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Section 403 High-Rise Buildings and Group I-2 Occupancies Having Occupied Floors Located More Than 75 Feet Above the Lowest Level of Fire Department Vehicle Access
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New high-rise buildings and new Group I-2 occupancies having occupied floors located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access shall comply with Sections 403.2 through 403.7.
Exception: The provisions of Sections 403.2 through 403.7 shall not apply to the following buildings and structures:
- Airport traffic control towers in accordance with Section 412.3.
- Open parking garages in accordance with Section 406.5.
- The portion of a building containing a Group A-5 occupancy in accordance with Section 303.6.
- Special industrial occupancies in accordance with Section 503.1.1.
- Buildings such as power plants, lookout towers, steeples, grain houses and similar structures with noncontinuous human occupancy, when so determined by the enforcing agency.
For existing high-rise buildings and for existing Group R occupancies, see California Fire Code Chapter 11 and California Existing Building Code.
For the purpose of this section, in determining the level from which the highest occupied floor is to be measured, the enforcing agency should exercise reasonable judgment, including consideration of overall accessibility to the building by fire department personnel and vehicular equipment. When a building is located on sloping terrain and there is building access on more than one level, the enforcing agency may select the level that provides the most logical and adequate fire department access.
The following terms are defined in Chapter 2.
The construction of high-rise buildings shall comply with the provisions of Sections 403.2.1 through 403.2.4.
The fire-resistance-rating reductions listed in Sections 403.2.1.1 and 403.2.1.2 shall be allowed in buildings that have sprinkler control valves equipped with supervisory initiating devices and water-flow initiating devices for each floor.
The following reductions in the minimum fire-resistance rating of the building elements in Table 601 shall be permitted as follows:
- For buildings not greater than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height, the fire-resistance rating of the building elements in Type IA construction shall be permitted to be reduced to the minimum fire-resistance ratings for the building elements in Type IB.Exception: The required fire-resistance rating of the primary structural frame shall not be permitted to be reduced.
- In other than Group F-1, M and S-1 occupancies, the fire-resistance rating of the building elements in Type IB construction shall be permitted to be reduced to the fire-resistance ratings in Type IIA.Exception: The required fire-resistance rating of the primary structural frame shall not be permitted to be reduced.
- The building height and building area limitations of a building containing building elements with reduced fire-resistance ratings shall be permitted to be the same as the building without such reductions.
For buildings not greater than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height, the required fire-resistance rating of the fire barriers enclosing vertical shafts, other than interior exit stairway and elevator hoistway enclosures, is permitted to be reduced to 1 hour where automatic sprinklers are installed within the shafts at the top and at alternate floor levels.
For seismic considerations, see Chapter 16.
For high-rise buildings of Risk Category III or IV in accordance with Section 1604.5, and for all buildings that are more than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height, enclosures for interior exit stairways and elevator hoistway enclosures shall comply with Sections 403.2.3.1 through 403.2.3.4.
The wall assemblies making up the enclosures for interior exit stairways and elevator hoistway enclosures shall meet or exceed Soft Body Impact Classification Level 2 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.
The face of the wall assemblies making up the enclosures for interior exit stairways and elevator hoistway enclosures that are not exposed to the interior of the enclosures for interior exit stairways or elevator hoistway enclosure shall be constructed in accordance with one of the following methods:
- The wall assembly shall incorporate no fewer than two layers of impact-resistant construction board each of which meets or exceeds Hard Body Impact Classification Level 2 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.
- The wall assembly shall incorporate no fewer than one layer of impact-resistant construction material that meets or exceeds Hard Body Impact Classification Level 3 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.
- The wall assembly incorporates multiple layers of any material, tested in tandem, that meets or exceeds Hard Body Impact Classification Level 3 as measured by the test method described in ASTM C1629/C1629M.
The bond strength of the SFRM installed throughout the building shall be in accordance with Table 403.2.4.
MINIMUM BOND STRENGTH
| HEIGHT OF BUILDINGa | SFRM MINIMUM BOND STRENGTH |
| Up to 420 feet | 430 psf |
| Greater than 420 feet | 1,000 psf |
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 pound per square foot (psf) = 0.0479 kW/m2.
- Above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.
Buildings and structures shall be equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 and a secondary water supply where required by Section 403.3.3. A sprinkler water-flow alarm-initiating device and a control valve with a supervisory signal-initiating device shall be provided at the lateral connection to the riser for each floor.
Exception: An automatic sprinkler system shall not be required in open parking garages in accordance with Section 406.5.
Each sprinkler system serving a floor in buildings that are more than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height shall be connected to a minimum of two sprinkler risers or combination standpipe system risers located in separate shafts. Each sprinkler system shall be hydraulically designed so that when one connection is shut down, the other connection shall be capable of supplying the sprinkler system design demand.
Sprinkler risers shall be placed in interior exit stairways and ramps that are remotely located in accordance with Section 1015.2.
In buildings having an occupied floor that are more than 120 feet (36 576 mm) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, required fire pumps shall be supplied by connections to no fewer than two water mains located in different streets. Separate supply piping shall be provided between each connection to the water main and the pumps. Each connection and the supply piping between the connection and the pumps shall be sized to supply the flow and pressure required for the pumps to operate.
Exception: Two connections to the same main shall be permitted provided the main is valved such that an interruption can be isolated so that the water supply will continue without interruption through no fewer than one of the connections.
Redundant fire pump systems shall be required for high-rise buildings having an occupied floor more than 200 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access. Each fire pump system shall be capable of automatically supplying the required demand for the automatic sprinkler and standpipe systems.
An automatic secondary on-site water supply having a usable capacity of not less than the hydraulically calculated sprinkler demand, including the hose stream requirement, shall be provided for high-rise buildings and Group I-2 occupancies having occupied floors located more than 75 ft above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access assigned to Seismic Design Category C, D, E or F as determined by Section 1613. An additional fire pump shall not be required for the secondary water supply unless needed to provide the minimum design intake pressure at the suction side of the fire pump supplying the automatic sprinkler system. The secondary water supply shall have a useable capacity of not less than the hydraulically calculated sprinkler demand plus 100 GPM for the inside hose stream, allowance, for a duration of not less than 30 minutes or as determined by the occupancy hazard classification in accordance with NFPA 13, whichever is greater. The Class I standpipe system demand shall not be required to be included in the secondary on-site water supply calculations. In no case shall the secondary on-site water supply be less than 15,000 gallons.
Fire pumps shall be located in rooms protected in accordance with Section 913.2.1.
See Section 913.6.
The detection, alarm and emergency systems of high-rise buildings shall comply with Sections 403.4.1 through 403.4.8.
Smoke detection shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.2.13.1.
A fire alarm system shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.2.13.
A high-rise building shall be equipped with a standpipe system as required by Section 905.3.
An emergency voice/alarm communication system shall be provided in accordance with Section 907.5.2.2.
Emergency responder radio coverage shall be provided in accordance with Section 510 of the California Fire Code.
A fire command center complying with Section 911 shall be provided in a location approved by the fire department.
All portions of high-rise buildings shall be provided with a smoke control system in accordance with Section 909
A standby power system complying with Section 2702 and Section 3003 shall be provided for the standby power loads specified in Section 403.4.8.3. An emergency power system complying with Section 2702 shall be provided for the emergency power loads specified in Section 403.4.8.4.
If the standby or emergency power system includes a generator set inside a building, the system shall be located in a separate room enclosed with 2-hour fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both. System supervision with manual start and transfer features shall be provided at the fire command center.
Exception: In Group I-2, manual start and transfer features for the critical branch of the emergency power are not required to be provided at the fire command center.
Fuel lines supplying a generator set inside a building shall be separated from areas of the building other than the room the generator is located in by an approved method or assembly that has a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours. Where the building is protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2, the required fire-resistance rating shall be reduced to 1 hour.
The following are classified as standby power loads:
- Power and lighting for the fire command center required by Section 403.4.6.
- Ventilation and automatic fire detection equipment for smokeproof enclosures.
- Elevators.
- Where elevators are provided in a high-rise building for accessible means of egress, fire service access or occupant self-evacuation, the standby power system shall also comply with Sections 1009.4, 3007 or 3008, as applicable.
The following are classified as emergency power loads:
- Exit signs and means of egress illumination required by Chapter 10.
- Elevator car lighting.
- Emergency voice/alarm communications systems.
- Automatic fire detection systems.
- Fire alarm systems.
- Electrically powered fire pumps.
Required interior exit stairways shall be separated by a distance not less than 30 feet (9144 mm) or not less than one-fourth of the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the building or area to be served, whichever is less. The distance shall be measured in a straight line between the nearest points of the enclosure surrounding the interior exit stairways. In buildings with three or more interior exit stairways, no fewer than two of the interior exit stairways shall comply with this section. Interlocking or scissor stairways shall be counted as one interior exit stairway.
For buildings other than Group R-2 that are more than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height, one additional interior exit stairway meeting the requirements of Sections 1011 and 1023 shall be provided in addition to the minimum number of exits required by Section 1006.3. The total width of any combination of remaining interior exit stairways with one interior exit stairway removed shall be not less than the total width required by Section 1005.1. Scissor stairways shall not be considered the additional interior exit stairway required by this section.
Exception: An additional interior exit stairway shall not be required to be installed in buildings having elevators used for occupant self-evacuation in accordance with Section 3008.
Stairway doors other than the exit discharge doors shall be permitted to be locked from the stairway side. Stairway doors that are locked from the stairway side shall be capable of being unlocked simultaneously without unlatching upon a signal from the fire command center. Upon failure of electrical power to the locking mechanism the door shall unlock.
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