Sunday, August 11, 2013

Does a bedroom have to have a window in PA?

Q. I live in an apartment that was listed as a 2 bedroom. One of the bedrooms does not have a window. Is there supposed to be a window for emergencies or ventilation? Does anyone know the laws for this sort of thing?

A. You do need to have ventalation in a beedroom. But more important you need egress. At least one window in each bedroom must be of sufficient size to permit the occupants to escape a fire and also to allow a fully outfitted firefighter to enter.

An egress window must satisfy all four Internatioinal Residential Code (IRC) criteria:

Minimum width of opening: 20 in.
Minimum height of opening: 24 in.
Minimum net clear opening: 5.7 sq. ft. (5.0 sq. ft. for ground floor).
Maximum sill height above floor: 44 in.

So if it doesn't ahve this it's not a bedroom. A simple call to your local bulding department can confirm this.




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