Best way to find out local code?

[TT_Vert]

I am replacing all interior doors and I'd like to find out if my garage to house door hs to be fire rated. I would like to have a glass top half door but getting one that is fire rated would be an issue. Can i call the local inspector or is there a place I can research on my own?

Thanks much,

Dave

 

[6768rogues]

I don't know where you are, but here in NY our state building code is online. You could stop by the code office or give them a call.
Most likely it would have to be a fire rated door. You can get a 45 minute fire rated door with up to 9 square feet of wire glass. If you don't want wire glass, you can use a product like FireLite, but be prepared to pay at least $80 per square foot. And the door has to be fabricated by someone who can label it; you cannot cut in the window yourself. Field modifications made to fire rated door assemblies void the fire rated labeling.

 

[TT_Vert]

This property is in Wauconda IL. I went to their site and saw they follow the 2003 edition of the IFC which i found here. I will go through it and try to find what I need. I also emailed the code enforcement people over there to perhaps expedite this. I certainly don't want wire glass so I hope there is no code for this.

Dave

 

[cowboy73]

Even if it isn't code to have a fire rated door, it would give you a little piece of mind. Sometimes codes are onerous and a royal pain in the ***, but sometimes they are a good thing.

 

[TT_Vert]

Even if it isn't code to have a fire rated door, it would give you a little piece of mind. Sometimes codes are onerous and a royal pain in the ***, but sometimes they are a good thing.

Ironically i was a volunteer FF and studied fire science in college but I do not recall any of this. At one time i was designing fire suppression systems and doing mock inspections in my fire science classes but i've since forgotten everything. My garage is the size of a small house and I really would like to have a glass door for the cosmetic aspect if nothing else. If it is not required I do not want to put one in. I have a fire, smoke and CO detection system which will text and email me when there is an issue which is good enough for me. It won't prevent spreading of fire through a non rated door but that is what I have insurance for.

I just went through the IFC 2003 and I see no mention of fire rating requirement but I have a feeling i'm missing it.

Dave

 

[TT_Vert]

forgot to attach it appears

 

[Augus7us]

I'm no code expert but I've seen and heard numerous times that drywall has to be fire rated if it is a garage wall shared with the house. This seems to be pretty universal so it would surprise me if you had to have fireproof drywall but not a fireproof door.

One thing I do know about code is that it is a PITA to interpret if you are not doing this stuff every day and referencing it on a regular basis, at least for me. I've read electrical, plumbing and so on and sometimes feel I would have an easier time learning Chinese...

Good Luck!

-Clint

 

[TT_Vert]

I could not find a PDF of the 2003 IRC but I did find an excerpt of section R309 which I cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of which would be pretty cut and dried if accurate.

Doors opening into garages shall have a minimum 20-minute fire
rating. Windows connecting the house and the garage are not
permitted.

 

[James-W]

Just call the local building inspector, or drop by the office and ask. They should know right off what the code for that is, they no doubt have dealt with it many times.

 

[driftpin]

The AHJ is probably the Fire Marshal in your jurisdiction. You could try reaching him/her by phone, but probably anyone that does plan review in the Fire Marshal's office would be able to tell you. Ask for the section of the code where that's listed. Find it and save that on your computer. The reference will probably be to the NFPA standards, 101 Life Safety Code.

https://www.nfpa.org/news-and-resea...sin-adopts-latest-edition-of-nfpa-1-fire-code

Just call the local building inspector, or drop by the office and ask. They should know right off what the code for that is, they no doubt have dealt with it many times.

 

[6768rogues]

Most codes are based on the International family of codes. Here is what most allow:
You can maintain the building by replacing doors with ones just like the originals, as long as the original was in compliance with the code at the time of construction.
You can replace originals with new types, change locations, etc. as long as they comply with the current code.
20 minute doors can have glass, but it will likely be fire resistant glass like wire glass or FireLite. Wire glass is fire resistant but not very impact resistant.

 

[SGKent]

wrong question. Right question is what should I do to keep myself and my loved ones safe. Install a fire rated door, and be sure the barrier between the garage and house is fire rated too. I keep anything flammable either in the shed or in steel cabinets as well. No oily rags, even after being washed they are kept in steel cans with a tight lid. I went into a client's home when I was 26; am almost 70 now. A small electric clock on the wall had shorted out, set the curtains and sill on fire. A neighbor saw it happen, called the fire dept, and broke into the house with a hose to put it out. Total time about 3 minutes to when it was out. There was an outline on the carpet in the back of the house where the family cat and dog died from the toxic air. Imagine if that imprint on the carpet was one of your family, and you had to live with the memory. No way will I take chances like that for convenience sake - nor should you.

 

[TT_Vert]

wrong question. Right question is what should I do to keep myself and my loved ones safe. Install a fire rated door, and be sure the barrier between the garage and house is fire rated too. I keep anything flammable either in the shed or in steel cabinets as well. No oily rags, even after being washed they are kept in steel cans with a tight lid. I went into a client's home when I was 26; am almost 70 now. A small electric clock on the wall had shorted out, set the curtains and sill on fire. A neighbor saw it happen, called the fire dept, and broke into the house with a hose to put it out. Total time about 3 minutes to when it was out. There was an outline on the carpet in the back of the house where the family cat and dog died from the toxic air. Imagine if that imprint on the carpet was one of your family, and you had to live with the memory. No way will I take chances like that for convenience sake - nor should you.

I don't have a family. if I die in my sleep due to a non fire rated door so be it. With that said if it's code I won't bother. if there is no code there will be a windowed door in there. Again I've been on the other side of fires a time or two, I don't need the lectures or what others will do. Simply asking if someone could assist w/ the code info. I think I have the info I need, my local code enforcement has been emailed and I'll call tomorrow if I don't hear back.


Dave

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

I am NOT a code expert, but a retired security consultant who often dealt with fire code matters when designing security systems. Before you purchase a wired glass lite ( window ) for any door, or for a lite ( window ) adjacent to a door, research it carefully. The firm I worked for did a fair amount of work in K-12 and higher education buildings, and back then, there was a prohibition against using wired glass in those locations. I do not know if that applies to residential use, but suggest that you investigate prior to installing wired glass. The problem is that, when broken, wired glass has the potential for very severe injuries.

The code changes on a 3-year cycle, and not all jurisdictions are up to date, in fact most are a version, or two, behind the current one. In any event, you must comply with whichever version your AHJ says is the one to follow.



.

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks, I will not use wire glass. We're currently on the 2003 iteration BTW.
Dave

 

[brownbagg]

yes it does

 

[readhead]

For the last fifty years I have been building a rated wall is required at a common wall with the house and a rated door with some kind of closer is required in that wall. That is the short answer because there are several other requirements for the wall.

To answer your original question, you can get rated doors with glass. They are common in commercial work but you will pay a premium.

 

[TT_Vert]

For the last fifty years I have been building a rated wall is required at a common wall with the house and a rated door with some kind of closer is required in that wall. That is the short answer because there are several other requirements for the wall.

To answer your original question, you can get rated doors with glass. They are common in commercial work but you will pay a premium.

I don't mind paying but I don't want wire to detract from the look. BTW, we're looking to build over there in Durango. Been looking for piece of properly way up high for a while now, beautify country. Being a train aficionado the Durango & Silverton is quite the lure. All the steam stuff out there is very enjoyable, took a week exploring all the train stuff out there last year for my 40th.

Dave

 

[readhead]

Wired glass is not the only choice.

Hope you can make it out here. The Hermosa yard is in front of my house and I am a train guy. Steam trains and coal smoke. Doesn't get much better. Woke up to snow this morning but it was gone pretty quickly.

 

[TT_Vert]

Wired glass is not the only choice.

Hope you can make it out here. The Hermosa yard is in front of my house and I am a train guy. Steam trains and coal smoke. Doesn't get much better. Woke up to snow this morning but it was gone pretty quickly.

Yeah it's quite the place. We'll be there soon enough, just hoping if we wait a bit longer there will be more infrastructure so I don't have to pave 2+ miles of road to get to our property.

Dave

 

[sierradmax]

call building zoning department in your town. Around my area, towns are different. One requires 20 minute solid door, a neighboring requires 1 hour steel to match the wall assembly.

 

[kbs2244]

Anywhere in Illinois a door between an attached garage and the living area will need to be fire rated to meet the fire code.
For sure if you are inside the Wauconda city limits.

Even if you find some way around the code, the insurance co will not cover any loss.

 

[TT_Vert]

So it turns out this is unincorporated Wauconda so I spoke w/ Lake county inspectors and they told me that it has to be one of 3 things ("They provide options") and it does NOT have to be fire rated.

1. Solid wood door
2. Steel door
3. 20 minute fire rated door.

So it seems my doors are staying put for the time being.

Dave

 

[readhead]

Solid wood and steel have always been considered as fire resistant for residential use. Nothing new there. What makes them compliant is the use of a closer and weather strip which becomes a smoke seal in this application. A rated window can be installed but it has to be in a steel frame and have fire resistant glass.

When you get involved with commercial work the ratings become much more serious and in some cases very complicated such as double active doors with magnetic releases.

 

[TT_Vert]

Ok I wasn't sure if they just required a door that had some fire rating data but i guess it is just implied.

Dave

 

[Viper98912]

Ah, I looked into this for my own home back in 2015 (in a previous home). I had a garage entry door that I wanted to put a full-lite door in. I ended up not doing it because it was too expensive and I was potentially moving again. But yes, it was a pain finding anyone who made a fire rated door of this type. I did end up finding two companies who had fire rated glass and were willing to make me a custom fire rated door, but at a premium.