Section 452

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

through 12 ^th grade and Group E day care shall comply with 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 of the Cali- fornia Building Code in such a manner to provide an atmospheric separation that precludes 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 system.

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 Section 32020 of the Education Code which states:

The governing board of every public school dis- trict, 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 cooperation 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 enforce- ment 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 enforcement and fire-protec- tion 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, Type I-B, Type II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B and IV-C construc- tion, 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 accor- dance with Section 709 of the California Building Code. In addition to the require- ments of Section 508, occupancy separations between daycare 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

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APPENDIX CHAPTER 4—SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON USE AND OCCUPANCY

(d) A small or large family daycare home shall not be

subject to the provisions of Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code.

(e) The provisions of this chapter do not preclude a city,

county or other local public entity from placing restrictions on building heights, setback or lot dimen- sions of a family day-care home, as long as those restrictions are identical to those applied to all other residences with the same zoning designation as the family day-care home. This chapter does not preclude a local ordinance that deals with health and safety, building standards, environmental impact standards or any other matter within the jurisdiction of a local public entity, as long as the local ordinance is identi- cal to those applied to all other residences with the same zoning designation as the family daycare home. This chapter also does not prohibit or restrict the abatement of nuisances by a city, county, or city and county. However, the ordinance or nuisance abate- ment shall not distinguish family day-care homes from other homes with the same zoning designation, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(f) For purposes of this chapter, “small family day-care home or large family daycare home” includes a detached single-family dwelling, a townhouse, a dwelling unit within a dwelling or a dwelling unit within a covered multifamily dwelling in which the underlying zoning allows for residential uses. A small family daycare home or large family day-care home is where the family day-care provider resides and includes a dwelling or dwelling unit that is rented, leased or owned.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 244, Sec. 9. (SB 234) Effective January 1, 2020.)

1597.46.

(a) A large family daycare home shall abide by all stan-

dards, in addition to the requirements of the State Uniform Building Standards Code, that are specifi- cally designed to promote fire and life safety in large family day-care homes. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt separate building standards specifically relat- ing to the subject of fire and life safety in family day- care homes, which shall be published in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. These standards shall apply uniformly throughout the state and shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) The requirement that a large family daycare

home contain a fire extinguisher or smoke detector device, or both, that meets child-care standards established by the State Fire Mar- shal.

(2) Specification as to the number of required exits

from the home.

(3) Specification as to the floor or floors on which

child-care may be provided and the number of required exits on each floor.

Section 716.5.3.1 of the California Building Code and shall be automatic closing by actu- ation 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 separa- tion. The egress system shall comply with the requirements of Section 709 for smoke barri- ers.

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

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