NEC 700/701

[alixenos]

Hi,

My senior engineer is tasking me with determining if an Emergency System or Legally Required Standby System need to be adopted for the project I'm working on.

The project is an existing airport that is being renovated and expanded.

I have a number of questions.


* I'm struggling as to how consult the NFPA 101 to determine what is required as far as airports are concerned.

* Does the international building code or an adopted version also determines such systems?

* If luminaire for example have battery backup, and in case of power loss, the means of egress/paths of egress will be illuminated. Does that mean no source of alternate energy is required. This is very confusing to me, as some project I review power light fixture that have battery backups from a generator too.

Thanks for the help.

 

[charlie b]

700 and 701 each say to follow their rules if some law, code, or other authority tells you to. I don't know what source authority (the FAA, perhaps?) would dictate whether airports need 700 or 701 compliance. I suppose it would depend on the types of loads present (i.e., not all airportsare alike).

Regarding egress lights, as long as the battery comes on line within 10 seconds of the loss of normal power and stays on for at least 90 minutes, you are not required to provide a separate backup power source. It's OK to have a non-emergency generator to provide backup power that allows the egress light batteries to come off-line and recharge. But it's not a code requirement.

 

[Strathead]

Hi,

My senior engineer is tasking me with determining if an Emergency System or Legally Required Standby System need to be adopted for the project I'm working on.

The project is an existing airport that is being renovated and expanded.

I have a number of questions.


* I'm struggling as to how consult the NFPA 101 to determine what is required as far as airports are concerned.

* Does the international building code or an adopted version also determines such systems?

* If luminaire for example have battery backup, and in case of power loss, the means of egress/paths of egress will be illuminated. Does that mean no source of alternate energy is required. This is very confusing to me, as some project I review power light fixture that have battery backups from a generator too.

Thanks for the help.

To extend Charles comments. First off, "airport" doesn't define much. Runways, hangers, terminals, baggage storage building, guard shack, restaurant, parking garage, control tower, are a few of the buildings that an airport likely consists of. If you are designing in Florida, you will not technically use the IBC or NFPA 101, you will uses the Florida Building Code, which adopts conventions from both. If I remember correctly the main basis is the IBC. It is all going to be about occupancy for article 700 loads and system needs for article 701. For example, technically a battery operated emergency light is an article 700 system. I often remind people that if I put an emergency exit light over an exterior door and feed a remote head on the outside, that wiring in between is subject to article 700. Anyway, I am not an EE or and Architect, but I am pretty sure you would look at an airport terminal as an assembly area. If I remember correctly, if the occupancy load is over 300 then an emergency generator system would be required, for example. As far as 701, that would be like, if the building had a smoke evac system, which required legal standby power.

 

[alixenos]

Thank you.

Which code I need to look at first, this is also something I'm not quite sure about.

what takes precedence the international building code or the life safety code?

The project is not in Florida.

 

[ron]

I look at the adopted Building Code for the jurisdiction Chapter 27. If it happens to be the 2024 IBC, then this is a link https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2024P1/chapter-27-electrical

Chapter 27 will indicate what requires Emergency (Article 700) or Standby (Article 701) power sources. 700 or 701 sources can be in multiple fashions such as batteries for lighting.

I have almost never needed to use NFPA 101, except the few instances that it is directly referred to by the adopted building code (I do not do building types that might have other non-building dept AHJs like hospitals that like to blanketly include non-code adopted requirements)

 

[Strathead]

Thank you.

Which code I need to look at first, this is also something I'm not quite sure about.

what takes precedence the international building code or the life safety code?

The project is not in Florida.

You didn't say where it is. The Building Codes of the State you are in will dictate the codes required, including versions etc. Usually it is either the IBC or NFPA 101 not both. They are parallel codes with different conventions.

 

[Engser18]

700 is for Emergency system (life safety equipment, i.e emergency lights, fire protection system, FA system)
701 is for legally standby system (other load, i.e airfield lights, comm., and etc.)

Emergency system required generator start and transfer < 10 sec (NPFA101 Chapter 7.9 for emergency lights, NFPA 72 (Chapter 10.6 for FA)
Legally stand by system required generator start and transfer < 60 sec.

you can use single generator to supply both load, however, you would need two ATS to separate these load NEC Art 700.5

 

[ron]

You didn't say where it is. The Building Codes of the State you are in will dictate the codes required, including versions etc. Usually it is either the IBC or NFPA 101 not both. They are parallel codes with different conventions.

NFPA's competing Building Code to the IBC is actually NFPA 5000. 101 is specifically only a Life Safety Code (only a code if adopted in the jurisdiction)

 

[alixenos]

You didn't say where it is. The Building Codes of the State you are in will dictate the codes required, including versions etc. Usually it is either the IBC or NFPA 101 not both. They are parallel codes with different conventions.

Its in Utah. I searched up.codes.com and it seems they use an amended version of the IBC 2021, I didn't find a mention for the Life Safety code 101.

 

[alixenos]

NFPA's competing Building Code to the IBC is actually NFPA 5000. 101 is specifically only a Life Safety Code (only a code if adopted in the jurisdiction)

You didn't say where it is. The Building Codes of the State you are in will dictate the codes required, including versions etc. Usually it is either the IBC or NFPA 101 not both. They are parallel codes with different conventions.

Is there any coordination between the IBC and the NEC? I guess my question is does the IBC recognizes articles 700, 701, and 702?

 

[ron]

Is there any coordination between the IBC and the NEC? I guess my question is does the IBC recognizes articles 700, 701, and 702?

Yes, they are coordinated. IBC Chapter 27 will indicate what requires Emergency (Article 700) or Standby (Article 701) power sources. Those actual words Emergency and Standby are used and tell you exactly which is required where.