R336 Large Family Day-Care Homes — 2025 California Residential Code

For purposes of clarification, Health and Safety Code Section 1597.46 is repeated.

1597.46.

(a) A large family day-care home shall abide by all standards, in addition to the requirements of the State Uniform Building Stan- dards Code, that are specifically designed to promote fire and life safety in large family day-care homes. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt separate building standards specifically relating to the subject of fire and life safety in family daycare 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 day-care home contain a fire extinguisher or smoke detector device, or both, that meets child care standards established by the State Fire Marshal. (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.

(b) A large family day-care home for children shall have one or more carbon monoxide detectors in the facility that meet the stan- dards established in Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 13260) of Part 2 of Division 12. The department shall account for the presence of these detectors during inspections. (c) Enforcement of this section shall be in accordance with Sections 13145 and 13146. A city, county, city and county, or district shall not adopt or enforce a building ordinance or local rule or regulation relating to the subject of fire and life safety in large family day-care homes that is inconsistent with those standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal, except to the extent the building ordinance or local rule or regulation applies to all residences with the same zoning designation in which child care is provided.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 244, Sec. 12. (SB 234) Effective January 1, 2020.)

Large family day-care homes shall be equipped with State Fire Marshal approved and listed single station resi- dential type smoke alarms. The number and placement of smoke alarms shall be determined by the enforcement authority.

Large and small family day-care homes shall be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher having a mini- mum 2A10BC rating.

3-82 2025 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE

BUILDING PLANNING

Every large family day-care home shall be provided with at least one manual device at a location approved by the authority having jurisdiction. Such device shall actuate a fire alarm signal, which shall be audible throughout the facility at a mini- mum level of 15 db above ambient noise level. These devices need not be interconnected to any other fire alarm device, have a control panel or be electrically supervised or provided with emergency power. Such device or devices shall be attached to the structure and may be of any type acceptable to the enforcing agent, provided that such devices are distinctive in tone and are audible throughout the structure.

Every large family day-care home shall comply with the provisions for Group R-3 occupancies and, if appropriate, Section R336.1. For the purposes of Section R336.1, the first story shall be designated as the floor used for residential occupancy nearest to the street level which provides primary access to the building.

Every unenclosed gas-fired water heater or furnace which is within the area used for child care in a large family day-care home shall be protected in such a way as to prevent children from making contact with those appliances.

Exception: This does not apply to kitchen stoves or ovens.

Every story or basement of a large family day-care home shall be provided with two exits which are remotely located from each other. Every required exit shall be of a size to permit the installation of a door not less than 32 inches (813mm) in clear width and not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) in height. A manually operated horizontal sliding door may be used as one of the two required exits.

Where basements are used for day-care purposes, one of the two required exits shall provide access directly to the exterior without entering the first story. The second exit from the basement may either pass through the story above or exit directly to the exterior.

Rooms used for day-care purposes shall not be located above the first story.

Exception: Buildings equipped with an automatic sprinkler system throughout and which have at least one of the required exits providing access directly to the exterior. NFPA 13R may be used in large family day-care homes. The sprinkler omissions of NFPA 13R shall not apply unless approved by the enforcing agency.

Exit doors, including manually operated horizontal sliding doors, shall be openable from the inside without use of a key or any special knowledge or effort.