Egress lighting on motion detectors

[billklus]

Can egress lighting be controlled by a motion detector? What my employer wants to do is to literally black out the building when no one is around. There is 24/7 gaurds on the premisis. I am against doing this but would love to here your input on this.....

 

[kfenn22]

are you talking about emergency egress or just the typical night lights?

 

[raider1]

The IBC requires the means of egress to be illuminated during the all times the building is occupied. You can turn off the means of egress lighting when the building is not occupied, but when the building is occupied the means of egress would have to be illuminate for the entire time the building was occupied and I don't think a motion detector would accomplish this.

Chris

 

[cowboyjwc]

The IBC requires the means of egress to be illuminated during the all times the building is occupied. You can turn off the means of egress lighting when the building is not occupied, but when the building is occupied the means of egress would have to be illuminate for the entire time the building was occupied and I don't think a motion detector would accomplish this.

Chris

I haven't read the code section, but I would agree with Chris. A guard means the building is occupied.

 

[raider1]

I haven't read the code section, but I would agree with Chris. A guard means the building is occupied.

Here is the code section from the 2006 IBC:

1006.1 Illumination required. The means of egress, including
the exit discharge, shall be illuminated at all times the building
space served by the means of egress is occupied.
Exceptions:
1. Occupancies in Group U.
2. Aisle accessways in Group A.
3. Dwelling units and sleeping units in Groups R-1, R-2
and R-3.
4. Sleeping units of Group I occupancies.

Chris

 

[dnem]

In Ohio, the law is setup so that:
In a city or village, the city/village building department covers building and the city/village zoning department covers zoning and fire/rescue.
If there's no city/village building department then jurisdiction reverts to the state unless the city/village designates another entity.
In a township, the county building department covers building and the township zoning department covers zoning and the township fire department covers fire/rescue.

Therefore the county building department I work for automatically covers all 17 townships and is also designate for all 6 villages and one of the 3 cities. . But all cities, villages, and townships still handle their own zoning and fire/rescue. . This gives us 24 separate zoning departments and 24 separate fire departments we have to coordinate with. . We end up dealing with alot of these kind of issues.

One of the townships has a zoning ordinance that states that after 10pm all exterior lights must function on motion detectors and can not be mercury vapor lights or any other type that has the potential, at times, of having a delayed start. . There's also a max limit on light pole height. . Both zoning rules are directed to attracting the attention of neighbors and police to nighttime movement around closed businesses and also limiting light pollution into residential properties [altho they haven't figure out yet what to do about "critters" constantly setting the motion detectors off]. . Our building department doesn't have an issue with those rules.

According to what you're saying, these zoning rules violate building code. . I don't think I agree with you on that. . You have to move to evacuate the building and the light is present when there's movement. . I don't think exclusion of motion detectors is a reasonable interpretation of the IBC.

David