Div. B › Part 9 › 9.10 › 9.10.9 — Fire Separations Between Rooms and Spaces Within Buildings

9.10.9.11 — Separation of Residential Occupancies

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(1) Except as provided in Sentences (2) and (4), residential occupancies shall be separated from all other major occupancies by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 h.

(2) Except as provided in Sentence (3), a major occupancy classified as a residential occupancy, including live/work units, shall be separated from other major occupancies classified as mercantile or medium hazard industrial occupancies by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 h.

(3) Where not more than 2 dwelling units or live/work units are located in a building containing a mercantile occupancy, such mercantile occupancy shall be separated from the dwelling units or live/work units by a fire separation having not less than 1 h fire-resistance rating.

(4) The requirement for fire separations between major occupancies in Sentence (1) is waived for the occupancies allowed within live/work units.

OBC Definitions

Defined terms on this page

dwelling unit

means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities.

fire separation

means a construction assembly that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire.

fire-resistance rating

means the time in minutes or hours that a material or assembly of materials will withstand the passage of flame and the transmission of heat when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as determined by extension or interpretation of information derived from that test and performance as prescribed in this Code.

industrial occupancy

means the occupancy or use of a building or part of a building for the assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, processing, repairing or storing of goods or materials.

live/work unit

means a dwelling unit having an area of not more than 200 m2 that contains a subsidiary business and personal services occupancy or a subsidiary low hazard industrial occupancy, and which is used and operated by one or more persons of a single household.

major occupancy

means the principal occupancy for which a building or part of a building is used or intended to be used, and is deemed to include the subsidiary occupancies that are an integral part of the principal occupancy. The major occupancy classifications used in this Code are as follows: (a)Group A, Division 1 - Assembly occupancies intended for the production and viewing of the performing arts, (b)Group A, Division 2 - Assembly occupancies not elsewhere classified in Group A, (c)Group A, Division 3 - Assembly occupancies of the arena type, (d)Group A, Division 4 - Assembly occupancies in which occupants are gathered in the open air, (e)Group B, Division 1 - Detention occupancies, (f)Group B, Division 2 - Care and treatment occupancies, (g)Group B, Division 3 - Care occupancies, (h)Group C - Residential occupancies, (i)Group D - Business and personal services occupancies, (j)Group E - Mercantile occupancies, (k)Group F, Division 1 - High hazard industrial occupancies, (l)Group F, Division 2 - Medium hazard industrial occupancies, and (m)Group F, Division 3 - Low hazard industrial occupancies.

mercantile occupancy

means the occupancy or use of a building or part of a building for the displaying or selling of retail goods, wares or merchandise.

occupancy

means the use or intended use of a building or part of a building for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property.

residential occupancy

means an occupancy in which sleeping accommodation is provided to residents who are not harboured for the purpose of receiving special care or treatment and are not involuntarily detained and includes an occupancy in which sleeping accommodation is provided to residents of a retirement home.

building

(a) a structure occupying an area greater than ten square metres consisting of a wall, roof and floor or any of them or a structural system serving the function thereof including all plumbing, works, fixtures and service systems appurtenant thereto,
(b) a structure occupying an area of ten square metres or less that contains plumbing, including the plumbing appurtenant thereto,
(c) plumbing not located in a structure,
(c.1) a sewage system, or
(d) structures designated in the building code; Act

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