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Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY AND USE

Section 452

California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California

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

SCHOOL FACILITIES FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE AND GROUP E CHILD CARE

452.1 General provisions.

School facilities for Kindergarten through 12th grade and Group E child care shall comply with

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

the provisions of this section and other applicable provisions of this code including requirements for specific occupancies.

452.1.1 Location on property. All buildings housing Group E occupancies shall front directly on a public street or an exit discharge not less than 20 feet (6096 mm) in width. The exit discharge to the public street shall be a minimum 20-foot-wide (6096 mm) right-of-way, unob- structed and maintained only as access to the public street. At least one required exit shall be located on the public street or on the exit discharge.

452.1.2 Separate means of egress systems required. Every room with an occupant load of 300 or more shall have one of its exits or exit-access doorways lead directly into a separate means of egress system that consists of not less than two paths of exit travel which are separated by a smoke barrier in accordance with Section 709 in such a manner to provide an atmospheric separation that pre- cludes contamination of both paths of exit travel by the same fire. Not more than two required exits or exit-access doorways shall enter into the same means of egress sys- tem.

452.1.3 Fences and gates. School grounds may be fenced and gates therein may be equipped with locks, provided that safe dispersal areas based on 3 square feet (0.28 m 2 ) per occupant are located between the school and the fence. Such required safe dispersal areas shall not be located less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from school build- ings.

Every public and private school shall conform with Sec- tion 32020 of the Education Code which states:

The governing board of every public school district, and the governing authority of every private school, which maintains any building used for the instruction or housing of school pupils on land entirely enclosed (except for building walls) by fences of walls, shall, through coopera- tion with the local law enforcement and fire-protection agencies having jurisdiction of the area, make provision for the erection of gates in such fences or walls. The gates shall be of sufficient size to permit the entrance of the ambulances, police equipment and fire-fighting apparatus used by the law enforcement and fire-protection agencies. There shall be no less than one such access gate and there shall be as many such gates as needed to assure access to all major buildings and ground areas. If such gates are to be equipped with locks, the locking devices shall be designed to permit ready entrance by the use of the chain or bolt-cutting devices with which the local law enforce- ment and fire-protection agencies may be equipped.

452.1.4 Special provisions. Rooms used by kindergarten, first- or second-grade pupils, and Group E child care, shall not be located above or below the first story.

Exceptions:

1. Kindergarten, first- or second-grade pupils, or Group E child care may be located in basements or stories having floor levels located within 4 feet (1219 mm), measured vertically, from the adja- cent ground level at the level of exit discharge,

provided the basement or story has exterior exit doors at that level.

2. In buildings equipped with an automatic sprin- kler system throughout, rooms used for kinder- garten, first- and second-grade children or for Group E child-care purposes may be located on the second story, provided there are at least two exterior exit doors, or other egress systems com- plying with Section 1020 with two exits, for the exclusive use of such occupants. Egress systems for the exclusive use of such occupants shall be maintained until exit discharge at grade is attained.

3. Group E day-care facilities may be located above the first story in buildings of Type I-A, I-B, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B and IV-C construction, subject to the limitation of Section 503 when:

3.1. Facilities with children under the age of seven or containing more than 12 children per story shall not be located above the fourth floor; and

3.2. The entire story in which the day-care facil- ity is located is equipped with an approved manual fire alarm and automatic smoke- detection system. Actuation of an initiating device shall sound an audible alarm throughout the entire story.

When a building fire alarm system is required by other provisions of this code, the alarm system shall be interconnected and sound the day-care fire alarm system; and

3.3. The day-care facility, if more than 1,000 square feet (92.9 m 2 ) in area, is divided into at least two compartments of approximately the same size by a smoke barrier in accordance with Section 709. In addition to the require- ments of Section 508, occupancy separations between day-care and other occupancies shall be constructed as smoke barriers. Door openings in the smoke barrier shall be tight fitting, with gaskets installed as required by Section 716.5.3.1 and shall be automatic clos- ing by actuation of the fire sprinklers, fire alarm or smoke detection system; and

3.4. Each compartment formed by the smoke bar- rier has not less than two exits or exit-access doors, one of which is permitted to pass through the adjoining compartment, and

3.5. At least one exit or exit-access door from the day-care facility shall be into a separate means of egress with not less than two paths of exit travel, which are separated in such a manner to provide an atmospheric separation. The egress system shall comply with the require- ments of Section 709 for smoke barriers.

3.6. The building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system throughout.

4-66 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

452.1.5 Special hazards. School classrooms constructed after January 1, 1990, not equipped with automatic sprin- kler systems, which have metal grilles or bars on all their windows and do not have at least two exit doors within 3 feet (914 mm) of each end of the classroom opening to the exterior of the building or to a common hallway used for evacuation purposes, shall have an inside release for the grilles or bars on at least one window farthest from the exit doors. The window or windows with the inside release shall be clearly marked as emergency exits.

452.1.6 Class I, II or III-A flammable liquids shall not be placed, stored or used in Group E occupancies, except in approved quantities as necessary in laboratories and classrooms and for operation and maintenance as set forth in the California Fire Code.

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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. Appendix N — REPLICABLE
  6. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED
  7. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
  8. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  9. ▸Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
    Overview
    1. Section 401
    2. Section 402
    3. Section 403
    4. Section 404
    5. Section 405
    6. Section 406
    7. Section 407
    8. Section 408
    9. Section 409
    10. Section 410
    11. Section 412
    12. Section 411
    13. Section 413
    14. Section 414
    15. Section 415
    16. Section 416
    17. Section 417
    18. Section 418
    19. Section 419
    20. Section 420
    21. Section 422
    22. Section 421
    23. Section 423
    24. Section 424
    25. Section 425
    26. Section 427
    27. Section 435
    28. Section 436
    29. Section 437
    30. Section 438
    31. Section 440
    32. Section 441
    33. Section 442
    34. Section 443
    35. Section 444
    36. Section 445
    37. Section 446
    38. Section 447
    39. Section 448
    40. Section 449
    41. Section 450
    42. Section 451
    43. Section 452
    44. Section 453
    45. Section 454
    46. Section 455
  10. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  11. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  12. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  13. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
  14. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  15. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  16. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  17. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  18. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  19. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  20. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  21. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  22. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  23. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  24. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  25. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  26. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  30. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  31. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  32. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  33. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  34. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  35. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  36. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  37. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  38. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  39. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  40. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  41. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  42. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  43. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  44. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  45. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  46. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  47. Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  48. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  49. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  50. Appendix H — SIGNS
  51. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  52. Appendix J — GRADING
  53. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
  54. Appendix P — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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