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Chapter 3 — PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

Section 315 — [SFM]

California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10) · 2022 edition · updated 2026-09-10 · California

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

315.1 General. Existing buildings housing existing protective

social-care homes or facilities established prior to March 4,

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.

PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS

1972 may have their use continued if they conform, or are made to conform, to the following provisions:

315.2 Use of floors. The use of floor levels in buildings of

Type III, IV or V nonfire-rated construction may be as fol- lows: Nonambulatory—first floor only; Ambulatory—not higher than the third-floor level, provided walls and parti- tions are constructed of materials equal in fireresistive qual- ity to that of wood lath and plaster in good repair and all walls are firestopped at each floor level.

315.3 Enclosure of exits and vertical openings. Except for

two-story structures housing ambulatory guests, all interior stairs shall be enclosed in accordance with Chapter 10 of the California Building Code. In lieu of stairway enclosures, floor separations or smoke barriers may be provided in such a man- ner that fire and smoke will not spread rapidly to floors above or otherwise impair exit facilities. In these instances, floor sep- arations or smoke barriers shall have a fire resistance equal to not less than 1 /2-inch (13 mm) gypsum wall board on each side of wood studs with openings protected by not less than a 1 3 /4- inch (44.5 mm) solid bonded wood-core door of the self-clos- ing type. All other vertical openings shall be enclosed in accor- dance with the provisions of Section 314.6 and 314.13.

315.4 Exit access. Each floor or portion thereof of buildings

used for the housing of existing protective social-care homes or facilities shall have access to not less than two exits in such a manner as to furnish egress from the building or struc- ture in the event of an emergency substantially equivalent to the provisions of Chapter 10 of the California Building Code.

315.5 Corridor openings. Openings from rooms to interior

corridors shall be protected by not less than 1 3 /4-inch (44.5 mm) solid-bonded wood-core doors. Transoms and other similar openings shall be sealed with materials equivalent to existing corridor wall construction.

315.6 Interior finishes. Interior wall and ceiling finishes shall

conform to the requirements for a Group R-1 Occupancy as specified in Chapter 8 of the California Building Code.

315.7 Automatic fire sprinklers. Automatic sprinkler systems

shall be installed in existing protective social-care occupan- cies in accordance with the provisions of Section 903.2.6 of the California Building Code.

315.8 Fire alarm systems. Automatic fire alarm systems shall

be installed in existing protective social-care homes or facili- ties in accordance with the provisions of Section 907.2.6 of the California Building Code.

Exception: When an approved automatic sprinkler system conforming to Section 903.2.6 of the California Building Code is installed, a separate fire alarm system as specified in this section need not be provided.

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▸Contents — California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10)
California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10)
  1. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  2. Appendix A — GUIDELINES FOR
  3. Appendix B — SUPPLEMENTARY
  4. Appendix C — GUIDELINES FOR THE WIND
  5. Appendix D — BOARD OF
  6. Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
  7. ▸Chapter 3 — PROVISIONS FOR ALL COMPLIANCE METHODS
    Overview
    1. Section 301
    2. Section 302
    3. Section 304
    4. Section 303
    5. Section 305
    6. Section 306
    7. Section 309
    8. Section 310 — [OSHPD 1R, 2 and 5]
    9. Section 311 — [OSHPD 1R, 2 and 5]
    10. Section 307
    11. Section 308
    12. Section 312 — [OSHPD 1R]
    13. Section 313 — [SFM]
    14. Section 314 — [SFM]
    15. Section 315 — [SFM]
    16. Section 316 — [SFM]
    17. Section 317
    18. Section 319
    19. Section 318
    20. Section 320
    21. Section 321
    22. Section 322
    23. Section 323 — [DSA-SS, DSA-SS/CC]
    24. Section 301A
    25. Section 302A
    26. Section 303A
    27. Section 304A
    28. Section 305A
    29. Section 306A
    30. Section 307A — 309 A
    31. Section 310A
    32. Section 311A
    33. Section 312A
    34. Section 313A
  8. Chapter 4 — REPAIRS
  9. Chapter 5 — PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE METHOD
  10. Chapter 6 — CLASSIFICATION OF WORK
  11. Chapter 7 — ALTERATIONS—LEVEL 1
  12. Chapter 8 — ALTERATIONS—LEVEL 2
  13. Chapter 9 — ALTERATIONS—LEVEL 3
  14. Chapter 10 — CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY
  15. Chapter 11 — ADDITIONS
  16. Chapter 12 — HISTORIC BUILDINGS
  17. Chapter 13 — PERFORMANCE COMPLIANCE METHODS
  18. Chapter 14 — RELOCATED OR MOVED BUILDINGS
  19. Chapter 15 — CONSTRUCTION SAFEGUARDS
  20. Chapter 16 — REFERENCED STANDARDS

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