Civic · 6 pages · 12 min

Why occupancy numbers exist

An occupancy number is the crowd a room's exits were designed to let out.

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From the opening

An occupancy number, or occupant load, is the number of people a room or building is treated as holding for purposes of the fire and building codes. It exists so that exits, and sometimes toilets and other facilities, are sized to a stated crowd rather than to a hope. The opening covers area and use set the load, exit width follows that load, and a new use needs a new number.

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Inside

Area and use set the load
Exit width follows that load
A new use needs a new number
The posting is the shared limit
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Occupant load calculation
Certificate of occupancy

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Why occupancy numbers exist

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk