Unfinished basements without bedrooms require a single egress.
Unfinished basements with bedrooms (rare) require an additional egress to the exterior within each bedroom.
Finished basements without bedrooms require the original single egress PLUS a secondary egress to the exterior.
Finished basements with bedrooms require the two points of egress PLUS an egress point to the exterior within each bedroom.
Hope that helps.
Thanks, Jeffrey. Yes, this is helpful. Would you give me the Code reference for that please?
Don’t have it handy, as I’m not a Code inspector. I’d have to look it up when I get a chance.
Would be faster for you to Google the Standards, remembering that they are only accurate for New Builds, not old existing homes. You’d have to go back to the old code cycles for that info.
My post is from 28 years OTJ inspecting 150+/- y/o homes as well as New build homes. It is rarely an issue on New Builds as the majority are built with unfinished basements, (and the new homeowner finishes them out a year or two later, usually without permits or code inspections). That’s when life gets interesting!
Absolutely- 99% of the time without permits… I appreciate the reply . Thanks!
I was misspoke .I’m am actually referring to homes built with unfinished basements too. They’re just old and the owners have finished them now. So:
Finished basements without bedrooms require the original single egress PLUS a secondary egress to the exterior = Up the stairs and a door to the outside
Finished basements with bedrooms require the two points of egress PLUS an egress point to the exterior within each bedroom = Up the stairs. Door to the outside. & egress window in each bedroom.
Is that right?
This varies with the AHJ…
A Door is not a requirement, as long as an egress window (which is not dedicated for the bedrooms) is available in the common habitable space.
(Think below grade homes adding the additional egress). Doors would require excavating to below the frostline to install a proper footing. It is difficult enough to get people to install egress windows, especially with proper drainage!!
am I to understand that You are a code compliance officer asking home inspectors for advice on code compliance ???
Damnit Jim… you went and scared him off!!
Thanks…Yes yes, not specifically a door but was just giving an example of a means of egress as some of the homes do have doors.
lol no worries. Not scared off.
No, Jim. No longer a Code Officer, but in some jurisdictions , code officers do do rental housing inspections and often encounter basements being used for sleeping or habitable spaces that have no egress besides the stairs leading to the grade floor.
I was just asking a question in a forum where the topic was egress windows and the IRC. Question was originally directed at Bob, who’s was in Maryland also and was contributing information about basement egress window requirements. Others have been nice enough to jump in with helpful information. Thanks all
It was not my intention to scare anyone off…I just thought it interesting in all the years i did real estate home inspections I never once quoted a code reference…
The 2018 IRC says this:
R310.6 Alterations or repairs of existing basements. An
emergency escape and rescue opening is not required where
existing basements undergo alterations or repairs.
Exception: New sleeping rooms created in an existing
basement shall be provided with emergency escape and
rescue openings in accordance with Section R310.1.
In your scenario of unfinished basements an EERO (egress window) is NOT required when the basement is finished, UNLESS a sleeping room is created in the finished basement. At that point the EERO is required in each sleeping room created .
Sleeping rooms or beds in a rental property basement are not permitted unless a secondary egress is available. This may take the form of a basement walkout.
Thanks! Yes many of those homes had created sleeping rooms but had no egress window in them. Sometimes there would be a door leading to the outside from a common area in the basement, but inside the bedroom still no egress window