2006 New York Code - Exit Passageways.

 
    §  27-370  Exit passageways. Exit passageways shall be maintained free
  of obstructions at all times. Not more than fifty percent of  the  total
  number  of  vertical  exits  provided  for a building may be served by a
  single exit passageway, except as provided in subdivision (h) of section
  27-370 of this article.
    (a) Capacity. The capacity of exit passageways shall be as  listed  in
  table 6-1.
    (b)  Width.  The width of an exit passageway serving one vertical exit
  shall be equal to the width of the vertical exit. The width of  an  exit
  passageway  serving  two  or  more  vertical  exits  shall  be  equal to
  seventy-five percent of the width of all of the vertical exits  that  it
  serves.  Width  shall  be  measured  in  the clear between the narrowest
  points at any projections such as radiators, door swings, or pilasters.
    (c) Height. Exit passageways shall have a clear height of  seven  feet
  six inches for at least seventy-five per cent of the floor area, with no
  point  less  than  seven feet in height. No projection below the ceiling
  shall be located so as to obstruct full view of exit signs.
    (d) Changes in level. Changes in level requiring less than two  risers
  in  an  exit passageway shall be by a ramp complying with section 27-377
  of this article. Risers and treads shall comply with the requirements of
  subdivision (e) of section 27-375 of this article.
    (e) Construction. The construction of exit  passageways  shall  be  as
  required  by  table  3-4  for  the  applicable construction class of the
  building.
    (f) Openings. No openings other than exit doors shall be permitted  in
  exit passageways, except as provided in subdivision (h) of this section.
    (g)  Interior finish. The interior finish of exit passageways shall be
  in accordance with the requirements of table 5-4.
    (h) Street floor lobbies. Street floor lobbies may  be  used  as  exit
  passageways  when  they comply with the requirements of subdivisions (a)
  through (g) of this section subject to the following modifications:
    (1) VERTICAL EXITS SERVED. One hundred per cent of the total number of
  vertical exits provided for a building may be served by a  street  floor
  lobby,  if  egress  is  provided  in  two  different directions from the
  discharge points of all vertical exits to open exterior spaces that  are
  remote from each other.
    (2)  WIDTH.  Street floor lobbies serving as exit passageways shall be
  increased in width to accommodate the occupant load of all communicating
  spaces on the lobby floor that exit through them. The capacity per  unit
  of width shall be as listed in table 6-1.
    (3)  OPENINGS.  Openings  between street floor lobbies serving as exit
  passageways and elevators or communicating spaces shall comply with  the
  following:
    a.  Doors.  1.  Doors  to  stairways  and elevators, and unsprinklered
  communicating spaces classified in occupancy group B-2, D-2, F-1 or  F-2
  shall  be  self-closing  fire  doors having a one and one-half hour fire
  protection rating.
    2. Doors to unsprinklered communicating spaces classified in occupancy
  group G, H or J,  or  sprinklered  communicating  spaces  classified  in
  occupancy  group  B-2,  D-2,  F-1 or F-2 may be either: (a) self-closing
  fire doors having a three-quarter hour fire protection rating, or
    (b) glass or other noncombustible doors installed in conjunction  with
  automatic  fire  doors  having  a  one and one-half hour fire protection
  rating, with sprinkler heads installed over the doors on the room side.
    3. No other door openings shall  be  authorized  except  as  otherwise
  provided in this section.
    b.  Other  openings.  Other openings to spaces classified in occupancy
  group C, E, F, G, H or J  shall  be  permitted,  provided  they  have  a


  maximum  length  of  eight  feet and a maximum height of eight feet, are
  glazed by one-quarter inch polished plate glass or  equivalent  and  are
  protected  by  automatic  fire doors having a one and one-half hour fire
  protection  rating  and  by  automatic  sprinklers  complying  with  the
  construction requirements of subchapter seventeen of this  chapter  over
  the openings on the room side.
    c.  Separations and limitations. Openings permitted by subparagraphs a
  and b of this paragraph shall not exceed in total length fifty per  cent
  of  the  length  of  such enclosure wall except where the length of such
  wall is less than sixteen feet. Adjoining openings  shall  be  separated
  from  each  other  a  minimum of three feet by construction having a two
  hour fire-resistance rating.
    d. Notwithstanding the restrictions in subparagraphs a, b,  and  c  of
  this  paragraph,  the  following  openings may be authorized: 1. A space
  classified in occupancy group C, E, F-3 or, F-4 within fire  separations
  having  a  minimum  fire-resistance rating of one hour, with an area not
  exceeding twenty-five hundred square feet, may have an unlimited  length
  of show window under the following conditions:
    (a) The maximum depth of show window shall be three feet.
    (b)  Automatic sprinklers complying with the construction requirements
  of subchapter seventeen of this chapter, shall be provided in  the  show
  window display area.
    (c)  The  show  window  display  area shall be protected on all sides,
  except for  the  glazed  window,  by  construction  having  a  two  hour
  fire-resistance  rating  with  access  provided  by means of a fireproof
  self-closing door having a three-quarter hour fire protection rating.
    (d) The show window shall be glazed by one-quarter inch polished plate
  glass or equivalent.
    (e) Glass or other noncombustible doors may be used for entrance to or
  egress  from  the  space  within  fire  separations  when  installed  in
  combination  with  automatic  fire  doors having a one and one-half hour
  fire protection rating. Such automatic fire doors shall  be  located  on
  the  room  side  and shall be held open by approved door-holding devices
  actuated to release automatically upon the activation of smoke detecting
  devices, whether of the photoelectric cell or other  approved  type.  In
  addition,  automatic  sprinkler  heads,  complying with the construction
  requirements of subchapter seventeen of this chapter, shall be  provided
  over the door openings on the room side.
    2. A space classified in occupancy group C, E, F-3, or F-4 within fire
  separations having a minimum fire-resistance rating of one hour, with an
  area  not exceeding three thousand square feet, may have a maximum total
  length of unprotected openings upon a corridor or  exit  passageway  not
  exceeding  fifty  percent  of  the space frontage along such corridor or
  exit passageway under the following conditions:
    (a) The entire space  shall  be  provided  with  automatic  sprinklers
  complying  with the construction requirements of subchapter seventeen of
  this chapter.
    (b) The show window shall be glazed by one-quarter inch polished plate
  glass or equivalent.
    (c) All corridor or  exit  passageway  doors  shall  be  self-closing,
  noncombustible, and smokeproof.
    3.  Show  windows  or  other openings of unlimited lengths and heights
  shall  be  permitted  on  any  corridor  or  exit   passageway   without
  requirements for fire-resistance doors under the following conditions:
    (a)   The   entire   floor  area,  including  the  corridors  or  exit
  passageways, shall be provided with automatic sprinklers complying  with
  the construction requirements of subchapter seventeen of this chapter.


    (b)  The  occupancy  of  all  spaces  on the floor shall be limited to
  occupancy groups C, E, F-3 and F-4.
    (c)  The  widths  of  the  corridors  or  passageways shall exceed the
  requirements of table 6-1 or subdivision (b) of this section,  whichever
  is applicable, by at least fifty percent.
    (d)  All  doors  opening on the corridors or exit passageways shall be
  smokeproof, noncombustible self-closing doors.
    (e) Show windows or other openings shall be glazed by one-quarter inch
  polished plate glass or equivalent.
    (f) Each corridor or exit passageway shall be provided  with  a  fresh
  air  intake,  a positive smoke exhaust system and smoke detectors which,
  when activated, shall permit circulation only of fresh air.
    (4) OCCUPANCY. Street floor lobbies serving as exit passageways may be
  occupied by newsstands, candy and tobacco stands, information booths  or
  similar  occupancies,  if  such  stands  or  booths  are  constructed of
  noncombustible  materials,  or  of  materials  which  comply  with   the
  requirements  of  section  27-348  of article five of subchapter five of
  this chapter for interior finish for  exit  passageways,  provided  that
  such stands or booths:
    a.  do not occupy more than one hundred square feet or five percent of
  the net floor area of the lobby, whichever is greater; and
    b. do not reduce the required clear width of the lobby at  any  point;
  and
    c.  if  constructed  of combustible materials are protected by no less
  than two automatic sprinkler heads. Water for such sprinkler  heads  may
  be supplied from the domestic water supply system.