This document summarizes significant changes between the 2007 editions of the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code. It discusses changes to occupancy classifications, mezzanine rules, fire resistance rated glazing, elevator lobby requirements, smoke dampers in exhaust shafts, sprinkler requirements in Group A-2 occupancies, design fire criteria, egress through stockrooms, travel distances, common path of travel rules for apartments, smokeproof enclosures, and changes introduced in the 2006 Life Safety Code that were incorporated into the 2007 FFPC, including egress requirements, interior finish rules, assembly occupancy regulations, and provisions for nightclubs, fire alarms, mercantile occupancies, and a new chapter on building rehabilitation.

1. FBC & FFPC 2007 –
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Presented to
VOA Orlando
by
Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.
September 23, 2009
1

2. Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc. is a Registered Provider
with The American Institute of Architects Continuing
Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this
program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members.
Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members available
on request.
This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing
professional education. As such, it does not include
content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval
or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction
or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or
dealing in any material or product. Questions related to
specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed
at the conclusion of this presentation.
Thank you!

3. Copyright Materials
This presentation is protected by US
and International copyright laws.
Reproduction, distribution, display
and use of the presentation without
written permission of the speaker is
prohibited.
© Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.
2009
3

4. Presentation Content
■ Adoption status of FBC
2007.
■ What is a “significant”
change?
■ What are the most
significant changes?
4

5. FBC 2007 Adoption Status
■ Was adopted by the State on March 1,
2009.
■ Florida also adopted the 2007 Florida
Fire Prevention Code based on the
2006 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101).
5

6. Significant Changes
■ Have impact on overall building design.
■ Present design challenges
■ Some changes result in more flexible
design options.
■ First 10 chapters only covered in this
presentation.
6

7. Assembly Occupancies
■ Assembly can be reclassified into
Business occupancies (303.1) if:
● Buildings used for assembly purposes with
<50 persons are classified as Group B.
● Accessory space used for assembly
purposes <750 sq. ft. or with an occupant
load of <50 persons are classified as
Group B or part of adjoining occupancy.
7

8. Accessory Occupancies
■ Accessory occupancies are:
● Subsidiary to main occupancy.
● Aggregate ≤ 10% of area of the story.
● ≤ height & area in Table 503 without height
and area increases.
□ Exceptions: Assembly areas < 750 sq. ft.;
assembly areas accessory to Group E; and
accessory religious education rooms &
auditoriums are not separate occupancies.
8

9. Mezzanines
■ Maximum floor area
increased from 1/3 to ½ of
area of room where
located, if:
● Building is noncombustible,
(I or II) sprinklered and has
voice fire alarm (505.2).
■ Although still 1/3 in FFPC
9

10. Fire Resistance Rated Glazing
■ Fire resistant rated glazing
is permitted to be used as a
fire barrier.
● Glazing must be tested in
accordance with ASTM and
bear a label or other marking
displaying this information,
including fire rating (706.2.1).
● Specific marking “W-XXX”
required on the glass where
“XXX” is the fire resistance
rating in minutes.
10

11. Elevator Lobbies
■ Enclosed elevator lobbies required at
each floor with fire partitions equal to
the fire resistance rating of the
corridor when (707.14.1):
● Building is sprinklered and greater than
75 ft. in height, regardless of occupancy.
● Building is unsprinklered and is greater
than 3 stories.
● Occupancy Group I-3 (detention) greater
than 3 stories (sprinklered or
unsprinklered).
● Exceptions
• Street level floor with sprinklers throughout.
• Pressurized elevator hoistway
(707.14.2).*** Can’t really be done!
• When additional hoistway doors provided.
11

12. Enclosed Elevator Lobbies
12

13. Smoke Dampers In Exhaust
Shafts
■ Smoke dampers no longer required at
penetrations in exhaust shaft enclosures in
Group R (or B) occupancies.
● Sub-ducts must be steel, have min. wall thickness
of .019 inches, extend at least 22 inches vertically
and have continuously powered fan at upper
terminus of shaft (716.5.3). Standby power may
be required for fan.
● Also not required at shaft penetration where part
of mechanical smoke control system, or
where damper will interfere with operation
of smoke control system.
13

14. Smoke Dampers In Exhaust
Shafts
14

15. Sprinklers in Group A-2
■ Sprinklers required
when occupant load
is 100 or more
(reduced from 300).
● Group A-2 includes
banquet halls, restaurants
and taverns (903.2.1.2).
15

16. Design Fire
■ The design fire is determined by
analysis. (909.9)
■ No longer 5,000 BTU/S minimum.
■ NFPA 2,000 BTU/S
16

17. Design Fire
■ Compare: 5,000 to 2,500 fire
■ Maintain smoke layer at 50’ AFF
■ 5,000 BTU/S = 168,000 cfm
■ 2,500 BTU/S = 130,000 cfm
■ Make-up air: 756 ft2 v. 585 ft2
■ 171 ft2 = 7 doors
17

18. Egress Through Stockrooms
■ Egress through Group M stockrooms is now
permitted (1014.2).
● 50% max. of required exit access permitted through
adjoining room.
● Stockroom must be same or less hazard, non-locking
door leading to stockroom, and min. of 44 inch wide
aisle that is clearly defined with partial or full height
wall leading directly to exit.
■ Exit through adjoining room also now permitted
in Groups H, S and F.
● Adjoining room must have same or less hazard.
18

19. Egress Through Stockrooms
19

20. Maximum Travel Distance
■ Group R: 250 feet / 200 feet
■ Group A: 200 feet / 250 feet
■ Groups S-1/F-2: 250 feet / 400 feet
■ Group H-3: 100 feet / 150 feet
■ Group H-4: 100 feet / 175 feet
■ Group H-5: 100 feet / 200 feet
20

21. Common Path of Travel in
Apartments (R-2)
■ Common path of travel for R-2
occupancies when protected by an
automatic sprinkler system (1014.3):
● Shall not exceed 125 feet within dwelling
units.
● Shall not exceed 50 feet outside of
dwelling units.
21

22. Common Path of Travel in
Apartments (R-2)
22

23. Smokeproof Enclosures
■ A smokeproof enclosure shall be
permitted to egress through the level of
exit discharge per Section 1024 (FBC
1020.1.7.1 Exception 3)
■ New exception to previous direct exit
requirement.
■ Pressure range changed for pressurized
stairs from 0.15” to 0.05” water column
23

24. 2006 Life Safety Code
Changes
In the 2007 FFPC
24

25. Egress Requirements LSC
■ Where a single door is provided for discharge from a stairway
required to comply with 7.2.2.2.1.2(B) and such door serves as
the sole means of exit discharge from such stairway, the clear
width of the door opening shall be not less than 2/3 the nominal
width of the stairway (7.2.1.2.4).
■ The provisions of 7.2.1.6.2 for access controlled egress doors
shall not apply to doors with delayed-egress locks (7.2.1.6.1).
■ Where emergency lighting facilities are required for individual
occupancies, the signs, other than approved self-luminous signs
and listed photoluminescent signs, shall be illuminated by the
emergency lighting facilities (7.10.4).
● The level of illumination of the signs shall be in accordance with the
LSC for the required emergency lighting duration as specified in
7.9.2.1.
● The level of illumination shall be permitted to decline to 60 percent
at the end of the emergency lighting duration.
25

26. Egress Stairs LSC
■ Minimum stair width increased to 56 in.
for stairs serving more than 2,000
people (7.2.2.2.1.1). This provides for
counterflow.
■ Stair tread and landing slope shall not
exceed ¼ in./ft. (7.2.2.3.4).
26

27. Interior Finish LSC
■ When applied structurally or for decoration,
acoustical correction, surface insulation, or
other purposes, these items are now
considered interior finish and not decorations
or furnishings (10.2.1.3):
● Fixed or movable walls and partitions
● Paneling
● Wall pads
● Crash pads
27

28. Assembly LSC
■ Festival seating shall be prohibited within a building,
unless otherwise permitted by the following
(12/13.2.5.4.1) :
● Permitted in assembly occupancies having occupant loads
of 250 or less. (Previous 1,000)
● Permitted in assembly occupancies where occupant loads
exceed 250, provided that an approved life safety evaluation
has been performed.
Where required by the authority having jurisdiction,
the owner shall provide a copy of the inspection
report and certification that the inspection required by
12.7.10.2 has been performed (12/13.7.10.3).
28

29. Nightclubs LSC
■ Sprinklers required for all
night clubs regardless of
occupant load (12.3.5.1).
■ Main entrance must
provide 2/3 of total egress
width (12.2.3.6.2).
■ Crowd managers required
for all assembly
occupancies. One manager
for every 250 occupants
(12.7.6.1).
29

30. Residential Fire Alarm Systems
LSC
■ A fire alarm system shall not be required in
buildings that are protected throughout by an
approved, automatic sprinkler system with
listed quick-response or listed residential
sprinklers installed throughout all dwelling
units, provided (31.3.4.1.3):
● The building does not exceed four stories in
height.
● The building does not contain more than 16
dwelling units.
30

31. Mercantile LSC
■ In mercantile occupancies other
than bulk merchandising retail
buildings, if the only means of
customer entrance is through one
exterior wall of the building, ½ of
the required egress width from the
street floor shall be located in such
wall (36.2.5.7).
● Means of egress from floors above
or below the street floor shall be
arranged in accordance with
Section 7.5.
31

32. Mercantile LSC
■ Smoke control system complying with
8.6.7(5) shall be provided in malls with floor
openings connecting more than two levels.
36.4.4.9 & .10).
■ Mall building and all anchor buildings shall be
protected throughout by an approved,
supervised automatic sprinkler system.
● The system shall be installed in such a manner
that any portion of the system serving tenant
spaces can be taken out of service without
affecting the operation of the portion of the system
serving the mall.
32

33. Chapter 43 – Building
Rehabilitation LSC
■ 43.1 General…. ■ New Chapter (see 4.6.7,
■ 43.2 Special Definitions… 4.6.3.1 and 4.6.11)
■ 43.3 Repairs…. ■ Mixed categories
■ 43.4 Renovations… ■ Technically infeasible
■ 43.5 Modifications… ■ 50% rule
■ 43.6 Reconstruction. ■ Historic Buildings
■ 43.7 Change of Use or ■ Transoms fixed closed
Occupancy Classification…. ■ AHJ deems fire hazard =
■ 43.8 Additions…. sprinklers
■ 43.9 Reserved….
33

34. Existing Buildings Rehabilitation
■ New Chapter to LSC - 43
■ Existing life safety features:
● That exceed the requirements for new buildings
shall be permitted to be decreased to that required
for new buildings (4.6.7.4).
● That do not meet the requirements for new
buildings, but that exceed the requirements for
existing buildings, shall not be further diminished
(4.6.7.5).
● Shall not be removed or reduced where such
feature is a requirement for new construction
(4.6.12.2).
34

35. Thank You For Your Time!
Questions?
This concludes the American Institute of Architects
Continuing Education System Program
www.rjainc.com
407.381.7771
35