This article reviews the California building code occupancy classification legislation for 2020. Sections include the fire code guidelines [CA Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 9]. Building owners can review the official occupancy types. See the reference categories for California real estate law.
California Building Code: Occupancy Classification Primer
Occupancy classification is an important aspect of California housing law. Occupancy categorization is for each residential, non-profit, or commercial building.
With aspects of zoning, requirements for construction, and business regulations, these standards apply for legal purposes to real estate owners.
The main legal statutes in California for occupancy classification are:
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California Building Code 2016 (Vol 1)
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International Building Code 2015 (IBC 2015)
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2010 California Fire Code [California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 9]
An occupancy classification defines a residential building. This regulates a single family home, medical care center, or commercial business space. The number of expected tenants requires a permit by business inspectors. This maintains the architectural industry standards.
Each of the dwelling units classifies under the California building code. These are also subject to regulation by the California fire code. It is important to know your property’s residential code. R-3 except as otherwise. This assists minority legal funding for healthcare..
The Group R-3 occupancy subcategory is for residential care facilities. Group R-3 is a source of funding for disability groups. This supports Obamacare in California under new laws.
Other subsets of industry law are for local regulation of residential buildings. This is for insurance contracts or manufacturing guidelines. Further mandates accord to the formal designation under the California building code standards.
Occupancy Classification: California Building & Fire Code
Occupancy classification is a specialized subset of the California building code. The importance of the Motion Picture Industry in the state is high. A fundamental Title 24 law is to distinguish TV/Movie production facilities. The law includes sound stages and theaters.
Motion picture facilities separate from other types of real estate. All businesses and other groups must abide by building & fire codes. Some rules for movie houses are different.
Another main distinction supports the California building and fire code for occupancy classification. This is the determination of use.
Is the building or premises used for serving food & beverage?
Is it for civil, social, & religious functions?
Another Title 24 distinction supports tenant spaces and rental properties. There are other categories for business, industry, manufacturing, & education. These establish California legal governance in real estate. All contractors and builders follow these laws.
Legal Sub-Classifications: California Building & Fire Code
These statutes are the sub-clauses to the California building & fire code. These statutes have different formal legal requirements for real estate owners:
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The California Energy Code
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The California Fire Code
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The California Mechanical Code
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The California Residential Code
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The California Existing Building Code
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The California Green Building Standards Code
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The California Electrical Code
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The California Plumbing Code
Building code determines the formal occupancy classification. This is for a structure, premises, building, or another house. In the State of California, there are many building & fire code statues. The owner of the property must then abide by the legal fundamentals.
Building code supports construction, design, and ongoing operations. There may also be variations in the tax code. The occupancy classification in California depends on geographic locality. There are also terms for service work or the industrial sector.
Occupancy Types: California Building & Fire Code
California building and fire code recognize a primary division in occupancy classification. This is according to the number of expected people or residents in a structure.
- If the expected occupancy load is greater than 50 people: Assembly Group A
- If the expected occupancy is less than 50 people: Assembly Group B
- If the structure is less than 750 square feet in total: Assembly Group B
Each of these groups has specific building and fire code requirements. The definition is the usage of the property. These are not related to the total number of expected occupants.
The main recognized occupancy types under California law are:
- Group A [Assembly]
- Group B [Business]
- Group C [Camps]
- Group E [Education]
- Group F [Factory]
- Group H [High Hazard]
- Group I [Institutions]
- Group M [Mercantile]
- Group R [Residential]
- Group S [Storage]
- Group U [Miscellaneous]
Each of these groups has particular building and fire code requirements. Each is specific to the usage of the property. These are not related to the total number of expected occupants.
Group A [Assembly]: California Building & Fire Code
The A Group is for Assembly organizations has 5 specific subcategories:
- The A-1 subcategory includes motion picture theaters, concert halls, symphony, TV, & radio studios.
- The A-2 subcategory is for banquet halls, restaurants, bars, night clubs, & taverns.
- The A-3 subcategory is for civic organizations. These relate to the arts, sports, community events, or religious activities.
- The A-4 subcategory is for arenas, swimming pools, skating rinks, & tennis courts.
- The A-5 subcategory is only for bleachers, grandstands, and stadiums.
Business owners and non-profit organizations in the Assembly Group may face extra regulations. These come from Federal, State, & Local authorities. Most are according to the nature of the services provided to the community-at-large. Risk management is for community safety in services.
Group B [Business]: California Building & Fire Code
The B Group includes a wide variety of business organizations. These support the retail sector, banking, and government agencies. Also covered are data centers, software, media, publishing, utilities, & training groups. Under Group B, small healthcare groups serving fewer than five patients can file here. Under the Group I [Institutions] category large healthcare institutions file. Most business organizations can claim Group B status.
Group C [Camps]: California Building & Fire Code
The businesses qualifying under the Group C [Camps] category are recreational summer camps. This includes retreat facilities attended by large, medium, or small-sized gatherings of people. Camps are for education, entertainment, training, vacation, and travel. Outdoor recreational structures permit different building & fire code regulations for use.
Group E [Education]: California Building & Fire Code
Educational groups register under the Group E [Education] category. Register more than 5 students in a kindergarten through 12th class school to qualify. The exception is for homeschool or child care facilities in private residences.
Some religious organizations serve less than 100 total people in the congregation. These may file for an exception. This delegates under Group B [Business] status.
Another exception is available for child care facilities. This applies if they are not subject to the Residential R-3 status designation. They can file under the Group E category instead of Group I-4 [Institutions] status.
Group F [Factory]: California Building & Fire Code
There are two subcategory designations for the Group F [Factory] designation. The first is the F1 Group for a low hazard rating on the facility. This supports almost any manufacturing concern. The second is the F2 Group which is for moderate hazard manufacturing. This supports beverage, ice, metals, foundries, glass, gypsum, masonry, and similar facilities.
Group H [High Hazard]: California Building & Fire Code
Group H [High Hazard] manufacturing facilities are high-risk. They do not qualify for the Group F [Factory] rating. Public health hazards are under regulation. The State of California watches any use of flammable, explosive, or combustible materials.
Many businesses qualify under the H1-H5 designations. The rating is according to the degree of toxicity or danger. These facilities are subject to major regulations for pollution control.
Group I [Institutions]: California Building & Fire Code
Institutions qualify under the Group I [Institutions] rating for child care facilities. Use for hospitals and healthcare organizations. This includes clinics, mental hospitals, prisons, and reformatories. Also, use this group for nursing homes for the elderly or disabled.
Subcategories for Group I: These return according to the degree of free movement. In assisted living facilities, there are many distinctions. The main resolve between the varieties of adult care vs. child care requirements.
Group M [Mercantile]: California Building & Fire Code
The Group M [Mercantile] category is for department stores. This supports drug stores, open markets, night markets, and farmer’s markets. Use for gas stations, food court facilities, retail locations, and wholesale outlets. The display of merchandise is key to this group. The display of exits for consumer safety is important. This also supports the fire code.
Group R [Residential]: California Building & Fire Code
The Group R [Residential] category of occupancy is very important. This supports anyone that owns a single family home, apartment, or motel. There are many sub-divisions of this section.
- In the R-1 subcategory, boarding houses, hotels, motels, and similar businesses qualify.
- In the R-2 subcategory, apartment buildings, dormitories, and multi-user residences qualify.
- The R-2.1 section is for multi-tenant healthcare and residential facilities.
- The Group R-4 [Residential] subcategory is for half-way houses and rehabilitation centers.
See below for more on the R-3 except as otherwise program.
Group R-3 [Residential]: California Building & Fire Code
The Group R-3 occupancy subcategory is for multi-tenant and adult care residential facilities. This supports protected sectors and minority groups. Use for disabled people, foster homes, orphanages, and other family homes. These provide decentralized healthcare in a community.
New laws have defined for Group R-3 increased funding. This is in support of affirmative action. Use for protected minority and civil rights groups on an ongoing basis in California.
Group S [Storage]: California Building & Fire Code
The Group S [Storage] classification of occupancy has 2 subcategories.
- The S-1 subdivision is for moderate risk storage requirements.
- The S-2 designation is for low risk.
This is for any other warehouse or storage facility processing hazardous materials. Flammable or toxic materials register under the designation for Group H [High Hazard].
Certain exceptions apply by the quantity of storage capacity. There are also limited use requirements. Pollution safeguards list here as well.
Group U [Miscellaneous]: California Building & Fire Code
The Group U [Miscellaneous] designation supports structures outside of the categories above. These include hangars, barns, garages, stables, sheds, & other farm buildings.
