Basement Bedroom Egress Window Requirements

You can arrange the bedroom so that one of the exterior walls has a properly sized egress window or exterior door in it.

Basement bedroom egress window requirements. If you plan to add a bedroom in your basement in the future you will need to meet the requirements noted above along with a few others. Egress window well code requirements. The minimum opening area of the egress window is 5 7. Building codes require a basement bedroom has a window for fire escape purposes.

Basement egress windows have special requirements. The maximum height from the floor to the opening of the egress window is 44 inches. Make sure the basement window well has enough area to move around in and if the well is especially deep make sure you have a ladder attached to it for an easy getaway. Egress opening requirements include.

Casement egress windows usually have one or more hinges at the side and swing in or out to open like a door. Walk out basement walk out basements provide the most flexibility for building a bedroom in the basement. If the base of the well is more than 44 inches below ground level you must install a permanent ladder or stairs but this can t set out from the walls of the well more than 6 inches. All of these rooms are required to have a means of egress.

It must also follow code requirements for the height and width of basement egress windows. At a minimum the bottom of the window must be no more than 44 inches from the floor and that the actual opening be a minimum of 20 inches wide and 24 inches high larger is better not only to make escape easier but also to allow firefighters packing tools and breathing equipment to enter the area quickly. The minimum height for the egress window opening is 24 inches. The bottom of the egress window opening can t exceed 44 from the finished floor.

Since you re below ground you have to make sure that the window can still fully open without obstruction. You need an egress window all residential building code requirements across the united states state that any habitable space must have at least one egress window. To qualify a basement window as an egress you may also have to install window wells to enlarge windows and allow access. A window with a minimum width of opening of 20 inches.

When the sill height of an egress window is located below grade common for egress windows provided for a basement a window well must be provided. This design can allow for windows to meet the egress requirements while being comparatively small and thus be suitable for basements and areas with limited space. The base of the well can be no more than 44 inches above the bedroom floor. Clear height of opening.

In fact there are some specific basement window requirements that you ll need to follow in order for your new basement space to be considered a proper bedroom. The area of a window well shall not be less than 9 square feet with a horizontal length width of no less than 36 inches. There are several options that you can use to achieve the egress requirements for a bedroom in a basement.