shall be used in calculating the required number of exits or access to exists serving that story.
- - 1006.3.1 Adjacent story.
- - - The path of egress travel to an exit shall not pass through more than one adjacent story.
- - - - Exception: The path of egress travel to an exit shall be permitted to pass through more than one adjacent sotry in any of the following:
- - - - - 1. In Group R-1, R-2 or R-3 occupancies, exit access stairways and ramps connecting four stories or less serving and contained within individual dwelling unit, sleeping unit or live/work unit.
- - - - - 2. Exit access stairways serving and contained within a Group R-3 congregate residence or a Group R-4 facility.
- - - - - 3. Exit access stairways and ramps in open parking garages that serve only the parking garage.
- - - - - 4. Exit access stairways and ramps serving open-air assembly seating complying with the exit access travel distance requirements of Section 1029.7.
- - - - - 5. Exit access stairways and ramps between the balcony, gallery or press box and the main assembly floor in occupancies such as theaters, places of religious worship, auditoriums and sports facilities.
- -
1006.3.2 Egress based on occupant load. - - -
Each story and
occupied roof shall have the minimum number of independent exits, or access to exits, as specified in Table 1006.3.2. A single exit or access to a single exit shall be permitted in accordance with Section 1006.3.3. The required number of exits, or exit access stairways or ramps providing access to exits, from any story or occupied roof shall be maintained until arrival at the exit discharge or a public way.
- - - - (I am not including Table 1006.3.2 as it is not applicable to the discussion.)
- - -
1006.3.3 Single exits.
- - - -
A single exit or access to a single exit shall be permitted from any story or
occupied roof where one of the following conditions exists:
- - - - - 1. The occupant load, number of dwelling units and common path of egress travel distance
does not exceed the values in Table 1006.3.3(1) or
1006.3.3(2).
- - - - - 2. Rooms, areas and spaces complying with Section 1006.2.1 with exits that discharge directly to the exterior at the level of exit discharge, are permitted to have one exit or access to a single exit.
- - - - - 3. Parking garages where vehicles are mechanically parked shall be permitted to have one exit or access to a single exit.
- - - - - 4. Group R-3 and R-4 occupancies shall be permitted to have one exit or access to a single exit.
- - - - - 5. Individual single-story or multistory dwelling units shall be permitted to have a single exit or access to a single exit from the dwelling unit provided that both of the following criteria are met:
- - - - - - 5.1. The dwelling unit complies with Section 1006.2.1 as a space with one means of egress.
- - - - - - 5.2. Either the exit from the dwelling unit discharges directly to the exterior at the level of exit discharge, or the exit access outside the dwelling unit’s entrance door provides access to not less than two approved independent exits.(I am not including Table 1006.3.3.1(1) as it is not appliable - it addresses up to a maximum of 4 dwelling units.)
- - - -
Table 1006.3.3(2) - - - - - Stories with one exit or access to one exit for other occupancies
- - - - - - (The first row below the heading is for "First story above or below grade plane" and is not applicable to this discussion.)
- - - - - - (The second row below the heading is for "Second story above grade plane" and is not applicable to this discussion.)
- - - - - - (
The third row below the heading is for "
Third story above grade plane and higher", this is what is applicable to this discussion -
note that under the second column from the left, headed "Occupancy", it says "NP", and note that below the table it indicates "NP = Not Permitted" ...
one exit is "Not Permitted" - for any "Occupancy " - for "Third story above grade plane and higher".)
20118 IBC Table 1006.3.3(2) annotated.jpg
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