3005 Machine Rooms — 2025 California Building Code

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

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.

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.

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

ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS

3. Control spaces.
4. 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.

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.

Plumbing systems shall not be located in elevator equipment rooms.