NFPA PACE / RP cheat sheet

NFPA 101 defines assembly occupancy as use of a building for gathering of 50 or more persons for purposes such as civic, social, religious, educational, or recreational activities.

Assembly occupancies are classified as Group A by NFPA 101; occupant load factors for concentrated assembly (tables/chairs) are 7 sq ft per person and unconcentrated (standing) is 15 sq ft per person.

Means of egress capacity: 0.2 in per person for level components, 0.3 in per person for risers, and 0.2 in per person for ramps; minimum clear width is 28 in for new construction.

Travel distance to an exit in assembly occupancies without sprinklers is limited to 200 ft; with sprinklers, 250 ft (NFPA 101 Table 28.2.6).

Common path of travel in assembly areas is limited to 75 ft without sprinklers and 100 ft with sprinklers (NFPA 101 28.2.5).

Required egress width for assembly occupancies is computed using the occupant load and the capacity factor; the total width must be at least the largest of (occupant load × factor) for the egress components.

Crowd manager requirements apply to assembly occupancies with occupant load over 500 (or 250 in some cases); NFPA 101 12.7.6 requires at least one crowd manager per 250 occupants.

Fire alarm systems in assembly occupancies must be provided with voice evacuation or audible/visual notification per NFPA 72; visible notification appliances are required in public and common areas.

Interior finish requirements: Class A interior wall and ceiling finish is required in exits and rooms with occupant load over 100; Class B is permitted in rooms with occupant load 50-100.

NFPA 101 defines residential occupancies as those providing sleeping accommodations for occupants; examples include hotels, motels, dormitories, apartments, and lodging/rooming houses.

Residential occupancies are divided into five groups: Hotels and Dormitories (R-1), Lodging/Rooming Houses (R-2), Apartments (R-3), Residential Care/Assisted Living (R-4), and One- and Two-Family Dwellings (R-5).

Smoke alarm requirements: NFPA 101 29.3.4 requires smoke alarms in all sleeping rooms and in the immediate vicinity of sleeping areas; they must be interconnected in new construction.

Carbon monoxide alarms are required in residential occupancies where fuel-burning appliances or attached garages exist, per NFPA 720 and NFPA 101 29.3.5.

Means of escape: residential occupancies must have at least one exit and a second means of escape (secondary means) from each sleeping room; travel distance to an exit is limited to 125 ft without sprinklers and 200 ft with sprinklers.

Fire escape stairs and ladders are permitted as secondary means of escape in existing residential buildings of 3 stories or less, subject to NFPA 101 7.2.8.

Emergency lighting is required in residential occupancies in corridors, stairways, and other common areas serving sleeping rooms; minimum illumination is 1 footcandle (10 lux) at floor level.

Fire extinguishers: residential occupancies are not generally required to have portable extinguishers unless required by other codes; however, NFPA 101 29.3.6 requires extinguishers in hazardous areas (e.g., boiler rooms, kitchens in common areas).

Separation of sleeping rooms from other occupancies: in R-1 and R-2, sleeping rooms must be separated from corridors by smoke-tight construction; in R-3, dwelling unit separation is required by the building code.