Compliance News: Floor Level at Exit Doors

By Robert Trotter, CBO, CFM

According to the Life Safety Code® the elevation of the floor surfaces on both sides of a door shall not vary by more than 1/2 inch. The elevation must be maintained on both sides of the doorway for a distance not less than the width of the widest leaf. Thresholds at doorways may not exceed 1/2 inch in height. Raised thresholds and floor level changes in excess of 1/4 inch at doorways are to be bevelled with a slope not steeper than 1 in 2. However, in existing buildings where the door discharges to the outside or to an exterior balcony or exterior exit access, the floor level outside the door is permitted to be one step lower than the inside, but may not be in excess of 8 inches lower.