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1 SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE UPCOMING 2006 INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL CODE • 404.4.2 – Covered Mall Means of Egress – Wherever the distance of travel to the mall from any location within the tenant space used by persons other than employees exceeds 75 feet or the tenant space has an occupant load of 50 or more, not less than two means of egress shall be provided. • 406.2.5 – Parking Garage Ramps – Vehicle ramps shall not be considered as required exits unless pedestrian facilities are provided. Vehicle ramps that are utilized for vertical circulation as well as for parking shall not exceed a slope of 1:15. • 505.2 - Mezzanine Area Limitation – Exception 2, The aggregate area of mezzanines in buildings of Type I or II construction shall not exceed one-half of the area of the room in buildings and structures equipped throughout with an approved NFPA 13 automatic sprinkler system and an approved emergency voice/alarm communication system. • 713.3.2 – Membrane Penetration Exceptions – Steel electrical box exceptions are limited to maximum 2 hour walls and partitions. Maximum annular space between wall membrane and steel or listed box limited to 1/8 inch. • 714.2.1.1 – Membrane Protection – King studs and boundary elements that are integral elements in load-bearing walls of light framed construction shall be permitted to have required fire-resistance ratings provided by the membrane protection provided for the load-bearing wall. • 716.5.3 – Shaft Enclosures Dampers – Group R occupancies have been added to the smoke damper exception at penetrations of shaft enclosures for kitchen, clothes dryers, bathroom and toilet room exhaust openings with steel exhaust ducts. • 910.1, Exception 2 – Where areas of buildings equipped with early suppression fast-response (ESFR) sprinklers, automatic smoke and heat vents shall not be required within these areas. • 1003.2 - Ceiling Height – The means of egress shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet 6 inches. • 1004.1.1, Exception – Design Occupant Load – Where approved by the building official, the actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space, floor or building is designed, although less than those determined by calculation, shall be permitted to be used in the determination of the design occupant load. • 1007.6 – Areas of Refuge – Where an enclosed exit stairway or an elevator is to be considered as a portion of an accessible means of egress, the requirement for providing an area of refuge or a horizontal exit as access to such a stairway or ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 elevator is now mandated in fully sprinkled buildings as well as non-sprinkled buildings. THIS IS A HUGE CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS CODE! • 1008.1.9 – Panic and Fire Exit Hardware – The threshold requirement for panic hardware in Group A and E occupancies has been reduced from 100 occupants to 50. • 1009.11.2 – Protection at Roof Hatch Openings – Where the roof hatch opening providing the required access is located within 10 feet of the roof edge, such roof access or roof edge shall be protected by guards installed in accordance with the provisions of Section 1013. • 1010.8 Ramp Handrails – Ramps with a rise greater than 6 inches shall have handrails on both sides complying with Section 1012. • 1008.1.1 – Minimum Door Width in Group R-1 Occupancies – Interior doors within dwelling units and sleeping units of R-1 occupancies are no longer exempt from the general provisions regulating door width, resulting in a minimum door- opening width of 32 inches. • 1013.3 Guard Opening Limitations – In Group R-2 and R-3 occupancies, the maximum permitted opening between intermediate rails or ornamental enclosures in required guards at open sides of stairs has been increased such that a sphere 4 3/8” inches in diameter cannot pass through. • 1014.2 – Egress Through Intervening Spaces – The means of egress is now permitted to pass through a stockroom serving Group M occupancy, provided four specified conditions are met, addressing hazard level, amount of egress, door hardware, and aisle configuration. • 1014.3 – Common Path of Egress Travel – The maximum permitted length of the common path of travel in Group R-2 occupancies has been increased from 75 feet to 125 feet. • 1015.2.2 – Egress Separation of Three or More Exits – In those rooms or buildings where access to three or more exits is required, only two of the doors or doorways are now specifically regulated for exit separation. The performance criteria addressing the location of the additional required exit doors or exit access doorways have been deleted. • 1105.1 – Number of Accessible Entrances – The minimum required number of accessible public entrances to a building has been increased for some buildings by the requirement that at least 60% of all public entrances be accessible. • 2406.1.2 – Wired Glass Installed in Hazardous locations – Where glazing occurs in fire doors and fire windows, it must now comply with the test requirements of CPSC, 16 CFR, Part 1201, because the use of polished wired glass tested in accordance with ANZI Z97.1 is no longer permitted.