Tips on Complying with LAFD’s Fire Access Requirements

In 2021 we experienced a large number of requests from Clients to assist them with complying with LAFD’s Bulletin Exceeding 150’ from the Edge of a Roadway dated December 18, 2019. Note that this Bulletin applies to multi-family residential developments only. As a PSA, we offer these tips to help minimize the pain with applying these LA 150 feet access requirements on your projects.

Base Fire Code Requirement

To understand the reason for the LAFD special requirements of their December 18, 2019 Bulletin we’ll review the base code requirements for perimeter fire access to all buildings. All buildings governed by the State or Local Fire Code are required to have a fire access roadway within 150 feet of all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building. If all portions of the first story exterior walls are not within 150 feet of an adjacent street or public fire lane, an approved fire lane is required to be extended onto the site. The addition of a fire lane on a site can be significantly impactful to the development potential of a site particularly if a fire apparatus lane requires a turn-around facility such as that illustrated in Figure 1. 

Figure 1 - Examples of Fire Apparatus Turn-Around Facilities from 2020 LA Fire Code Appendix D

Code Exception to Meeting the 150’ Fire Access Dimension

The Fire Code offers a few exceptions that allow the fire code official to increase the dimension of 150 feet or exempt a project from complying with the 150 feet fire access dimension. 

The fire code official may increase the 150 feet dimension when any of the following conditions occur:

1. The building is protected by a sprinkler system. In Los Angeles, this exception is not applied by the fire code official and is not a viable exception. 

2. The fire roadway(s) cannot be installed on a property due to topography, waterways, nonnegotiable terrain or similar natural conditions that preclude a code compliant fire lane from being installed. This exception is rarely applied in the City of Los Angeles. See Figure 2. 

3. There are not more than two Group R-3 ( or Group U ( occupancies. 

Figure 2 - Buildings on a steep site in Los Gigantes on Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

The fire code official may exempt the requirement for fire access roads for photovoltaic power generation facilities (Figure 3).

Figure 3 - Serpa Solar Park built in Portugal 

While the Code offers exceptions to the 150 fire access dimension requirements, in the City of Los Angeles, these exceptions are not authorized by the fire code official in the majority of cases. 

Tips for Complying with LAFD’s Fire Access Requirements

TIP #1

Schedule and meet with LAFD Hydrants & Access Unit as soon as is practical in your project’s design schedule, and obtain LAFD stamped approval of your Fire Access Plan. 

TIP #2

Even when all portions of the first story perimeter of your building are within 150-feet of a fire access roadway or public way, all of the conditions listed in the LAFD Bulletin will be enforced by the LAFD Hydrants & Access Unit. 

TIP #3

Locate the Primary Access Stairwell at the Main Lobby (address side of the building) and provide a doorway to this stairwell from the interior Lobby side of the stairwell and from the exterior side of this stairwell (e.g., the exit stair discharge door). Locate the exterior discharge doorway from the Primary Access Stairwell not more than 150-feet from the fire apparatus roadway or street. 

TIP #4

All dwelling unit entry doors on the residential floors above are required to be located within 150-feet of travel from the standpipe outlet located in the Primary Access Stairwell. Where all dwelling unit entry doors are not within 150-feet of the Primary Access Stairwell standpipe outlet, additional Fire Access Stairwells are required such that all dwelling unit entry doors in the project are within 150-feet of the standpipe outlets located in the Primary Access Stairwell or additional Fire Access Stairwell. 

Tip #5

If the exterior exit discharge door from the Primary Access Stairwell or additional Fire Access Stairwell is located greater than 5-feet (rule-of-thumb) from the first riser of the stair traveling up to the residential levels, only one 150-feet fire access travel distance measurement is allowed from the street curb to the furthest dwelling unit entry doors on the residential floors. 

This single 150-feet fire access dimension is required to be the total of the distance from the street curb to the Primary Access Stairwell Lobby stairwell exit  door plus the distance from the Stairwell standpipe outlet to the dwelling unit doors on the residential floors. 

EXAMPLE

If the distance from the street curb to the exterior discharge door from a 20-foot long  exit passageway connected to an additional Fire Access Stairwell is 30-feet, only 100-feet of fire access dimension is permitted to be considered from the Stairwell to the dwelling unit doors on the residential floors. In some project designs, additional fire access stairwells may be necessary so that all dwelling unit entry doors are within 150-feet of a standpipe located in an exit stairway. 

Every project has its own challenges when it comes to fire access. Please let us know if we assist you with your fire access compliance needs! We provide drawing/code compliance reviews, Requests for Modification preparation and approval negotiations, authorities having jurisdiction negotiations assistance, and many other services to suit your project needs!