Dwelling/garge fire separation

[Rick Vernon]

Jerry, do you know if this requirement was in effect 25 years ago?
IRC 2009 R302.6 table R302.6

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

[Rick Vernon]

Jerry, thank you for your quick reply and informative answer!

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Rick,

As you can see, that Uniform Building Code addressed the separation requirement between a dwelling and its private garage as "the separation may be limited to the installation of material approved for one-hour fire-resistive construction on the garage side", which would indicate the use of 5/8 inch Type X gypsum board, whereas the IRC only requires 1/2 inch gypsum board on the garage side of the walls, but does require 5/8 inch Type X on the ceiling under living space above.

I am now going to add a twist into what is being discussed by using another code, the Standard Building Code, the oldest I have is the 1988 edition: (underlining and bold are mine)
- 403.3 Special Occupancy Separations
- - 403.3.1 A separation between a private garage and any occupancy shall be the minimum fire resistance specified in Table 403.1 for the occupancy, except in the case of one or two family dwelling, fire resistance separation shall not be required.

We now have one code which requires (effectively requires based on its wording) 5/8 inch Type X on the garage side of the wall between the garage and the dwelling and another code which requires absolutely nothing on the wall between the garage and the house, which means one could (as was done in 1978 on my house up here in Ormond Beach as the Standard Building Codes were in effect up here) install wood paneling on the garage side with no gypsum board behind the wood paneling. Yes, that is correct - the wall between the living space and the garage could have had felt paper applied to it on the garage side, my house has wood paneling on the garage side, no gypsum board. At that same time, in South Florida, they were requiring 5/8 inch Type X on the garage side.

All depends on the code in effect in the area.

Also, I forgot to post the Table from the 2009 IRC in my first post, so I have added it.

[Rick Vernon]

Jerry, as you may have summized an inspector that works with us did not note the separation between dwelling and garge on a 26 yr old house in his report.
You are very detailed and consistant in your replies here and on Inspection News which makes me fan.
Thanks as alway for the education!
Rick

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Rick,

If permits were required in your area at that time (many areas still do not require permits today) and if a code was adopted for your area at that time (many areas also still have not adopted a code today, which seems unreal in this day and age), so ... if a code as in force and permits were required, it would be "logical to presume" that the house and its garage were permitted and inspected, which means it was "signed off on" by the AHJ.

With that said, the AHJ deemed it to have met code at the time of construction.

And with that said, we all know the errors and construction defects we find after-the-fact.

If no code was adopted for your area at that time, and no permits were required, then all bets are off as there was no code for the house and garage to have to meet and be compliant - meaning that, like the days of the Wild West, "anything goes".

The flip side of which is that a fire in the garage in an older home, heck, even a brand new home built where there are no codes, will not open the code book to see if it is allowed to destroy the home. Also, the garage to dwelling area separation wall is not a fire-resistive rated wall even in the old Uniform Building Code as the Type X was only addressed as being required on the garage side.

When all is said and done, *even if that wall was a true 1-hour fire-resistive rated wall*, that would not "save the house", it would only be designed to give the occupants 1 hour to escape ... which is why those walls are called fire-resistive and not fire-proof.

Hope it all works out for you, the first thing to do is to ask the local building department was code had been adopted at that time, then go from there. Let me know what code had been adopted, I may have it (or may not, but I will at least check) and if I have it I can tell what what was required.

Also, thank you for the kind words.