Exit and Emergency Light Regulations

Did you know emergency lighting is required in all nonresidential buildings?

With numerous building codes and various editions of these building codes in use across the country, it can be difficult as a building manager or owner to know what’s required.

Emergency lighting is required to illuminate areas of your building when things go wrong, for example:

• When the normal electrical supply is interrupted by a utility outage
• If there is a fire or failure within the building
• To light pathways and exits that lead out of the building in case of an evacuation

The performance of emergency and exit lights are directly related to safety, so code officials tend to be strict about compliance in design and installation.

Making sure you have a clear understanding of the code requirements for emergency lighting could go a long way toward avoiding any potential expensive surprises late in construction, or during an inspection.

Emergency Egress Lighting

Requirements for emergency lighting appear independently in the International Building Code (IBC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101. IBC Section 1008, Means of Egress Illumination, covers requirements for exit routes.

According to the IBC, “Under normal conditions, egress lighting must be served by the building’s primary electrical supply. When that supply fails, an emergency power supply must illuminate specific areas, particularly pathways that lead to exits, the exits themselves, and exit discharges.”

NFPA 101 requires “emergency egress lighting in exit accesses, at exits, and at exit discharges.” In this case, “exit access” denotes only designated stairs, corridors, ramps, escalators, and passageways leading to an exit.

To read more about the specifics on regulations, testing, and regulations for special occupancies, click here.

RP Lighting + Fans Has the Emergency/Exit Lighting You Need for Your Business

Whether you need exit signs and emergency lighting with halogen or LED lighting sources, RP Lighting has you covered. Get specific signs for both indoor and outdoor applications, remote heads (for specific models), specialty die cast, self-luminous, and more for your building on our website!