Article 518 applies to places of assembly designed or intended for 100 or more persons. Article 518 would apply, for example, to a church chapel or auditorium for occupancy of 100 or more persons, its capacity determined by the methods for occupancy population capacity in accordance with NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. Article 518 does not apply to a supermarket, even though a supermarket may contain 100 or more persons, because a supermarket is not specifically designed or intended for the assembly of persons, nor is it considered to be an auditorium. Article 518 does not apply to an office building or a school building, even though such buildings, as a rule, are designed for occupancy by 100 or more persons. Article 518 does, however, apply to assembly halls, restaurants, and so on, within office or school buildings if these parts of the building are designed or intended for the assembly of 100 or more persons.
The following information for determining new assembly occupancy capacity is extracted from NFPA 101, Life Safety Code:
12.1.7 Occupant Load.
12.1.7.1 The occupant load, in number of persons for whom means of egress and other provisions are required, shall be determined on the basis of the occupant load factors of Table 7.3.1.2 [shown here as commentary Table 5.4] that are characteristic of the use of the space or shall be determined as the maximum probable population of the space under consideration, whichever is greater. In areas not in excess of 10,000 ft2 (930 m2), the occupant load shall not exceed one person in 5 ft2 (0.46 m2); in areas in excess of 10,000 ft2 (930 m2), the occupant load shall not exceed one person in 7 ft2 (0.65 m2).
7.3.1 Occupant Load.
7.3.1.1 The total capacity of the means of egress for any story, balcony, tier, or other occupied space shall be sufficient for the occupant load thereof.
7.3.1.2* The occupant load in any building or portion thereof shall be not less than the number of persons determined by dividing the floor area assigned to that use by the occupant load factor for that use as specified in Table 7.3.1.2. Where both gross and net area figures are given for the same occupancy, calculations shall be made by applying the gross area figure to the gross area of the portion of the building devoted to the use for which the gross area figure is specified and by applying the net area figure to the net area of the use for which the net area figure is specified.
Table 5.4 Occupant Load Factor
Use ft2 ? (per person) m2? (per person)
Assembly Use
Concentrated use, without fixed seating 7 net 0.65 net
Less concentrated use, without fixed seating 15 net 1.4 net
Bench-type seating 1 person/18 linear in. 1 person/45.7 linear cm
Fixed seating Number of fixed seats Number of fixed seats
Waiting spaces See 12.1.7.2 and 13.1.7.2. See 12.1.7.2 and 13.1.7.2.
Kitchens 100 9.3
Library stack areas 100 9.3
Library reading rooms 50 net 4.6 net
Swimming pools 50 ? of water surface 4.6 ? of water surface
Swimming pool decks 30 2.8
Exercise rooms with equipment 50 4.6
Exercise rooms without equipment 15 1.4
Stages 15 net 1.4 net
Lighting and access catwalks, galleries, gridirons 100 net 9.3 net
Casinos and similar gaming areas 11 1
Skating rinks 50 4.6
Educational Use
Classrooms 20 net 1.9 net
Shops, laboratories, vocational rooms 50 net 4.6 net
Day-Care Use 35 net 3.3 net
Health Care Use
Inpatient treatment departments 240 22.3
Sleeping departments 120 11.1
Detention and Correctional Use 120 11.1
Residential Use
Hotels and dormitories 200 18.6
Apartment buildings 200 18.6
Board and care, large 200 18.6
Industrial Use
General and high hazard industrial 100 9.3
Special purpose industrial NA? NA?
Business Use 100 9.3
Storage Use (other than mercantile storerooms) NA? NA?
Mercantile Use
Sales area on street floor?? 30 2.8
Sales area on two or more street floors? 40 3.7
Sales area on floor below street floor? 30 2.8
Sales area on floors above street floor? 60 5.6
Floors or portions of floors used only for offices See business use. See business use.
Floors or portions of floors used only for storage, receiving, and shipping, and not open to general public 300 27.9
Covered mall buildings Per factors applicable to use of space# Per factors applicable to use of space#
?All factors expressed in gross area unless marked ?net.?
?Not applicable. The occupant load shall be not less than the maximum probable number of occupants present at any time.
?For the purpose of determining occupant load in mercantile occupancies where, due to differences in grade of streets on different sides, two or more floors directly accessible from streets (not including alleys or similar back streets) exist, each such floor shall be considered a street floor. The occupant load factor shall be one person for each 40 ft2 (3.7 m2) of gross floor area of sales space.
?In mercantile occupancies with no street floor, as defined in 3.3.196, but with access directly from the street by stairs or escalators, the principal floor at the point of entrance to the mercantile occupancy shall be considered the street floor.
#The portions of the covered mall, where considered a pedestrian way and not used as gross leasable area, shall not be assessed an occupant load based on Table 7.3.1.2. However, means of egress from a covered mall pedestrian way shall be provided for an occupant load determined by dividing the gross leasable area of the covered mall building (not including anchor stores) by the appropriate lowest whole number occupant load factor from Figure 7.3.1.2.
Each individual tenant space shall have means of egress to the outside or to the covered mall based on occupant loads figured by using the appropriate occupant load factor from Table 7.3.1.2.
Each individual anchor store shall have means of egress independent of the covered mall.
Source: Table 7.3.1.2 of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code.
518.2 General Classifications.
