House turned into office's

[ggreen5 (GORDON Green)]

Does a house that has been turned into offices need egress windows in the basement?

[jeubank1 (James Eubank, Professional Inspections since 2002)]

Egress windows are important for bedrooms. Since the building is now an office, it probably does not have bedrooms. So egress windows would not be an issue

[srechkin (Simon Rechkin)]

Egress rules vary with jurisdiction, some require emergency egress only if there is a bedroom, some require regardless if there are bedrooms. I would ask your AHJ if you cannot locate local codes.

[lkage (Larry Kage, CMI)]

@ggreen5

Does a house that has been turned into offices need egress windows in the basement?

Gordon, you can recommend whatever you want to. Would you want to be caught down there in a fire?

“I recommend upgrading to egress windows for enhanced safety”.

Then, it is up to them if the do anything or not.

P.S. Welcome to our forum…enjoy!

[jjonas (Jeffrey Jonas)]

@ggreen5

Does a house that has been turned into offices need egress windows in the basement?

It is now deemed a Commercial property, so YES, a second egress point is typically required (staircase being deemed the first egress point). Other requirements may also apply. Check with your local AHJ.