What Makes a Bedroom in Durango?
What makes a bedroom in Durango a legally valid bedroom? Code regulations on Egress and minimal square footage, and ceiling height are the legal factors and are what should be used to list the bedroom count when a home is put up for sale.
What constitutes an egress window?
An egress window is determined by several factors such as height of the window off the floor and minimum width, height, and overall surface area of the window. La Plata County list these requirements when determining if a window meets the requirements for an egressable window:
The maximum sill height for an egress window is 44 inches above the floor.
The window must have a net clear openable area of at least 5.7 square feet.
Exception: Windows at grade may have a 5.0 square foot opening
The window must have an opening at least 20 inches in width
The window must have an opening at least 24 inches in height.
The opening must be operable from inside without the use of keys or tools.
Where windows are below grade a window well meeting certain specifications is required*
Room Dimensions
Durango Bedrooms come in all sizes from grandiose to minuscule, but how small can they be before they are no longer legally defined as a habitable room?
Minimum habitable room size is 70 square feet
Minimum width of a habitable room is 7 feet
Ceilings with a sloped area lower than 5 feet in height do not contribute to the required room area
Habitable rooms require windows equal to 8% of floor area of the room, ½ of which must be operable
Habitable rooms … must have a ceiling height not less than 7 feet, measured to the lowest projection from the ceiling.
Exceptions: 1: Beams spaced more than 4 feet apart, may project 6 inches below the required height
2.: Ceilings in basements without habitable space may project to within 6 feet, 8 inches off the floor
3: Not more than ½ of a room with a sloped ceiling may have a ceiling height of less than 7 feet. (Space with a sloped ceiling less than 5 feet in height do not contribute to the area of the room)
4: Bathrooms may have a ceiling height of 6 feet 8 inches over the fixture and at front clearances
To recap: A bedroom must be at least 70 square feet, have an egress window and have ceilings 7 feet high (and if the ceiling is sloped no more then half of the sloping ceiling be under 7 feet and none of it under 5 feet). I hope that you’ve found this information useful!
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