Does your building need areas of refuge or two-way emergency communication?
California Building Code §1009 governs accessible means of egress. Multi-story buildings frequently need areas of refuge and two-way communication systems at elevator landings so that people who cannot use the stairs can signal responders during an emergency. Tell us about the building below to see what's likely required — including a quick estimate of how many communication stations you'll need.
Because the building is sprinklered throughout (NFPA 13 / 13R), areas of refuge are NOT required at the exit stairways (CBC §1009.3 Exception 1) and elevators need not be reached from an area of refuge (§1009.4 Exception 1). However, a two-way communication system is still required at each elevator landing on every floor above or below the level of exit discharge (§1009.8).
Station estimate = 1 cab × 3 floor(s) above/below the level of exit discharge. Elevators that share a common landing (a bank) may share a single station, which can reduce this count.
Plan my life-safety systemSource: California Building Code §1009, Accessible Means of Egress (areas of refuge §1009.3 / §1009.6, elevators §1009.2.1 / §1009.4, two-way communication §1009.8), based on the 2022 CBC. This is a planning guide only — the final determination depends on your full egress design and is made by your local building official / AHJ, which may adopt amendments. BUILDLAB designs and installs two-way emergency communication and area-of-refuge systems in-house.
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