Is a roof ladder and hatch considered a method of egress in a building? I am looking at a 4 unit building where the top floor renovation incorporated the roof ladder & hatch into the apartment. There is a sprinkler system in place. I can’t find any permits for work done in the building on the DOB website and think it was probably done a while back without permits. To be up to code, would I have to restore the access to the ladder (from the public staircase)? I can’t imagine the (RS) tenant would be too happy about that! Anyone have an experience with this kind of situation Thanks as always….


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  1. Access will need to be provided and teh DOB may even foce you to remove the hatch and replace with a full bulkhead unless if the roof is sloped to a min. 15 degree angle.

    Sprinklers and fire escapes are not to be confused as a lot of times you need BOTH even though that in some instances one will suffice but it has nothing to do with the requirement of having fire access to the roof from public spaces.

  2. “As long as there is a roof hatch, the fire department will get through a door to an apartment, I don’t think there is an issue unless a partition of some kind would block access. ”

    No, this is incorrect. See MarionG post.

    Personally, from what you said I would avoid this headache…
    good luck again.

  3. OP, if you can believe it, it’s more complicated than all of the above if you’re trying to “find solution”. I didn’t notice you don’t own this mess, just considering it. Hope it’s a real big discount bc you could end up with much more to deal with than you ever expected. You really need some strong advice on the Code on the specifics of this house. You may be surprised to learn that every architect can provide that; chat with many. I would not look to expeditors and “code consultants” for this level of advice. Good luck.

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