General requirements & scope of CHBC Means of Egress

Grounded in the retrieved California Historical Building Code — click a citation to read the verbatim passage:

• CHBC § 8-5 High relevance — show source text

  on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

  8-5 MEANS OF EGRESS

  SECTION 8-501 — PURPOSE, INTENT AND SCOPE

  8-501.1 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish minimum means of egress regulations for qualified historical buildings or properties. The CHBC requires enforcing agencies to accept reasonably equivalent alternatives to the means of egress requirements in the regular code.

  8-501.2 Intent. The intent of these regulations is to provide an adequate means of egress.

  8-501.3 Scope. Every qualified historical building or portion thereof shall be provided with exits as required by the CHBC when required by the provisions of Section 8-102.

  SECTION 8-502 — GENERAL

  8-502.1 General. The enforcing agency shall grant reasonable exceptions to the specific provisions of applicable egress regulations where such exceptions will not adversely affect life safety.

  8-502.2. Existing door openings and corridor widths of less than dimensions required by regular code shall be permitted where there is sufficient width and height for the occupants to pass through the opening or traverse the exit.

  8-502.3 Stairs. Existing stairs having risers and treads or width at variance with the regular code are allowed if determined by the enforcing agency to not constitute a distinct hazard. Handrails with nonconforming grip size or extensions are allowed if determined by the enforcing agency to not constitute a distinct hazard.

  8-502.4 Main entry doors. The front or main entry doors need not be rehung to swing in the direction of exit travel, provided other means or conditions of exiting, as necessary to serve the total occupant load, are provided.

  8-502.5 Existing fire escapes. Existing previously approved fire escapes and fire escape ladders shall be acceptable as one of the required means of egress, provided they extend to the ground and are easily negotiated, adequately signed and in good working order. Access shall be by an opening having a minimum width of 29 inches (737 mm) when open with a sill no more than 30 inches (762 mm) above the adjacent floor, landing or approved step.

  8-502.6 New fire escapes and fire escape ladders. New fire escapes and fire escape ladders which comply with this section shall be acceptable as one of the required means of egress. New fire escapes and new fire escape ladders shall comply with the following:

  1. Access from a corridor shall not be through an intervening room.
  2. All openings within 10 feet (3048 mm) shall be protected by three-fourths-hour fire assemblies. When located within a recess or vestibule, adjacent enclosure walls shall be of not less than one-hour fire-resistive construction.
  3. Egress from the building shall be by a clear opening having a minimum dimension of not less than 29 inches (737 mm). Such openings shall be openable from the inside without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort. The sill of an opening giving access shall not be more than 30 inches (737 mm) above the floor, step or landing of the building or balcony.
  4. Fire escape stairways and balconies shall support the dead load plus a live load of not less than 100 pounds per square foot (4.79 kN/m [2] ) and shall be provided with a top and intermediate handrail on each side. The pitch of the stairway shall not exceed 72 degrees with a minimum width of 18 inches (457 mm).
• CHBC § 8-410.3 High relevance — show source text

  3. Buildings with floors above 75 feet, NFPA 13.

  4. When the building is free standing or with property line separation, two floors and 1500 square feet per floor or less, NFPA 13D.

  5. For exterior wall and opening protection. As required by this chapter.

  Exception: When the automatic sprinkler systems are used to reach compliance using this code, in three or more occasions, NFPA 13D standard shall be increased to NFPA 13R standard, or NFPA 13R standard shall be increased to a NFPA 13 standard.

  8-410.3 Automatic sprinkler systems shall not be used to substitute for or act as an alternate to the required number of exits from any facility. (See Chapter 8-5 for exiting requirements.)

  8-410.4 An automatic sprinkler system shall be provided in all detention facilities.

  SECTION 8-411 — OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

  Fire alarm systems, smoke and heat detection systems, occupant notification and annunciation systems, smoke control systems and fire modeling, timed egress analysis and modeling, as well as other engineering methods and technologies may be accepted by the enforcing agency to address areas of nonconformance.

  SECTION 8-412 — HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

  Qualified historical buildings having floors for human occupancy located more than 75 feet above the lowest floor level having building access shall conform to the provisions of the regular code for existing high-rise buildings as amended by the CHBC.

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  8-5 MEANS OF EGRESS

  SECTION 8-501 — PURPOSE, INTENT AND SCOPE

  8-501.1 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish minimum means of egress regulations for qualified historical buildings or properties. The CHBC requires enforcing agencies to accept reasonably equivalent alternatives to the means of egress requirements in the regular code.

  8-501.2 Intent. The intent of these regulations is to provide an adequate means of egress.

  8-501.3 Scope. Every qualified historical building or portion thereof shall be provided with exits as required by the CHBC when required by the provisions of Section 8-102.

  SECTION 8-502 — GENERAL

  8-502.1 General. The enforcing agency shall grant reasonable exceptions to the specific provisions of applicable egress regulations where such exceptions will not adversely affect life safety.

  8-502.2. Existing door openings and corridor widths of less than dimensions required by regular code shall be permitted where there is sufficient width and height for the occupants to pass through the opening or traverse the exit.

  8-502.3 Stairs. Existing stairs having risers and treads or width at variance with the regular code are allowed if determined by the enforcing agency to not constitute a distinct hazard. Handrails with nonconforming grip size or extensions are allowed if determined by the enforcing agency to not constitute a distinct hazard.

  8-502.4 Main entry doors. The front or main entry doors need not be rehung to swing in the direction of exit travel, provided other means or conditions of exiting, as necessary to serve the total occupant load, are provided.

• CHBC § 1001.1 High relevance — show source text

  Chapter 10 of this code is duplicated in Chapter 10 the California Fire Code; however, the California Fire Code contains one additional section on maintenance of the means of egress system in existing buildings.

  SECTION 1001—ADMINISTRATION

  1001.1 General. Buildings or portions thereof shall be provided with a means of egress system as required by this chapter. The provisions of this chapter shall control the design, construction and arrangement of means of egress components required to provide an approved means of egress from structures and portions thereof.

  1001.2 Minimum requirements. It shall be unlawful to alter a building or structure in a manner that will reduce the number of exits or the minimum width or required capacity of the means of egress to less than required by this code.

  SECTION 1002—MAINTENANCE AND PLANS

  [F] 1002.1 Maintenance. Means of egress shall be maintained in accordance with the California Fire Code .

  [F] 1002.2 Fire safety and evacuation plans. Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be provided for all occupancies and buildings where required by the California Fire Code . Such fire safety and evacuation plans shall comply with the applicable provisions of Sections 401.2 and 404 of the California Fire Code .

  SECTION 1003—GENERAL MEANS OF EGRESS

  1003.1 Applicability. The general requirements specified in Sections 1003 through 1015 shall apply to all three elements of the means of egress system, in addition to those specific requirements for the exit access, the exit and the exit discharge detailed elsewhere in this chapter.

  [DSA-AC & HCD 1-AC] In addition to the requirement of this chapter, means of egress, which provide access to, or egress from, build- ings or facilities where accessibility is required for applications listed in Section 1.8.2.1.2 regulated by the Department of Housing and Community Development, or Section 1.9.1 regulated by the Division of the State Architect—Access Compliance, shall also comply with Chapter 11A or Chapter 11B, as applicable.

  Exception: [SFM] Exiting requirements for Fixed Guideway Transit Systems shall be as per Section 443.

  1003.1.1 Means of egress for hospitals. [OSHPD 1] In addition to the requirements of this chapter, means of egress for hospitals shall comply with Part 10 California Existing Building Code Section 311A.

  1003.1.2 Means of egress for hospital buildings removed from acute care service, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities and acute psychiatric hospitals. [OSHPD 1R, 2 & 5] In addition to the requirements of this chapter, means of egress for hospital buildings removed from acute care service, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities and acute psychiatric hospi- tals shall comply with OSHPD amendments to Part 10 California Existing Building Code Section 311.

  1003.2 Ceiling height. The means of egress shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet 6 inches (2286 mm) above the finished floor.

  Exceptions:

  1. Sloped ceilings in accordance with Section 1208.2.

  2. Ceilings of dwelling units and sleeping units within residential occupancies in accordance with Section 1208.2.

  3. Allowable projections in accordance with Section 1003.3.

  4. Stair headroom in accordance with Section 1011.3.

• CHBC § 1001.1 High relevance — show source text

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  10 MEANS OF EGRESS

  User notes:

  About this chapter: Chapter 10 provides the general criteria for designing the means of egress established as the primary method for protection of people in buildings by allowing timely relocation or evacuation of building occupants. Both prescriptive and performance language is utilized in this chapter to provide for a basic approach in the determination of a safe exiting system for all occupancies. It addresses all portions of the egress system (exit access, exits and exit discharge) and includes design requirements as well as provisions regulating individual components. The requirements detail the size, arrangement, number and protection of means of egress components. Functional and operational characteristics that will permit the safe use of components without special knowledge or effort are specified.

  The means of egress protection requirements work in coordination with other sections of the code, such as protection of vertical openings (see Chapter 7), interior finish (see Chapter 8), fire suppression and detection systems (see Chapter 9) and numerous others, all having an impact on life safety. Chapter 10 is subdivided into four main sections: general (Sections 1003–1015), exit access (Sections 1016–1021), exit (Sections 1022–1027) and exit discharge (Sections 1028–1029). Special allowances for the unique requirements for assembly spaces (Section 1030) and emergency escape and rescue openings (Section 1031) complete the chapter. Chapter 10 of this code is duplicated in Chapter 10 the California Fire Code; however, the California Fire Code contains one additional section on maintenance of the means of egress system in existing buildings.

  SECTION 1001—ADMINISTRATION

  1001.1 General. Buildings or portions thereof shall be provided with a means of egress system as required by this chapter. The provisions of this chapter shall control the design, construction and arrangement of means of egress components required to provide an approved means of egress from structures and portions thereof.

  1001.2 Minimum requirements. It shall be unlawful to alter a building or structure in a manner that will reduce the number of exits or the minimum width or required capacity of the means of egress to less than required by this code.

  SECTION 1002—MAINTENANCE AND PLANS

  [F] 1002.1 Maintenance. Means of egress shall be maintained in accordance with the California Fire Code .

  [F] 1002.2 Fire safety and evacuation plans. Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be provided for all occupancies and buildings where required by the California Fire Code . Such fire safety and evacuation plans shall comply with the applicable provisions of Sections 401.2 and 404 of the California Fire Code .

  SECTION 1003—GENERAL MEANS OF EGRESS

  1003.1 Applicability. The general requirements specified in Sections 1003 through 1015 shall apply to all three elements of the means of egress system, in addition to those specific requirements for the exit access, the exit and the exit discharge detailed elsewhere in this chapter.

• CHBC § 1001.1 High relevance — show source text

  The requirements detail the size, arrangement, number and protection of means of egress components. Functional and operational characteristics that will permit the safe use of components without special knowledge or effort are specified.

  The means of egress protection requirements work in coordination with other sections of the code, such as protection of vertical openings (see Chapter 7), interior finish (see Chapter 8), fire suppression and detection systems (see Chapter 9) and numerous others, all having an impact on life safety. Sections 1003 through 1031 are duplicated text from Chapter 10 of the California Building Code ; however, the California Fire Code contains an additional Section 1032 on maintenance of the means of egress system in existing buildings. Retroactive minimum means of egress requirements for existing buildings are found in Chapter 11.

  SECTION 1001—ADMINISTRATION

  1001.1 General. Buildings or portions thereof shall be provided with a means of egress system as required by this chapter. The provisions of this chapter shall control the design, construction and arrangement of means of egress components required to provide an approved means of egress from structures and portions thereof. Sections 1003 through 1031 shall apply to new construction. Section 1032 shall apply to existing buildings.

  Exception: Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures shall comply with the California Residential Code .

  [BE] 1001.2 Minimum requirements. It shall be unlawful to alter a building or structure in a manner that will reduce the number of exits or the capacity of the means of egress to less than required by this code.

  SECTION 1002—DEFINITIONS

  [BE] 1002.1 Definitions. The following terms are defined in Chapter 2:

  ACCESSIBLE MEANS OF EGRESS.

  AISLE.

  AISLE ACCESSWAY.

  ALTERNATING TREAD DEVICE.

  AREA OF REFUGE.

  AUTOMATIC FLUSH BOLT.

  BLEACHERS.

  BREAKOUT.

  CIRCULATION PATH.

  COMMON PATH OF EGRESS TRAVEL.

  CONSTANT LATCHING BOLT.

  CORRIDOR.

  DEAD BOLT.

  DEFEND-IN-PLACE.

  DOOR, BALANCED.

  EGRESS COURT.

  EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND RESCUE OPENING.

  EXIT.

  EXIT ACCESS.

  EXIT ACCESS DOORWAY.

  EXIT ACCESS RAMP.

  EXIT ACCESS STAIRWAY.

  EXIT DISCHARGE.

  EXIT DISCHARGE, LEVEL OF.

  EXIT PASSAGEWAY.

  EXTERIOR EXIT RAMP.

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  MEANS OF EGRESS

  EXTERIOR EXIT STAIRWAY.

  FIRE EXIT HARDWARE.

  FIXED SEATING.

  FLIGHT.

  FLOOR AREA, GROSS.

  FLOOR AREA, NET.

  FOLDING AND TELESCOPIC SEATING.

  GRADE FLOOR EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND RESCUE OPENINGS.

  GRANDSTAND.

  GUARD.

  HANDRAIL.

  HORIZONTAL EXIT.

  INTERIOR EXIT RAMP.

  INTERIOR EXIT STAIRWAY.

  LOW ENERGY POWER-OPERATED DOOR.

  MANUAL BOLT.

  MEANS OF EGRESS.

  MERCHANDISE PAD.

  NOSING.

  OCCUPANT LOAD.

  OPEN-AIR ASSEMBLY SEATING.

  OPEN-ENDED CORRIDOR.

• CHBC § 8-1002.1 High relevance — show source text

  8-1002.1 The CHBC shall apply to all sites and districts and their features associated with qualified historical buildings or qualified historical districts as outlined in 8-1001.2 Scope.

  8-1002.2 Where the application of regular code may impact the associated features of qualified historical properties beyond their footprints, by work performed secondarily, those impacts shall also be covered by the CHBC.

  8-1002.3 This chapter shall be applied for all issues regarding code compliance or other standard or regulation as they affect the purpose of this chapter.

  8-1002.4 The application of any code or building standard shall not unduly restrict the use of a qualified historical building or property that is otherwise permitted pursuant to Chapter 8-3 and the intent of the State Historical Building Code, Section 18956.

  SECTION 8-1003 — SITE RELATIONS

  The relationship between a building or property and its site, or the associated features of a district (including qualified historical landscape), site, objects and their features are critical components that may be one of the criteria for these buildings and properties to be qualified under the CHBC. The CHBC recognizes the importance of these relationships. This chapter shall be used to provide context sensitive solutions for treatment of qualified historical buildings, properties, district or their associated historical features, or when work to be performed secondarily impacts the associated historical features of a qualified historical building or property.

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  APPENDIX A	Col2	Col3	Col4
  CHAPTER 8-6—TABLE 1—PROVISION APPLICABILITY	CHAPTER 8-6—TABLE 1—PROVISION APPLICABILITY	CHAPTER 8-6—TABLE 1—PROVISION APPLICABILITY	CHAPTER 8-6—TABLE 1—PROVISION APPLICABILITY
  	Title II Public Entities	Title III Private Entities	Title III Barrier Removal
  SECTION 8-601 PURPOSE, INTENT, SCOPE **8-601.1 Purpose.**The purpose of the CHBC is to provide alternative regulations to facilitate access and use by persons with disabilities to and throughout facilities designated as quali- fied historical buildings or properties. These regulations require enforcing agencies to accept alternatives to regular code when dealing with qualified historical buildings or properties. **8-601.2 Intent.**The intent of this chapter is to preserve the integrity of qualified historical buildings and properties while providing access to and use by persons with disabilities. **8-601.3 Scope.**The CHBC shall apply to every qualified historical building or property that is required to provide access to persons with disabilities. 1.Provisions of this chapter do not apply to new construction or reconstruction/replicas of historical buildings. 2. Where provisions of this chapter apply to alteration of qualified historical buildings or properties, alteration is defined in_ California Building Code_ (CBC), Chapter 2. **8-601.4 General application.

• CHBC § 1030.14.1.3 High relevance — show source text

  [BE] 1030.14.1.3 Edge protection. Ramped aisles shall have edge protection in accordance with Sections 1012.10 and 1012.10.1.

  Exception: In assembly spaces with fixed seating, edge protection is not required on the sides of ramped aisles where the ramped aisles provide access to the adjacent seating and aisle accessways.

  [BE] 1030.14.2 Stepped aisles. Aisles with a slope exceeding 1 unit vertical in 8 units horizontal (12.5-percent slope) shall consist of a series of risers and treads that extends across the full width of aisles and complies with Sections 1030.14.2.1 through 1030.14.2.4.

  [BE] 1030.14.2.1 Treads. Tread depths shall be not less than 11 inches (279 mm) and shall have dimensional uniformity. Exception: The tolerance between adjacent treads shall not exceed [3] / 16 inch (4.8 mm).

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  MEANS OF EGRESS

  [BE] 1030.14.2.2 Risers. Where the gradient of stepped aisles is to be the same as the gradient of adjoining seating areas, the riser height shall be not less than 4 inches (102 mm) nor more than 8 inches (203 mm) and shall be uniform within each flight.

  Exceptions:

  1. Riser height nonuniformity shall be limited to the extent necessitated by changes in the gradient of the adjoining seating area to maintain adequate sightlines. Where nonuniformities exceed [3] / 16 inch (4.8 mm) between adjacent risers, the exact location of such nonuniformities shall be indicated with a distinctive marking stripe on each tread at the nosing or leading edge adjacent to the nonuniform risers. Such stripe shall be not less than 1 inch (25 mm), and not more than 2 inches (51 mm), wide. The edge marking stripe shall be distinctively different from the contrasting marking stripe.
  2. Riser heights not exceeding 9 inches (229 mm) shall be permitted where they are necessitated by the slope of the adjacent seating areas to maintain sightlines.

  [BE] 1030.14.2.2.1 Construction tolerances. The tolerance between adjacent risers on a stepped aisle that were designed to be equal height shall not exceed [3] / 16 inch (4.8 mm). Where the stepped aisle is designed in accordance with Exception 1 of Section 1030.14.2.2, the stepped aisle shall be constructed so that each riser of unequal height, determined in the direction of descent, is not more than [3] / 8 inch (9.5 mm) in height different from adjacent risers where stepped aisle treads are less than 22 inches (560 mm) in depth and [3] / 4 inch (19.1 mm) in height different from adjacent risers where stepped aisle treads are 22 inches (560 mm) or greater in depth.

• CHBC § 9-53 High relevance — show source text

  911 Fire Command Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53

  912 Fire Department Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54

  913 Fire Pumps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55

  914 Emergency Responder Safety Features . . . . . . . . . . 9-56

  915 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56

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  916 Gas Detection Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58

  917 Mass Notification Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59

  918 Emergency Responder Communication Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59

  CHAPTER 10 MEANS OF EGRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1

  1001 Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5

  1002 Maintenance and Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5

  1003 General Means of Egress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5

  1004 Occupant Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7

  1005 Means of Egress Sizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9

  1006 Number of Exits and Exit Access Doorways . . . . . 10-10

  1007 Exit and Exit Access Doorway Configuration . . . . 10-14

  1008 Means of Egress Illumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14

  1009 Accessible Means of Egress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15

  1010 Doors, Gates and Turnstiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19

  1011 Stairways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29

  1012 Ramps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33

• CHBC § 8-503 Medium relevance — show source text

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  MEANS OF EGRESS

  SECTION 8-503 — ESCAPE OR RESCUE WINDOWS AND DOORS

  Basements in dwelling units and every sleeping room below the fourth floor shall have at least one openable window or door approved for emergency escape which shall open directly into a public street, public way, yard or exit court. Escape or rescue windows or doors shall have a minimum clear area of 3.3 square feet (0.31 m [2] ) and a minimum width or height dimension of 18 inches (457 mm) and be operable from the inside to provide a full, clear opening without the use of special tools.

  SECTION 8-504 — RAILINGS AND GUARDRAILS

  The height of railings and guard railings and the spacing of balusters may continue in their historical height and spacing unless a distinct hazard has been identified or created by a change in use or occupancy.

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  8-6 ACCESSIBILITY

  SECTION 8-601 — PURPOSE, INTENT AND SCOPE

  8-601.1 Purpose. The purpose of the CHBC is to provide alternative regulations to facilitate access and use by persons with disabilities to and throughout facilities designated as qualified historical buildings or properties. These regulations require enforcing agencies to accept alternatives to regular code when dealing with qualified historical buildings or properties.

  8-601.2 Intent. The intent of this chapter is to preserve the integrity of qualified historical buildings and properties while providing access to and use by persons with disabilities.

  8-601.3 Scope. The CHBC shall apply to every qualified historical building or property that is required to provide access to persons with disabilities.

  1. Provisions of this chapter do not apply to new construction or reconstruction/replicas of historical buildings.
  2. Where provisions of this chapter apply to alteration of qualified historical buildings or properties, alteration is defined in California Building Code (CBC), Chapter 2.

  8-601.4 General application. The provisions in the CHBC apply to local, state and federal governments (Title II entities); alteration of commercial facilities and places of public accommodation (Title III entities); and barrier removal in commercial facilities and places of public accommodation (Title III entities). Except as noted in this chapter.

  SECTION 8-602 — BASIC PROVISIONS

  8-602.1 Regular code. The regular code for access for people with disabilities (Title 24, Part 2, Vol. 1, Chapter 11B) shall be applied to qualified historical buildings or properties unless strict compliance with the regular code will threaten or destroy the historical significance or character-defining features of the building or property.

  8-602.2 Alternative provisions. If the historical significance or character-defining features are threatened, alternative provisions for access may be applied pursuant to this chapter, provided the following conditions are met:

  1. These provisions shall be applied only on an item-by-item or a case-by-case basis.
  2. Documentation is provided, including meeting minutes or letters, stating the reasons for the application of the alternative provisions. Such documentation shall be retained in the permanent file of the enforcing agency.

  SECTION 8-603 — ALTERNATIVES

• CHBC § 8-408 Medium relevance — show source text

  8-408 Roof Covering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8-409 Fire Alarm Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-410 Automatic Sprinkler Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-411 Other Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-412 High-rise Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

  CHAPTER 8-5 MEANS OF EGRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

  Section

  8-501 Purpose, Intent and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8-502 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

  8-503 Escape or Rescue Windows and Doors. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 8-504 Railings and Guardrails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

  CHAPTER 8-6 ACCESSIBILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

  Section

  8-601 Purpose, Intent and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

  8-602 Basic Provisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

  8-603 Alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

  8-604 Equivalent Facilitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

  CHAPTER 8-7 STRUCTURAL REGULATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

  Section

  8-701 Purpose, Intent and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 8-702 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

  8-703 Structural Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 8-704 Nonhistorical Additions and

  Nonhistorical Alterations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

• CHBC § 8-301 Medium relevance — show source text

  Section

  8-301 Purpose and Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 8-302 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

  8-303 Residential Occupancies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

  CHAPTER 8-4 FIRE PROTECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  Section

  8-401 Purpose, Intent and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-402 Fire-resistive Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-403 Interior Finish Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-404 Wood Lath and Plaster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-405 Occupancy Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8-406 Maximum Floor Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-407 Vertical Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

  8-408 Roof Covering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8-409 Fire Alarm Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-410 Automatic Sprinkler Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-411 Other Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8-412 High-rise Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

  CHAPTER 8-5 MEANS OF EGRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

  Section

  8-501 Purpose, Intent and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8-502 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

  8-503 Escape or Rescue Windows and Doors. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 8-504 Railings and Guardrails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

• CHBC § 8-1001 Medium relevance — show source text

  Section

  8-1001 Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 8-1002 Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 8-1003 Site Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

  APPENDIX A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

  HISTORY NOTE APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

  2025 CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL BUILDING CODE ix

  on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

  x 2025 CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL BUILDING CODE

  on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

  8-1 ADMINISTRATION

  Note: The California Historical Building Code, Part 8 of Title 24, governs for all qualified historical buildings or properties in the State of California.

  SECTION 8-101 — TITLE, PURPOSE AND INTENT

  8-101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the California Historical Building Code and will be referred to herein as “the CHBC.”

  8-101.2 Purpose. The purpose of the CHBC is to provide regulations for the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, relocation or reconstruction of buildings or properties designated as qualified historical buildings or properties (as defined in Chapter 8-2). The CHBC is intended to provide solutions for the preservation of qualified historical buildings or properties, to promote sustainability, to provide access for persons with disabilities, to provide a cost-effective approach to preservation, and to provide for the reasonable safety of the occupants or users. The CHBC requires enforcing agencies to accept solutions that are reasonably equivalent to the regular code (as defined in Chapter 8-2) when dealing with qualified historical buildings or properties.

  8-101.3 Intent. The intent of the CHBC is to facilitate the preservation and continuing use of qualified historical buildings or properties while providing reasonable safety for the building occupants and access for persons with disabilities.

  SECTION 8-102 — APPLICATION

  8-102.1 Application. The CHBC is applicable to all issues regarding code compliance for qualified historical buildings or properties. The CHBC may be used in conjunction with the regular code to provide solutions to facilitate the preservation of qualified historical buildings or properties. The CHBC shall be used by any agency with jurisdiction and whenever compliance with the code is required for qualified historical buildings or properties.

  1. State or local enforcing agency. The state or local enforcing agency shall apply the provisions of the CHBC in permitting repairs, alterations and additions necessary for the preservation, restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation, relocation or continued use of a qualified historical building or property when so elected by the private property owner.
  2. **State agencies.