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

9.10.9.14 — Separation of Residential Suites

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(1) Except as provided in Sentences (2) and (3) and Article 9.10.21.2., suites in residential occupancies shall be separated from adjacent rooms and suites by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 45 min.

(2) Sleeping rooms in boarding, lodging or rooming houses where sleeping accommodation is provided for not more than 8 boarders or lodgers shall be separated from the remainder of the floor area by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 30 min where the sleeping rooms form part of the proprietor’s residence and do not contain cooking facilities.

(3) Except as provided in Sentences (4) and (5), dwelling units that contain 2 or more storeys including basements shall be separated from the remainder of the building by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 h.

(4) Except as provided in Sentence (5), dwelling units in a house shall be separated from each other and common areas by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 45 min.

(5) The fire-resistance rating of the fire separation required in Sentence (4) is permitted to be waived where the house is sprinklered.

OBC Definitions

Defined terms on this page

basement

means one or more storeys of a building located below the first storey.

boarding, lodging or rooming house

means a building, (a)that has a building height not exceeding three storeys and a building area not exceeding 600 m², (b)in which lodging is provided for more than four persons in return for remuneration or for the provision of services or for both, and (c)in which the lodging rooms do not have both bathrooms and kitchen facilities for the exclusive use of individual occupants.

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.

floor area

means the space on any storey of a building between exterior walls and required firewalls, including the space occupied by interior walls and partitions, but not including exits, vertical service spaces and their enclosing assemblies.

house

means a detached house, semi-detached house or row house containing not more than two dwelling units.

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.

sprinklered

means equipped with a system of automatic sprinklers.

storey

means , except for the purposes of Part 7 of Division B, the portion of a building, (a)that is situated between the top of any floor and the top of the floor next above it, or (b)that is situated between the top of the floor and the ceiling above the floor, if there is no floor above it.

suite

means a single room or series of rooms of complementary use, operated under a single tenancy, and includes, (a)dwelling units, (b)individual guest rooms in motels, hotels, boarding houses, rooming houses and dormitories, and (c)individual stores and individual or complementary rooms for business and personal services occupancies.

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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