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Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS

Section 507

California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2019 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

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

507.1 General.

The area of buildings of the occupancies and configurations specified in Sections 507.1 through 507.13 shall not be limited. Basements not more than one story below grade plane shall be permitted.

507.1.1 Accessory occupancies. Accessory occupancies shall be permitted in unlimited area buildings in accordance with the provisions of Section 508.2, otherwise the requirements of Sections 507.3 through 507.13 shall be applied, where applicable.

507.2 Measurement of open spaces.

Where Sections 507.3 through 507.13 require buildings to be surrounded and adjoined by public ways and yards, those open spaces shall be determined as follows:

  1. Yards shall be measured from the building perimeter in all directions to the closest interior lot lines or to the

506.2.4 Mixed-occupancy, multistory buildings. Each story of a mixed-occupancy building with more than one story above grade plane shall individually comply with the applicable requirements of Section 508.1. For buildings with more than three stories above grade plane, the total building area shall be such that the aggregate sum of the ratios of the actual area of each story divided by the allowable area of such stories, determined in accordance with Equation 5-3 based on the applicable provisions of Section 508.1, shall not exceed three , provided the aggregate sum of the ratios for portions of mixed-occupancy, multistory buildings containing A, E, H, I, L and R occupancies, high-rise buildings, and other applications listed in Sec- tion 1.11 regulated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, including any other associated non-separated occupan- cies, shall not exceed two.

Aa = [ At + ( NS × If )] (Equation 5-3)

where: Aa = Allowable area (square feet). At = Tabular allowable area factor (NS, S13R, S13D or

SM value, as applicable) in accordance with Table 506.2.

NS = Tabular allowable area factor in accordance with

Table 506.2 for a nonsprinklered building (regardless of whether the building is sprinklered). If = Area factor increase due to frontage (percent) as

calculated in accordance with Section 506.3.

506.2.4.1 Group H-2 or H-3 mixed occupancies. For a building containing Group H-2 or H-3 occupancies, the allowable area shall be determined in accordance with Section 508.4.2, with the sprinkler system increase applicable only to the portions of the building not classified as Group H-2 or H-3.

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▸Contents — California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
  2. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT
  3. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING
  4. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED
  5. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
  6. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  7. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED
  8. ▸Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
    Overview
    1. Section 501
    2. Section 502
    3. Section 503
    4. Section 504
    5. Section 505
    6. Section 506
    7. Section 507
    8. Section 508
    9. Section 509
    10. Section 510
  9. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  10. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  11. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
  12. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  13. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  14. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  15. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  16. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  17. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  18. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  19. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  20. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  21. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  22. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  23. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  24. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  25. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  26. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  27. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  28. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  29. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  30. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  31. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  32. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  33. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  34. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  35. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  36. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  37. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  38. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  39. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  40. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  41. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  42. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  43. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  44. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  45. Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  46. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  47. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  48. Appendix H — SIGNS
  49. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  50. Appendix J — GRADING
  51. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
  52. Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
  53. Appendix O — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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