Section 50.24. Exit doors and exit access doors

(a) Doors used in connection with exits, exit discharge or exit access shall be of substantial construction, installed in a workmanlike manner, fitted with reliable hardware and shall be of the side-hinged, vertical hung, swinging type.

(b) Exit, exit access and exit discharge doors shall swing out with the exit travel except that exit access doors from individual rooms need not swing with exit travel when the room occupancy is less than 50 persons.

(c) Doors which lead into the path of travel from other areas shall be located so that they do not encroach more than 8 inches upon the required width of such path of travel when at their full open position.

(d) All exit and exit discharge doors shall be provided with panic hardware or fire exit hardware.

(1) The actuating portion of the panic hardware or fire exit hardware shall be a minimum of 1/2 of the width of the door leaf and shall be mounted between 30 inches to 44 inches above the floor. The latch shall be released when a force not to exceed 15 pounds is applied to the actuating device in the direction of exit travel. No lock or other device which prevents egress shall be permitted on the doors during any period of occupancy.

(2) Main entrance doors do not require panic hardware when the doors are unlocked and ready for use when the building is occupied. Not more than one door or group of doors at one location can be considered as main entrance doors.

(e) All doors shall have a minimum clear width opening of 32 inches. All doors required by Chapters 49-59 (relating to administration—buildings; general requirements—buildings; A-1 assembly; Division A-2 assembly; Division A-3 assembly; Group B educational; Division C-1 health care institutions; Division C-2 hotels, motels, apartment buildings; Division C-3 small group habitation; Division C-4 single exit apartments; Division C-5 prisons, jails, reformatories, and houses of corrections; Division D-O ordinary commercial, industrial, office; and D-H hazardous commercial, industrial, office) shall be a minimum of 6 feet, 8 inches in height.

(f) All exterior doors leading to grade shall have a landing at least 3 feet square but in no case may the landing be smaller than the door which it serves.

(g) Stairs shall be provided where the exterior grade is more than 8 inches below the floor level. These stairs shall comply with § 50.26 (relating to intercommunicating stairway).

(h) Every door to a stairway shall have a landing on both sides of the door at least as wide as the stair.

(i) Approved collapsible revolving doors may be used as exits; however, they may not constitute more than 50% of the required exit width. The clear width of the opening, when the doors are in a collapsed position, shall be used in determining the number of units of width to be allowed for each revolving door.

Notation

Cross References

This section cited in 34 Pa. Code § 51.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 52.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 53.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 54.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 55.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 56.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 57.24 (relating to exit doors); 34 Pa. Code § 58.24 (relating to exit doors); and 34 Pa. Code § 59.24 (relating to exit doors).