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City of Hopkins • Inspections • Building Inspections • Windows I Egress Windows Page 1 of 5 ILIL mi n n�emotes Inspecionslo, Building Inspections -Windows - Egress Windows What is an egress window? General Information An egress window is a window that is Installing A Basement Egress Window Building Inspections required in specific locations in a dwelling Complaints and is intended to provide an emergency Construction Debris, means of exiting a dwelling. Egress windows are only required in dwellings.Windows Dumpsters&Storage must meet specific size requirements to qualify as an egress window. Electrical Environmental Health Where are egress windows required? Fire Inspections Egress windows are required in every room used for sleeping purposes(bedrooms)on Mechanical any floor and in basements with habitable spaca If you are constructing a new home, the code requires that you put an egress window in each bedroom. It also requires an Plumbing egress window in the basement if habitable rooms will be finished in the basement. If Recommending you install a basement bedroom or bedrooms, an egress window is required in each Contractors bedroom but you need not provide another egress window if there are other habitable Requesting An Inspection rooms in the basement. The bedroom window(s)suffices for the habitable rooms. Resources&Links If you have an existing home and you add a sleeping room in an unfinished basement, Timeline for Permit the code requires that you install an egress window in the sleeping room or rooms. Applications Likewise, if you create habitable space in your basement other than a bedroom and you Utility currently do not have an egress window,the code would require that you install one as part of the installation of the habitable room. How To Apply For Permits& Build What are the size requirements for an egress window? Basements An egress window must satisfy four International Residential Code(IRC)criteria: Decks • Minimum width of opening:20 in. Foundations • Minimum height of opening:24 in. Garages • Minimum net clear opening. 5.7 sq.tt. (5.0 sq ft.for ground floor). Roofing • Maximum sill height above floor:44 in. Stairs&Guardrails Windows The window must have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 sq.ft. Net clear opening [more] refers to the actual free and clear space that exists when the window is open. It is not the rough opening size or the glass panel sze, but the actual opening a person can Building Materials crawl through. Common Building Material The window opening must be operational from the inside without keys or tools. Bars, Characteristics grilles and grates may be installed over windows but must be operational without tools Fireblocking& or keys and still allow the minimum clear opening. Draftstopping Gypsum Wallboard Do the math [more] At first glance,you might assume that a 20-in. by 24-in.window would be acceptable for egress. However,those dimensions would yield a net clear opening of only 3.3 sq ft.To Truth-In-Housing achieve the required net clear opening of 5 7 sq.ft., a 20-in wide window would have to be 42 in. high. Likewise, a 24-in. high window would have to be 34 in.wide. Before You Buy Or Sell Contractor License Finding a Licensed Evaluator Most Common Repair/Replace Items Property Maintenance Rental License Rental Properties Smoke Detectors http://www.hopkinsmn.comJinspectionsibuilding/windows/egresswindows.html 7/20/2005