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Document Citation:
COMAR 05.16.06.14
Header:
CODE OF MARYLAND REGULATIONS
TITLE 05. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
SUBTITLE 16. MARYLAND BUILDING REHABILITATION CODE
CHAPTER 06. CHANGE OF USE AND OCCUPANCY--REPEALED
Date:
08/31/2009
Document:
.14 Fire and Life Safety--Enclosure of Vertical Shaft Requirements.
A. General Requirement. Vertical shafts shall be designed to meet the Building Code requirements for atriums, or the requirements of this regulation.
B. Stairways.
(1) Requirement. When a change of occupancy classification is made to a higher hazard category as shown in Table A, interior stairways shall be enclosed as required by the Fire Prevention Code.
(2) Exceptions.
(a) Exceptions to the requirement of § B(1) of this regulation are provided in this subsection.
(b) In other than Group I, an enclosure is not required for openings serving only one adjacent floor and not connected with corridors or stairways serving other floors.
(c) When there is at least one exit that is in compliance with the Fire Prevention Code, unenclosed existing stairways are not required to be enclosed in a continuous vertical shaft if each story is separated from other stories by 1-hour fire-resistive construction or approved wired glass set in steel frames and all exit corridors are sprinklered. The openings between the corridor and occupant space shall have at least one sprinkler head above the openings of the tenant side. The sprinkler system may be supplied from the domestic water-supply systems, if the system is of adequate pressure, capacity, and sizing for the combined domestic and sprinkler requirements.
(d) Existing penetrations of stairway enclosures are accepted if they are properly protected in accordance with the Fire Prevention Code.
C. Shafts Enclosing Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Ducts. When a change of occupancy classification is made to a higher hazard category as shown in Table A, shafts enclosing commercial kitchen exhaust ducts shall be enclosed as required by the Fire Prevention Code.
D. Other Vertical Shafts.
(1) Requirement. Interior vertical shafts other than stairways and those enclosing commercial kitchen exhaust ducts, including but not limited to elevator hoistways and service and utility shafts, shall be enclosed as required by the Fire Prevention Code when there is a change of occupancy to a higher hazard category in Table A.
(2) Exceptions. The following are exceptions to the requirement of § D(1) of this regulation:
(a) Existing 1-hour interior shaft enclosures shall be accepted where a higher rating is required;
(b) Vertical openings, other than stairways, are not required to be enclosed if the entire building is provided with an approved automatic sprinkler system; and
(c) When 1-hour fire-resistive floor construction is required, vertical shafts are not required to be enclosed when floor penetrations are fire-stopped at every floor level.
E. Openings. All openings into existing vertical shaft enclosures shall be protected by fire assemblies having a fire-protection rating of not less than 1 hour and shall be maintained self-closing or shall be automatic closing by actuation of a smoke detector. All other openings shall be fire-protected in an approved manner. Existing fusible link-type automatic door-closing devices are permitted in all shafts except stairways if the fusible link rating does not exceed 135F (75C).
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