Attic Height Requirements

Buildings with combustible ceiling or roof construction shall have an attic access opening to attic areas that have a vertical height of 30 inches 762 mm or greater over an area of not less than 30 square feet 2 8 m 2 the vertical height shall be measured from the top of the ceiling framing members to the underside of the roof framing members.

Attic height requirements.

The minimum finished ceiling height of living space varies from town to town but often falls between 6 8. Flooring ceiling and wall materials and other elements will reduce headroom and floor space and it s the finished area that matters. Finished is important to remember when you re measuring an empty attic space. With the expensive nature of home additions many homeowners look for creative ways to increase their living space within the existing footprint.

The united states fire administration estimates that in just a two year period from 2006 to 2008 close to 10 000 residential attic fires occurred resulting in nearly half a billion dollars worth of damage. To pass code there must be at least 70 square feet where the ceiling height is 5 feet or. The basic space requirements for a finished attic boil down to the sizes of the finished rooms. Regulations and considerations required space in order to meet the roof height standards imposed by the building code of australia at least 60 of your attic space needs to be a minimum of 2 4 metres high if you want to use it as an extra living space.

This 20 limitation applies to the minimum 30 height only low clearance attics. While a professional remodeler can explore your attic s potential a good rule of thumb is if the existing distance between your attic floor and ridge peak is less than 8 6 increasing the roof height will most likely be required. The maximum floor to roof height shall be 5m. Fire as a cause of injury and death is the main reason for these restrictions.

The floor of the attic shall be level with the springing line 1 and at least one side of the sloping roof shall rest on the springing line only small openings in the form of dormer windows may be allowed on the side of the sloping roof. Habitable attic space must satisfy the same requirements that govern rooms in the rest of the house. If there are no obstructions on the passageway to the attic furnace and it has a minimum 6 feet 1829 mm height and 22 inches 559 mm width along its entire run the walkway length limit goes up to 50 feet 15250 mm in irc international residential code and has no limit in umc universal mechanical code.