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Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS

Section 3005 — MACHINE ROOMS

2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-07-29 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

3005.1 Access.

A permanent and approved means of access shall be provided to elevator machine rooms, control rooms, control spaces and machinery spaces.

3005.2 Temperature and humidity control.

Elevator machine rooms, machinery spaces that contain the driving machine, and control rooms or spaces that contain the operation or motion controller for elevator operation shall be provided with an independent ventilation or air-conditioning system to protect against the overheating of the electrical equipment. The system shall maintain the temperature and humidity be capable of maintaining temperatures within the range established by the manufacturer of the elevator equipment.

3005.3 Pressurization.

The elevator machine room, control rooms or control space with openings into a pressurized elevator hoistway shall be pressurized upon activation of a heat or smoke detector located in the elevator machine room, control room or control space.

3005.4 Machine rooms, control rooms, machinery spaces, and control spaces.

The following rooms and spaces shall be enclosed with fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both:

  1. Machine rooms.

  2. Control rooms.

30-6 2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE

on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS

  1. Control spaces.
  2. Machinery spaces outside of the hoistway enclosure.

The fire-resistance rating shall be not less than the required rating of the hoistway enclosure served by the machinery. Openings in the fire barriers shall be protected with assemblies having a fire protection rating not less than that required for the hoistway enclosure doors.

Exceptions:

  1. For other than fire service access elevators and occupant evacuation elevators, where machine rooms, machinery spaces, control rooms and control spaces do not abut and do not have openings to the hoistway enclosure they serve, the fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both, shall be permitted to be reduced to a 1-hour fire-resistance rating.
  2. For other than fire service access elevators and occupant evacuation elevators, in buildings four stories or less above grade plane where machine room, machinery spaces, control rooms and control spaces do not abut and do not have openings to the hoistway enclosure they serve, the machine room, machinery spaces, control rooms and control spaces are not required to be fire-resistance rated.

3005.4.1 Automatic sprinkler system. Automatic sprinklers shall not be required to be installed in the elevator hoistway, elevator machine room, elevator machinery space, elevator control space or elevator control room where the following is met:

The elevator machine room, elevator machinery space, elevator control space or elevator control room shall be enclosed with fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both. The fire-resistance rating shall not be less than the required rating of the hoistway enclosure served by the machinery. Openings in the fire barriers shall be protected with assemblies having a fire protection rating not less than that required for the hoistway enclo- sure doors. The exceptions to Section 3005.4 shall not apply.

3005.5 Shunt trip.

Where elevator hoistways, elevator machine rooms, control rooms and control spaces containing elevator control equipment are protected with automatic sprinklers, a means installed in accordance with Section 21.4 of NFPA 72 shall be provided to automatically disconnect the main line power supply to the affected elevator prior to the application of water. This means shall not be self-resetting. The activation of automatic sprinklers outside the hoistway, machine room, machinery space, control room or control space shall not disconnect the main line power supply.

3005.6 Plumbing systems.

Plumbing systems shall not be located in elevator equipment rooms.

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▸ Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  4. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  5. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  6. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  7. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  8. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
  9. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  10. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  11. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  12. Chapter 11 — RESERVED
  13. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  14. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  15. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  16. Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
  17. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  18. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  19. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  20. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  21. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  22. Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  23. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  24. Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  25. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  26. Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 21A — MASONRY
  30. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  31. Chapter 22A — STEEL
  32. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  33. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  34. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  35. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  36. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  37. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  38. Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
  39. ▸ Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
    Overview
    1. Section 3001 — GENERAL
    2. Section 3002 — HOISTWAY ENCLOSURES
    3. Section 3003 — EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
    4. Section 3004 — CONVEYING SYSTEMS
    5. Section 3005 — MACHINE ROOMS
    6. Section 3006 — ELEVATOR LOBBIES AND HOISTWAY OPENING PROTECTION
    7. Section 3007 — FIRE SERVICE ACCESS ELEVATOR
    8. Section 3008 — OCCUPANT EVACUATION ELEVATORS
    9. Section 3009 — PRIVATE RESIDENCE ELEVATORS
    10. Section 3010 — SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ELEVATORS IN HOSPITALS
  40. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  41. Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
  42. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  43. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  44. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  45. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  46. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  47. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  48. Chapter 34 — RESERVED
  49. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  50. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  51. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  52. Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  53. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  54. Appendix E — RESERVED
  55. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  56. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
  57. Appendix H — SIGNS
  58. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  59. Appendix J — GRADING
  60. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
  61. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
  62. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
  63. Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
  64. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
  65. Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
  66. Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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