Section 403

HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS AND GROUP I-2

OCCUPANCIES HAVING OCCUPIED FLOORS LOCATED MORE THAN 75 FEET

ABOVE THE LOWEST LEVEL OF FIRE

DEPARTMENT VEHICLE ACCESS

New high-rise buildings (see Section 202 for definition of a high-rise) and new Group I-2 occupan- cies having occupied floors located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access shall comply with Sections 403.2 through 403.7.

Exceptions: The provisions of Sections 403.2 through 403.7 shall not apply to the following buildings and structures:

1. Airport traffic control towers in accordance with Section 412.2.

2. Open parking garages in accordance with Section 406.5.

3. The portion of a building containing a Group A-5 occupancy in accordance with Section 303.6.

4. Special industrial occupancies in accordance with Section 503.1.1.

5. Buildings containing any one of the following:

5.1. A Group H-1 occupancy.

5.2. A Group H-2 occupancy in accordance with Section 415.8, 415.9.2, 415.9.3 or 426.1.

5.3. A Group H-3 occupancy in accordance with Section 415.8.

5. Buildings such as power plants, lookout towers, steeples, grain houses and similar structures with noncontinuous human occupancy, when so deter- mined by the enforcing agency. For existing high-rise buildings and for existing Group R occupancies, see California Fire Code Chapter 11 and Cali- fornia Existing Building Code.

For the purpose of this section, in determining the level from which the highest occupied floor is to be measured, the enforcing agency should exercise reasonable judgment, including consideration of overall accessibility to the build- ing by fire department personnel and vehicular equipment. When a building is located on sloping terrain and there is building access on more than one level, the enforcing agency

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SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY AND USE

shall meet or exceed Soft Body Impact Classification Level 2 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M when tested from the exterior side of the enclosure.

[BS] 403.2.2.2 Wall assembly materials—hard body impact. The panels making up the enclosures for interior exit stairways and elevator hoistway enclosures that are not exposed to the interior of the enclosure shall be in accordance with one of the following:

1. The wall assembly shall incorporate not fewer than two layers of impact-resistant panels, each of which meets or exceeds Hard Body Impact Classification Level 2 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.

2. The wall assembly shall incorporate not fewer than one layer of impact-resistant panels that meet or exceed Hard Body Impact Classification Level 3 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.

3. The wall assembly incorporates multiple layers of any material, tested in tandem, that meets or exceeds Hard Body Impact Classification Level 3 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.

[BS] 403.2.2.3 Concrete and masonry walls. Concrete or masonry walls shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of Sections 403.2.2.1 and 403.2.2.2.

[BS] 403.2.2.4 Other wall assemblies. Any other wall assembly that provides impact resistance equivalent to that required by Sections 403.2.2.1 for Soft Body Impact Classification Level 2 and 403.2.2.2 for Hard Body Impact Classification Level 3, as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M, shall be permitted.

403.2.3 Sprayed fire-resistant materials (SFRM). The bond strength of the SFRM installed throughout the building shall be in accordance with Table 403.2.3.

TABLE 403.2.3 MINIMUM BOND STRENGTH

For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 pound per square foot (psf) = 0.0479 kW/m ² . a. Above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.

[F] 403.3 Automatic sprinkler system. Buildings and structures shall be equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 and a secondary water supply where required by Section 403.3.3. A sprinkler water-flow alarm-initiating device and a control valve with a supervisory signal-initiating device shall be provided at the lateral connection to the riser for each floor.

Exception: An automatic sprinkler system shall not be required in spaces or areas of telecommunications equipment buildings used exclusively for telecommunications equipment, associated electrical power distribution equip

ment, batteries and standby engines, provided that those spaces or areas are equipped throughout with an automatic fire detection system in accordance with Section 907.2 and are separated from the remainder of the building by not less than 1-hour fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or not less than 2-hour horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both.

[F] 403.3.1 Number of sprinkler system risers and system design. Each sprinkler system serving a floor in buildings that are more than 420 feet (128 m) in building height shall be connected to a minimum of two sprinkler risers or combination standpipe system risers located in separate shafts. Each sprinkler system shall be hydrauli- cally designed so that when one connection is shut down, the other connection shall be capable of supplying the sprinkler system design demand.

[F] 403.3.1.1 Riser location. Sprinkler risers shall be placed in interior exit stairways and ramps that are remotely located in accordance with Section 1007.1.

[F] 403.3.2 Water supply to required fire pumps. In all buildings having an occupied floor that is more than 120 feet ( 36 576 mm ) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, required fire pumps shall be supplied by connections to not fewer than two water mains located in different streets. Separate supply piping shall be provided between each connection to the water main and the pumps. Each connection and the supply piping between the connection and the pumps shall be sized to supply the flow and pressure required for the pumps to operate.

Exception: Two connections to the same main shall be permitted provided that the main is valved such that an interruption can be isolated so that the water supply will continue without interruption through not fewer than one of the connections.

403.3.2.1 Fire pumps. Redundant fire pump systems shall be required for high-rise buildings having an occupied floor more than 200 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access. Each fire pump system shall be capable of automatically supplying the required demand for the automatic sprinkler and stand- pipe systems.

[F] 403.3.3 Secondary water supply. An automatic secondary on-site water supply having a usable capacity of not less than the hydraulically calculated sprinkler demand, including the hose stream requirement, shall be provided for high-rise buildings and Group I-2 occupan- cies having occupied floors located more than 75 ft above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access assigned to Seismic Design Category C, D, E or F as determined by Section 1613. An additional fire pump shall not be required for the secondary water supply unless needed to provide the minimum design intake pressure at the suction side of the fire pump supplying the automatic sprinkler system. The secondary water supply shall have a duration of not less than 30 minutes as determined by the occupancy hazard classification in accordance with NFPA 13. The Class I standpipe system demand shall not be required to be included in the secondary on-site water

4-10 2022 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY AND USE

dance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions, and shall have a rating of not less than 2 hours. Where the building is protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1, the required rating shall be reduced to 1 hour.

2. An assembly that has a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours. Where the building is protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2, the required fire-resistance rating shall be reduced to 1 hour.

3. Other approved methods.

[F] 403.4.8.3 Standby power loads. The following are classified as standby power loads:

1. Ventilation and automatic fire detection equipment for smokeproof enclosures.

2. Elevators.

3. Where elevators are provided in a high-rise building for accessible means of egress, fire service access or occupant self-evacuation, the standby power system shall also comply with Sections 1009.4, 3007 or 3008, as applicable.

[F] 403.4.8.4 Emergency power loads. The following are classified as emergency power loads:

1. Exit signs and means of egress illumination required by Chapter 10.

2. Elevator car lighting.

3. Emergency voice/alarm communications systems.

4. Automatic fire detection systems.

5. Fire alarm systems.

6. Electrically powered fire pumps.

7. Power and lighting for the fire command center required by Section 403.4.6.

The means of egress in high-rise buildings shall comply with Sections 403.5.1 through 403.5.5.

403.5.1 Remoteness of interior exit stairways. Required interior exit stairways shall be separated by a distance not less than 30 feet (9144 mm) or not less than one-fourth of the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the building or area to be served, whichever is less. The distance shall be measured in a straight line between the nearest points of the enclosure surrounding the interior exit stairways. In buildings with three or more interior exit stairways, not fewer than two of the interior exit stairways shall comply with this section. Interlocking or scissor stairways shall be counted as one interior exit stairway.

403.5.2 Additional interior exit stairway. For buildings other than Group R-2 and their ancillary spaces that are more than 420 feet (128 m) in building height, one additional interior exit stairway meeting the requirements of Sections 1011 and 1023 shall be provided in addition to

supply calculations. In no case shall the secondary on-site water supply be less than 15,000 gallons.

[F] 403.3.4 Fire pump room. Fire pumps shall be located in rooms protected in accordance with Section 913.2.1.

403.3.5 Fire pumps. See Section 913.6.

[F] 403.4 Emergency systems. The detection, alarm and emergency systems of high-rise buildings shall comply with Sections 403.4.1 through 403.4.8.

[F] 403.4.1 Smoke detection. Smoke detection shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.2.13.1.

[F] 403.4.2 Fire alarm system. A fire alarm system shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.2.13.

[F] 403.4.3 Standpipe system. A high-rise building shall be equipped with a standpipe system as required by Section 905.3.

[F] 403.4.4 Emergency voice/alarm communication system. An emergency voice/alarm communication system shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.5.2.2.

[F] 403.4.5 Emergency communication coverage. Inbuilding, two-way emergency responder communication coverage shall be provided in accordance with Section 510 of the California Fire Code.

[F] 403.4.6 Fire command. A fire command center complying with Section 911 shall be provided in a location approved by the fire code official.

403.4.7 Smoke control system. All portions of high-rise buildings shall be provided with a smoke control system in accordance with Section 909.

[F] 403.4.8 Standby and emergency power. A standby power system complying with Section 2702 and Section 3003 shall be provided for the standby power loads specified in Section 403.4.8.3. An emergency power system complying with Section 2702 shall be provided for the emergency power loads specified in Section 403.4.8.4.

[F] 403.4.8.1 Equipment room. If the standby or emergency power system includes a generator set inside a building, the system shall be located in a separate room enclosed with 2-hour fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both. System supervision with manual start and transfer features shall be provided at the fire command center.

Exception: In Group I-2 manual start and transfer features for the critical branch of the emergency power are not required to be provided at the fire command center.

[F] 403.4.8.2 Fuel line piping protection. Fuel lines supplying a generator set inside a building shall be separated from areas of the building other than the room the generator is located in by one of the following methods:

1. A fire-resistant pipe-protection system that has been tested in accordance with UL 1489. The system shall be installed as tested and in accor

Copyright © 2022 by, or licensed to, International Code Council, Inc. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); licensed to California Building Standards Commission pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions is authorized. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is a violation of the federal copyright act and the license agreement, and subject to civil and criminal penalties thereunder.

SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY AND USE

a capacity of not less than 3,500 pounds (1588 kg) and shall comply with Section 3002.4.

403.6.2 Occupant evacuation elevators. Where installed in accordance with Section 3008, passenger elevators for general public use shall be permitted to be used for occupant self-evacuation.

For existing high-rise buildings, see California Fire Code Chapter 11 and Califor- nia Existing Building Code.