Ladder to roof hatch?

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/5018054392983-.jpg

I have a legal 2-family where the hatch to the roof is at the top of the common hallway stair.   The previous owner had an iron ladder he would hoist up the stairs and prop in place when he needed access. Very cumbersome.  I’m considering getting one of those telescoping aluminum jobbies instead.   But is there a local or FDNY code that requires a certain type of ladder and/or attachment?  I would rather not permanently attach to the wall – lest some hoodlum pop the hatch from outside and try to enter someday.

widthom

in Building Code 12 years and 10 months ago

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DonWiss | 12 years and 10 months ago

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I vote for a permanent ladder bolted to the wall. This is a fire exit. It should be usable in a smokey environment. When I bought my house the hatch cover was wood and a rope was used to tie it to a ladder rung. In a crisis I did not want to be trying to untie it. I installed a Bilco hatch. I ordered one that has no handle on the outside. All one has to do is to turn the inside handle and it pops open. There is a downside to having no outside handle. If people are working on the roof they have to leave the hatch open and dirt gets inside. In the hatch that is in the front areaway there is a handle outside. That is protected by a U-bolt that is looped through the hasp on the inside.

g2bdon | 12 years and 10 months ago

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As a legal 2 , you are NOT subject to inspections and never allow any agency to do so. In NYC, only multiple dwellings (3 family and above) are subject to inspection. So, in that context you should decide on your ladder with safety being of paramount importance of course.

slopefarm | 12 years and 10 months ago

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Watch out for the rabbit hole on this one. Years ago, when I was president of a 4-unit brownstone co-op, we had inherited a violation for a roof ladder enclosure that the previous set of co-opers incurred. I tried with great effort to find the code provision governing this. In the end, there was no code provision, just an instruction manual given to inspectors that said roof ladder enclosures were illegal. That said, there’s a chance that no rule applies to you given that you have a 2-family.