Basement Egress Window Requirements

The minimum egress window opening is 20 wide.

Basement egress window requirements.

Casement egress windows usually have one or more hinges at the side and swing in or out to open like a door. And every basement bedroom whether existing or added is required by code to have an egress window. 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. These special basement windows meet the current irc code for building a finished basement so you have peace of mind in the event of a fire or accident.

Egress requirements whether it is an egress window or an egress door it has to open to the outside and open easily without the use of keys or tools. To meet egress requirements these horizontally sliding windows must be at least 4 ft. The minimum egress window opening height is 24 high. All of these rooms are required to have a means of egress.

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. It must also follow code requirements for the. However if your basement has habitable finished rooms building codes require it to have egress windows or other means of egress patio door etc. This height requirement takes it out of the running for most basement egress situations.

An easy to open window that serves as an emergency exit for below ground living space of any kind. What s an egress window. This means that to meet egress window height requirements a bedroom window must be nearly 4 ft. If there s a deck or porch above the basement window well at least 36 of headroom is needed.

The minimum opening area of the egress window is 5 7 square feet. Egress window well code requirements. Basement egress window requirements. Different types of windows can serve as egress windows as long as they meet the minimum requirements for size and clearance.

Since you re below ground you have to make sure that the window can still fully open without obstruction. Window wells must be at least 3 x 3 and they must allow the window to open fully. Let s be honest during a fire stairs could be blocked or damaged. If the window well is more than 44 deep it needs a ladder.

Basement egress windows have special requirements. Wide and 4 ft. The city of bloomington has a nice handout on egress requirements explaining these requirements. You can arrange the bedroom so that one of the exterior walls has a properly sized egress window or exterior door in it.

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. Walk out basement walk out basements provide the most flexibility for building a bedroom in the basement.