| 1 | 1 | | By: Johnson S.B. No. 2835 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to regulation of stairway requirements in certain |
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| 9 | 9 | | multifamily residential buildings by political subdivisions. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Section 1. Chapter 214, Local Government Code, is amended by adding |
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| 12 | 12 | | Subchapter I to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBCHAPTER I. SINGLE STAIRWAY IN CERTAIN APARTMENT |
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| 14 | 14 | | BUILDINGS. (a) A municipality may allow apartment buildings to be |
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| 15 | 15 | | served by a single stairway regardless of the municipality's |
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| 16 | 16 | | adoption of the International Building Code. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) A municipality that chooses to allow apartment |
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| 18 | 18 | | buildings to be served by a single stairway must do so under the |
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| 19 | 19 | | following conditions: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) has no more than 6 stories above grade plane and |
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| 21 | 21 | | does not qualify as a high-rise, as defined in the International |
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| 22 | 22 | | Building Code, as adopted under Section 214.216, Local Government |
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| 23 | 23 | | Code; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) has no more than four dwelling units on any floor; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) regardless of the stairway construction type, has |
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| 26 | 26 | | automatic sprinkler locations in interior exit stairways that |
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| 27 | 27 | | comply with the requirements of NFPA 13 for combustible stairways; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (4) has an exterior stairway or interior exit |
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| 29 | 29 | | stairway is provided and doors in the stairway swing into the |
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| 30 | 30 | | interior exit stairway regardless of the occupant load served, |
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| 31 | 31 | | provided that doors from the interior exit stairway to the building |
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| 32 | 32 | | exterior are permitted to swing in the direction of exit travel; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) has openings to the interior exit stairway |
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| 34 | 34 | | enclosure are limited to those required for exit access into the |
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| 35 | 35 | | enclosure from normally occupied spaces, those required for egress |
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| 36 | 36 | | from the enclosure, and openings to the exterior. Elevators shall |
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| 37 | 37 | | not open into the interior exit stairway enclosure; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (6) has interior exit stairway enclosures have a |
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| 39 | 39 | | fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (7) has a minimum 1 hour fire-resistance rated |
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| 41 | 41 | | corridor separates each dwelling unit entry/exit door from the door |
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| 42 | 42 | | to an interior exit stairway, including any related exit |
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| 43 | 43 | | passageway, on each floor; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (8) has dwelling unit doors that do not open directly |
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| 45 | 45 | | into an interior exit stairway; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (9) has no more than 20 feet (6096 mm) of travel |
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| 47 | 47 | | distance exist between the exit stairway from the entry/exit door |
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| 48 | 48 | | of any dwelling unit; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (10) has exit access travel that does not exceed 125 |
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| 50 | 50 | | feet (38100 mm); |
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| 51 | 51 | | (11) has an exit serving the Group R occupancy that |
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| 52 | 52 | | does not discharge through any other occupancy, including an |
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| 53 | 53 | | accessory parking garage; |
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| 54 | 54 | | (12) has an exit that does not terminate in an egress |
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| 55 | 55 | | court where the court depth exceeds the court width unless it is |
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| 56 | 56 | | possible to exit in either direction to the public way; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (13) has no openings within 10 feet (3048 mm) of |
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| 58 | 58 | | unprotected openings into the stairway other than required exit |
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| 59 | 59 | | doors having a 1-hour fire-resistance rating; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (14) has emergency escape and rescue openings |
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| 61 | 61 | | compliant with International Building Code Section 1031 on all |
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| 62 | 62 | | floors served by the single exit; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (15) has no electrical receptacles in an interior |
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| 64 | 64 | | exit stairway; |
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| 65 | 65 | | (16) has met all other applicable provisions of the |
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| 66 | 66 | | adopted local building codes, and; |
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| 67 | 67 | | (17) has an automatic smoke and fire detection system |
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| 68 | 68 | | that activates the occupant notification system in accordance with |
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| 69 | 69 | | IBC Section 907.5 installed in the building in: |
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| 70 | 70 | | (A) common spaces outside of dwelling units; |
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| 71 | 71 | | (B) laundry rooms, mechanical equipment rooms, |
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| 72 | 72 | | and storage rooms; |
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| 73 | 73 | | (C) all interior corridors serving dwelling |
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| 74 | 74 | | units; and |
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| 75 | 75 | | (D) all main floor landings or interior and |
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| 76 | 76 | | exterior exit stairways. |
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| 77 | 77 | | Section 211.054. SMOKE AND FIRE DETECTION SYSTEM REQUIRED |
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| 78 | 78 | | in SINGLE STAIRWAY BUILDINGS. An automatic smoke and fire |
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| 79 | 79 | | detection system that activates the occupant notification system in |
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| 80 | 80 | | accordance with IBC Section 907.5 shall be installed in single |
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| 81 | 81 | | stairway apartment buildings in: |
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| 82 | 82 | | (1) common spaces outside of dwelling units; |
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| 83 | 83 | | (2) laundry rooms, mechanical equipment rooms and |
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| 84 | 84 | | storage rooms; |
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| 85 | 85 | | (3) all interior corridors serving dwelling units, |
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| 86 | 86 | | and; |
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| 87 | 87 | | (4) All main floor landings of interior and exterior |
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| 88 | 88 | | exit stairways. |
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| 89 | 89 | | Section 2. This act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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