Stair & exit lighting requirements, including brightness or illumination, light locations, switch locations ,etc.

This document provides building code specifications for lighting over stairs, in stairwells, and on landings.

The location, switching, and illumination level for stairways are discussed and citations to pertinent codes and standards are included. Discussion includes both egress lighting and emergency egress lighting codes & standards.

We provide photographs, sketches, and examples of defects used in inspecting indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings, treads, and related conditions for safety and proper construction.

Stairway & Egress Lighting & Emergency Egress LIghting

Here we describe the lighting and light switch requirements for stairs, landings, and similar structures. We also include reference citations to key documents on building codes pertaining to stair lighting and stairway safety.

Sketch at page top provided courtesy Carson Dunlop Associates a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing company. Used with permission.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Article Contents

• STAIR LIGHTING & SWITCH REQUIREMENTS
• STAIR ILLUMINATION LEVEL CODES
• STAIR ILLUMINATION LEVEL EXTERIOR vs INTERIOR
• OSHA ILLUMINATION LEVEL REQUIREMENTS
• STAIR ILLUMINATION LEVEL DIMMERS
• FULL TIME STAIR / EGRESS ILLUMINATION vs WHEN OCCUPIED
• EGRESS vs EMERGENCY EGRESS LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS
• STAIR & EGRESS LIGHTING CODES
• STAIR LIGHTING INSPECTION / DEFECTS

Where is Stair Lighting Required? Stair Light & Switch Placement guide

Stairway Lighting is Required, with light switches at top and bottom of the stairway if the stairs encompass more than three stair treads (Canada) or six stair treads (U.S.).

Our photo just above shows an bare-bulb exterior light at an open stairwell to a second floor apartment. The light lost its weather protection, got wet in rain, then failed, leaving the occupant with a dark stairway. This stair lighting safety defect combined with other slip and fall hazards to lead to an injury.

In a separate case, the loss of lighting at the usual front entrance to an apartment building led a tenant to attempt to enter from a different stairway that was not maintained, contributing to an injury there.

In a separate case a new home owner installed a bulb with watt rating higher than the light fixture permitted, resulting in a house fire when the overheated fixture melted, short-circuited, and set the plastic fixture and vinyl siding on fire.

Treads vs Risers when counting stair steps

FWIW, the reference for your "6-tread" requirement (top of the article) probably comes from NFPA 70 (2014): 210.70(A)(2)(c) as

"Where one or more lighting outlet(s) are installed for interior stairways, there shall be a wall switch at each floor level, and landing level that includes an entryway, to control the lighting outlet(s) where the stairway between floor levels has six risers or more." Same as 2000 edition.

That code ref is actually shown in full (omitting the exception) in the answer to the third FAQ in the article on "Stair & Exit Lighting Code FAQs", which asked about motion sensors in hotel stairwells.

Note that "six risers" is not the same as "6 treads" (which would only be 5 risers). The current figure, by Carson Dunlop, shows 6 risers. - NH Fire Bear by private email 2016/08/03

We agree, NHFB, that counting steps is confused by just the distinction you make.

I prefer to counte "steps" which IMO means "steps-up" or "steps-down" between walking surfaces; that will always be synonymous with the number of risers, not the number of treads. In fact depending on how stairs ar connected, a six-riser stairway or six-step stairway might, if we count the top walking surface and the bottom landing surface, have eight walking surfaces.

Illumination Level Requirements for Stairways: Footcandles or Lux

The normal egress requirements for stairway lighting for new stairs is 10 footcandles per NFPA citations given atReferences or Citations .

FEMA notes that emergency lighting requirements may be different and in the ICC excerpt below we give an example of both normal and emergency lighting level requirements.

OSHA specifies different lighting requirements that we also cite at the end of this section.

Notes to the table above

Effective dates: NFPA as of 2003 in the U.S. but adoption by local jurisdictions may vary, typically beginning in 2005/2006 and extending forward to the current IBC 2015.

Illumination is measured at the walking surface.

Illumination is always-on, 24/7 but can be automatically dimmed.

Key NFPA Standards, Codes & Guidelines include

• NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code™, Chapter 14
• NFPA 101, Life Safety Code®, Chapter 7

Note that jurisdictions may permit automatic dimming of stairways when the stair is not occupied and may permit automatic brightening of permanently-lit (dimmed at night) stairways by automatic sensor switches that detect occupancy or motion.

Adapted from FEMA, USA, "Means of Egress Illumination", FEMA U.S. Fire Administration / National Fire Academy, No. 2007-11 (2007), retrieved 2 April 2015, original source: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb-2007-11.pdf

The most-current International Building Code Egress LIghting Code is the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) available from codes.iccsafe.org at this website: http://codes.iccsafe.org/app/book/toc/2015/I-Codes/2015%20IBC%20HTML/

In that document see 2015 IBC Section 1001, Chapter 10, Means of Egress whose discussion includes exit access stairways, exterior exit stairways, interior exit stairways, scissor stairways, stairs, stairways, spiral stairs, and winder stairs.

Quoting from FEMA who in turn excerpts from stairway lighting requirements described by the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy:

The means of egress walking paths through a building must be illuminated at all times the building space served by that means of egress is occupied. The lighting requirements are intended to provide the minimum illumination needed for a person to navigate through a building under all conditions, so that person doesn’t bump into objects or trip and fall over unseen obstructions.

Generally, the minimum required illumination in the means of egress is one foot-candle (or lux in SI units). Originally the “foot-candle” was the luminance at 1 foot from a standard candle, then at 1 foot from an international candle.

It was then defined as the luminance produced by 1 lumen of “luminous flux” evenly distributed over a square foot. It is measured using a standard light meter employed for incident light measurement. The major model codes have one major difference in the requirements for illumination of new stairs.

The NFPA codes require new stairs to have not less than 10 foot-candles of illumination on the walking surface when the stairs are in use.
- FEMA, USA, ";Means of Egress Illumination";, FEMA U.S. Fire Administration / National Fire Academy, No. 2007-11 (2007), retrieved 2 April 2015, original source: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb-2007-11.pdf

OSHA Foot-Candle Illumination Requirements Citation

Notes to the table above

This OSHA standard pertains to

General. Construction areas, ramps, runways, corridors, offices, shops, and storage areas shall be lighted to not less than the minimum illumination intensities listed in Table D-3 while any work is in progress

OSHA, "Illumination", PN 1926, Safety and Health Regulations for Constructions, Subpart D: Occupational Health and Environmental Controls, Standard No. 1926.56: Illumination, GPO Source e-cfr.

Automatic Dimming of Stairway & Egress Lighting is Permitted

Hart (2004) discussed automatic dimming of lighting fixtures and outlined various dimming strategies to save on energy costs while meeting stairway and egress lighting requirements. T

he percentage of dimming and type of dimming fixtures varied. Hart discussed both 95% dimming and 60% dimming for unoccupied stairways depending on the types of occupant exiting, inter-floor traffic, and other stair use considerations.

Automatic, motion sensor-type lighting switches shall be permitted within the means of egress, provided that the switch controllers are equipped for fail-safe operation, the illumination timers are set for a minimum of 15-minute duration, and the motion sensor is activated by any occupant movement in the area served by the lighting units. - 7.8.1.2.2 Life Safety Code©

ICC code citation on Means of Egress Illumination

The following model code excerpt specifies the illumination required for stairways based on the International Code Council (ICC) Section 1006 "Means of Egress Illumination"

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.

1006.2 Illumination level.

The means of egress illumination level shall not be less than 1 footcandle (11 lux) at the walking surface.

Exception: For auditoriums, theaters, concert or opera halls and similar assembly occupancies, the illumination at the walking surface is permitted to be reduced during performances to not less than 0.2 footcandle (2.15 lux), provided that the required illumination is automatically restored upon activation of a premises’ fire alarm system where such system is provided.

1006.3 Emergency power for illumination.

The power supply for means of egress illumination shall normally be provided by the premises’ electrical supply.

In the event of power supply failure, an emergency electrical system shall automatically illuminate all of the following areas:

1. Aisles and unenclosed egress stairways in rooms and spaces that require two or more means of egress.

2. Corridors, interior exit stairways and ramps and exit passageways in buildings required to have two or more exits.

3. Exterior egress components at other than their levels of exit discharge until exit discharge is accomplished for buildings required to have two or more exits.

4. Interior exit discharge elements, as permitted in Section 1027.1, in buildings required to have two or more exits.

5. Exterior landings as required by Section 1008.1.6 for exit discharge doorways in buildings required to have two or more exits.

The emergency power system shall provide power for a duration of not less than 90 minutes and shall consist of storage batteries, unit equipment or an on-site generator. The installation of the emergency power system shall be in accordance with Section 2702.

1006.3.1 Illumination level under emergency power.

Emergency lighting facilities shall be arranged to provide initial illumination that is at least an average of 1 footcandle (11 lux) and a minimum at any point of 0.1 footcandle (1 lux) measured along the path of egress at floor level.

Illumination levels shall be permitted to decline to 0.6 footcandle (6 lux) average and a minimum at any point of 0.06 footcandle (0.6 lux) at the end of the emergency lighting time duration.

A maximum-to-minimum illumination uniformity ratio of 40 to 1 shall not be exceeded.

Reader comment: Use of automatic lighting controls at stairways

For the past several editions, the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (LSC) has permitted "automatic lighting control devices" (including motion-sensing) in required egress lighting.

This allows some energy savings for unoccupied areas not needing to be constantly lit. Since at least the 2000 code they were required to be "fail-safe", i.e., failure of a single unit won't plunge the stairwell (or other pathway) into total darkness. Under the latest (2015) LSC, such "automatic" switching must meet additional requirements not generally available in your hardware-store motion-sensor light controls.

For example, they must energize the lights when the building fire alarm is activated (if there is one) and upon loss of normal power, and be "evaluated" for this function.

Previously, this was only required for installations and egress paths that also required "emergency lighting". In new installations, if energy-saving switches are installed for required lighting, they may come under close scrutiny of local code enforcement. As the new code is enacted and implemented there may be new and creative ways to deal with it economically. Ref NFPA 101 (2015):7.8.1.2.2.

There is an exception stating that "remote, central, or automatic control" of stairway lighting shall be permitted, in lieu of the required switches. Of course, such permission in the exception is subject to further restrictions by other codes (e.g., building code or life safety code). - NH Fire Bear by private email 2016/07/26

Note: Also see LIGHT CONTROL by MOTION DETECTORS discussed separately in LIGHTING OVER STAIRS, CODE FAQs

Comment: Exit Signs Illuminated at All Times (IBC) vs When the Building is Occupied (NFPA 101)

I discovered an article in IBC 2009 that requires EXIT signs to be illuminated "at all times", where NFPA 101 generally only requires it when "building is occupied". We [building code compliance inspecdtors] would obviously prefer that owners and builders follow the "safer" standard.

IBC 1011.2 Exit signs shall be internally or externally illuminated. [except tactile signs]

IBC 1022.4 ... [internally illuminated, listed] Exit signs shall be illuminated at all times.

IBC 1011.5.3 [externally illuminated] Exit signs shall be illuminated at all times. [with 90-minute emergency power backup - NH FireBear by private email 2016/08/01

Notes, courtesy of fire inspector NH Fire Bear, - private email to editor (DF), 2016/08/01

What's the Difference Between Egress Lighting & Emergency Egress Lighting?

"Egress lighting" is not (yet) the same as an "emergency lighting" requirement. Emergency lighting is triggered by an event such as a power outage or a fire alarm. Egress lighting is not an "emergency", although many (if not all) of the same places required to be illuminated for "exit" are also required to be illuminated under "emergency" conditions.

The amount and duration of lighting is, however, different. For instance, egress lighting must work ALL THE TIME. Emergency lighting need only work in case of emergency and then only for a minimum of 90 minutes. Egress lighting cannot be provided by battery power -- emergency lighting may be.

IBC (2015) has (yet again) re-numbered the sections so that Egress Lighting is now 1008.1 and Emergency Lighting is 1008.3. This is why you see references to codes with their dates, such as "NFPA 101 (2009) section x.y.z", because the sections numbers might change from one edition to another.

This distinction can become important where, as mentioned elsewhere, the fire prevention officers can enforce "life safety code" for the current use of previously existing structures, whereas a "building inspector" can (typically) only enforce code that was in force the last time the building had a change of use or occupancy, or substantial renovation or rehabilitation.

For instance, the building inspector can't necessarily force an existing and approved school to add constant or automatic egress lights for a previously compliant school classroom, but the fire prevention officer may require them when the school has later decided to post "EXIT" signs for paths that traverse such classrooms.

You give the school the choice: take down the signs (because they're not actually "exits") or add the required lighting, or pay the fines when the AHJ decides to impose an official violation.

Emergency Lighting (Backup Lighting) at Stairways

Whether or not emergency lighting is required for your specific building depends on the building type, size, occupancy, and of course local building codes. Here is a modle answer from NFPA 101 Life Safety Code chapter 7.9 Emergency Lighting

7.9.1.1 Emergency lighting facilities for means of egress shall be provided in accordance with Section 7.9 for the
following:

(1) Buildings or structures where required in Chapters 11 through 43

(2) Underground and limited access structures as addressed in Section 11.7

(3) High rise buildings as required by other sections of this Code

(4) Doors equipped with delayed egress locks

(5) Stair shafts and vestibules of smokeproof enclosures, for which the following also apply:

(a) The stair shaft and vestibule shall be permitted to include a standby generator that is installed for the smokeproof enclosure mechanical ventilation equipment.

(b) The standby generator shall be permitted to be used for the stair shaft and vestibule emergency lighting power supply.

(6) New accesscontrolled egress doors in accordance with 7.2.1.6.2

Building code & standards requirements for stairs, egress lighting and/or emergency lighting are specified by the following codes and standards

• International Building Code Egress Lighting Code most-current version is the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) available from codes.iccsafe.org at this website: http://codes.iccsafe.org/app/book/toc/2015/I-Codes/2015%20IBC%20HTML/
  
  Note: local building code authorities may have adopted the current version or earlier versions of all or portions or even none of the IBC. Always check with your local building and fire officials to find out exactly what building codes and standards apply where you live.
  • Means of Egress: In that document see 2015 IBC Section 1001, Chapter 10, Means of Egress whose discussion includes exit access stairways, exterior exit stairways, interior exit stairways, scissor stairways, stairs, stairways, spiral stairs, and winder stairs.
  • IBC Section 1006.1- the means of egress shall be illuminated at all times the building space served by the mean of egress is occupied. This section pertains to normal egress lighting, not emergency egress lighting.

Watch out: Some sections n the earlier IBC, such as (2009 edition) section 1006 Means of Egress Illumination, are now in IBC (2015 edition) section 1008. The IBC (2015) section 1006 now refers to Number of Exits and Exit Doorways. - NH FireBear by private email 2016/08/04

• 2015 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE for ONE- and TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS, as adopted by McKenzie County, 201 5th Street NW, Watford City, ND 58854 USA Tel: 701-444-3616 retrieved 2019/10/25 - Temporarily offline, copy available, saved as /Design/2015-IRC-International-Residential-Code-McKenzie.pdf in our file @Archived OFFLINE Code PDFs 2023-09-23.zip - original source: https://county.mckenziecounty.net/usrfiles/2015_International_Residential_Code-redeuced.pdf
  
  Excerpts:
  
  R303.7 Interior stairway illumination.
  
  Interior stairways shall be provided with an artificial light source to illuminate the landings and treads. The light source shall be capable of illuminating treads and landings to levels of not less than 1 foot-candle (11 lux) as measured at the center of treads and landings. There shall be a wall switch at each floor level to control the light source where the stairway has six or more risers.
  
  Exception: A switch is not required where remote, central or automatic control of lighting is provided.
  
  R303.7.1 Light activation.
  
  Where lighting outlets are installed in interior stairways, there shall be a wall switch at each floor level to control the lighting outlet where the stairway has six or more risers. The illumination of exterior stairways shall be controlled from inside the dwelling unit. Exception: Lights that are continuously illuminated or automatically controlled.
  
  R303.8 Exterior stairway illumination.
  
  Exterior stairways shall be provided with an artificial light source located at the top landing of the stairway. Exterior stairways providing access to a basement from the outdoor grade level shall be provided with an artificial light source located at the bottom landing of the stairway.
  
• NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, excerpt from NFPA's description:
  
  Provisions are included for all types of occupancies, with requirements for egress, features of fire protection, sprinkler systems, alarms, emergency lighting, smoke barriers, and special hazard protection. - http://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards?mode=code&code=101/li>

• NFPA 101 Chapter 7 Emergency Illumination is required as stipulated in chapters 11-43 of this code.
• NFPA 101 Chapters & Sections 7.8.1.1, 7.8.1.2, 7.8.1.3, 7.9.1.3, and 7.9.2.1 give the performance requirements, level of illumination such as a minimum lighting of 10 fc (footcandles) (or 108 lux) in stairways, measured at the walking surface (i.e. the stair tread surfaces), and a minimum of 1 fc (10.8 lux) on floors and walking surfaces (less may be allowed in assembly areas like theatres during the time of the performance).
  
  Both the NFPA 101 section and the IBC spedify that if a power outage occurs, the backup emergency lighting must be on within 10 seconds and must remain available for at least 1 1/2 hours after the initial outage at a minimum of 1 fc at the walking surface.
  The code includes additional requirements for exit access and exit signs in NFPA 101 Section 7.10.2 Exits
• NFPA 101 Chapter & Section 7.9.1.2 : emergency lighting is only required for the purpose of exit access, which includes only designated stairs, aisles, corridors, ramps, and escalators to a defined public way.
• NFPA 101 Chapter & Section 7.9.1.3 requires that the emergency lighting system be tested periodically (monthly for 30 seconds and annually for 1.5 hours) for battery-operated lighting backup systems.
• NFPA 70: National Electrical Code
• NFPA 99: Health Care Facilities Code [e.g. in hospitals]
• NFPA 110: Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems
• NFPA 111: Standard on Stored Electrical Energy Emergency and Standby Power Systems
• USAF EMERGENCY LIGHTING & SIGNS at STAIRS & EXITS, [PDF] U.S. Air Force specification, retrieved 2020/06/30 original source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a288953.pdf

Building Codes 2006, 2012 adopted versions of the ICC IRC model codes

• ALASKA, ARKANSAS, & Other U.S. STATES 1 & 2 FAMILY BUILDING CODE 2006 [PDF] Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New HYork, South Carolina, Wyoming, et alia as they adopted their version of the International Residential Code® For One- and Two- Family Dwellings, 2006, Retrieved 2016/09/17 original source: online ref for ICC_IRC (2006) https://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/ibr/icc.irc.2006.pdf (appendix E)
• MARYLAND & TEXAS RESIDENTIAL CODE (2012) based on the state or municipality's adoption of ICC or IRC model building codes for that year, [PDF] [17 MB] Retrieved 2016/09/17 original source: online ref for IRC 2012 version https://learnframing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IRC.pdf (the 2012 version)

The ICC iteslf has free, limited, live, online access to some of the latest codes, but I couldn't find the free link for IRC immediately.

• Also see Subtitle B - REGULATIONS Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) [PDF] - original source www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2001-title24-vol5/pdf/CFR-2001-title24-vol5-subtitleB.pdf.

Watch out: you will need to check with your local building department both to find out which national or model codes or standards have been adopted where you live as well as to determine if there are additional locally-enacted requirements in your building code jurisdiction.

List of Common Stair Lighting Defects

Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch at page top makes clear that a controlling switch must be located at the top and bottom of stairways. Here are some mistakes in stair lighting that can contribute to a stair fall or injury.

• Interior light fixtures or switches 
  
  used on outside stairs - not weather protected (see photo at left)
• Stair lighting missing or light switches not present
  
   at both top and bottom
• Stair light switches that are not three-way 
  
  requiring someone to go to the stair bottom or top to turn the lights on or off at times even though two switches are installed.
  
  Watch out: on occasion we find that although a switch for stair lighting was installed at both stair top and stair bottom, the switch was not properly wired, making it impossible to turn on or off from some positions.
• Stair light switches not properly located
  
   (wrong height)
• Stair lights burned out, 
  
  damaged, not working
• Stair or landing lighting too dim 
  
  insufficient lumens
• OPINION: Stair or landing light that intrudes into the walking space
  
  such that a person may inadvertently strike the bulb. An example is a fixed low-placed light bulb directly overhead in a low clearance stair walkway.
  
  Because the bulb may be just out of eye vision, the head of a person walking past may strike the bulb, breaking it and injuring themselves. We also find this problem in low-ceiling basements.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Expert's Comment: Illumination may be natural or artificial

NHFireBear said:

In this excellent article about required illumination of egress via stairs (or other required egress), it may be worth mentioning that "illumination" may be natural (during the day) or artificial.

If you have, say, 5,000 ft-cd of indirect sunlight coming in through the windows, you might not need to energize (or even install) any artificial lights 24/7 to meet the code requirements in facilities only occupied during the day.

Similarly, if you have natural light on an EXIT sign, it might not need to be artificially illuminated unless the building is occupied after dark.

Some codes, however, may require ACCESS and ESCAPE lighting for the safety of emergency responders entering certain types of "unoccupied" buildings after dark.

Editor's note: NHFireBear is a retired building code enforcement inspector and is expert on this topic.

Question: Are There Different Illumination Level Requirements for outdoor vs. indoor egress stairs?

Brennan said:

Has anyone seen a delineation between the required lighting for an exterior egress stair versus interior stair?

I realize the NFPA is requiring 10 fc for stairs, but does not state if applicable to both interior and exterior. 10 fc at exterior environment is very high.

Reply: no.

NHFireBear said:

In my personal opinion, subject to local differences, no, there is generally no NFPA 101 distinction for required intensity of illumination of egress stairs by whether they are interior or exterior.

However, the required illumination level is typically only 1 ft-cd, other than "new stairs during conditions of use", which is 10 fc, and only where "continuous illumination" at 1 fc is otherwise required under NFPA 101 (2009, 2015): 7.8. IBC (2009): 1006.2 only requires 1 fc for egress lighting (interior or exterior).

It is not generally a 10 ft-cd requirement as suggested by Brennan.

With few exceptions,

The means of egress illumination level shall not be less than 1 foot-candle (11 lux) at the walking surface. - IBC (2009) 1006.2 (depending upon type of occupancy). Interior or exterior. No difference.

In NFPA 101 (e.g., 2009 and 2015), only "new stairways" in exits require 10 ft-cd (at walking surface) when actually in use, and otherwise 1 ft-cd (i.e., for requirements of "continuous lighting").

Not all occupancies (chapters 11-42) have the same requirements for continuous illumination (or emergency illumination) of all means of egress components.

Thus, the minimum would be 1 ft-cd unless otherwise required by national, state or local code.

This is not engineering advice and not official code advice -- simply an illustration of the overlapping codes. Your local code inspectors can assist you with any particular requirements they may have in ADDITION to the nationally published standards, if any.

Question: who is responsible for maintaining egress stairway lighting: tenant or landlord? Is emergency backup lighting required?

ernest said:

Stair case lighting from 2nd floor unit to 1st floor exit (2 lts.) and exterior light 1st floor (1 lt.) both egress and common area lighting in a apartment complex.

Who is responsible for cost to maintain this lighting, owner or tennent.

Should there be emergency back up?

Reply: it depends ...

Ernest:

The legal answer to your question rests with a local attorney who can see your lease agreement, knows local codes, and knows local rental laws.

Generally in an apartment building we expect the building management to maintain "commons" areas such as main stairwells, including interior and exterior lighting.

If you think there are unsafe conditions of any sort, including lighting, notify the building owner immediately both orally and in writing.

 

On 2024-05-02 by Debra - how far in over the stairway should you put the lighting outlet box?

How far in should you place lighting box over stairs

On 2024-05-02 by InspectApedia Publisher (mod)

@Debra,

If you're asking about the location of the electrical box from which stair lighting will be mounted and powered, there is not a "distance" specification.

Rather, you should locate the stair light, or more than one if necessary, in a spot where all of the stairs are illuminated. And you want to avoid creating shadows that make the walking surfaces into a trip hazard. You'll read an example of just such a stair-fall in the 2022-06-15 post by Chanda - below on this page.

That might be on a wall or overhead and might be near either end of the stairwell as long as lighting is adequate. (The codes even give illumination levels in lumens, so don't put up a stair light and then install a dim 15-watt bulb.)

When I have installed lighting over stairs (which is mostly in residential buildings) I let the building owner decide between wall-mounted (high enough so as not to obstruct the stairway passage itself) or overhead for lights, and I locate the light on a convenient wall or ceiling surface that does as I said: illuminates all of the stairs.

I'll show you two photos of lights I installed at a wooden stairway in New York.

The first photo, shown above, shows a pair of lamps mounted on a wall in a location that illuminates very well all but the very bottom step.

My second photo (below) shows that the bottom steps that might otherwise have been in shadow at this stairwell are well-lit by a ceiling light fixture that was needed anyway to illuminate an entrance passage.

On 2023-06-17 by Anonymous - is a metal pull chain on a light fixture a hazard?

M asked:

is a metal pull chain on a light fixture a hazard?

On 2023-06-17 by InspectApedia Publisher (mod) - several possible pull-chain light fixture safety hazards & code violations

@Anonymous

Here are some possible pull-chain light fixture hazards and building code violations.

1.  Is there a shock hazard through the metal light fixture chain?

Answer.

As delivered by the manufacturer, a pull chain switch on a light connects to a non-conductive string - so that chain would not be an electrical shock hazard provided the light fixture has not been modified from what the manufacturer provided.

2. Is there a trip, fall or similar injury risk for people entering rooms where proper lighting, such as an accessible switch at the room entry, is not provided?

Answer

A pull chain light fixture, if it's the only light source in a habitable room, violates the U.S. National electrical code as code requires at least one wall-switch controlled lighting outlet in every habitable room.

Exceptions are allowed for wall-switched receptacles that can power a lamp and also for occupancy sensors used in addition to a wall switch or built into a wall switch that includes a manual override to "force" the light to turn on.

A pull chain light as the only light source may also violate ADA requirements for accessible switch location.

Furthermore if a pull-chain light fixture is used as the source of lighting over a stairway it may be unsafe for several additional reasons:

• First, the stairway light must be switchable from both top and bottom of stairs (or an automatic light that brightens when a user approaches may be permitted by code)
• Second, the light may be left off: because there is a pull-chain switch at the light fixture itself, if it is accessible and if someone turns the light OFF at that switch, then the stair top and stair bottom light switches will no longer work to turn the light on when needed.

Hazards beyond an all-metal pull chain light fixture shock risk are unlikely, but there are, as we've said risks of a bad trip and fall in darkness .

Here is the 2020 U.S. National Electrical Code excerpt that explains why a light operable only by a pull-chain can violate building/electrical code when it's the primary light source in a room. Note that by "outlet" here the code means an electrical box at which a light fixture can be connected.

210.70(A)(1) Habitable Rooms.

At least one lighting outlet controlled by a listed wall-mounted control device shall be installed in every habitable room, kitchen, and bathroom.

The wall-mounted control device shall be located near an entrance to the room on a wall.

Exception No. 1: In other than kitchens and bathrooms, one or more receptacles controlled by a listed wall-mounted control device shall be permitted in lieu of lighting outlets.

Exception No. 2: Lighting outlets shall be permitted to be controlled by occupancy sensors that are

(1) in addition to listed wall-mounted control devices or

(2) located at a customary wall switch location and equipped with a manual override that will allow the sensor to function as a wall switch.

ADA violations of pull-chain lights

Note that if it's the only light fixture in a room a pull-chain light might also violate ADA requirements for accessible light switches - depending on on the location of the pull string end and its height above the floor.

On 2022-06-15 by Chanda - I fell down stairs that didn't have lights - neighbor's lighting created a fall hazard

I fell down stairs out our apt the stairs didn't have lights but a neighbor porch light put an illusion of the half of the step is pitch black and the second half was lit half way so I stepped oh the light part thinking its the whole step and fell past three steps.

They said I should have known by how long I liveed there.

But what about how long that [the building owner had known and ignored the missing stairway lighting - Ed.]

The apt owner owned it for 30 plus yrs he should have noticed then if you say that to me or I should have fell the first month I moved in.

Because its part my fault, I had already lived there for a while, the owner owned and it was I cured.

How could he not notice after how long its been his property ?

On 2022-06-15 by InspectApedia-911 (mod)

@Chanda,

Thank you for your stair fall report underscoring how important is correct and proper Lighting on a stairway.

In my OPINION the argument that it's your fault for falling down the stairs is completely ridiculous and not based on any unbiased, sound science, nor on accurate understanding nor academic reporting of human behavior.

People can live in the same building for years and use the same stairs repeatedly but the conditions under which the use them very, including distraction, carrying objects, changes in weather conditions, time of day, presence or absence of other stair users, footwear, or other variables.

There is no question that the quality of lighting can be a factor in stair safety. If it were not, the requirement for lighting wouldn't be in all of the model building codes.

So a stair fall could indeed be partly or wholly a fault of the stair lighting design.

Stairs need to accommodate all users and remain safe through varying conditions of use.

Take as a very simple example, the same person walks down a staircase twice.

The first time carrying nothing and holding one hand on the rail. The second time carrying an infant who is struggling and squirming and requires two arms to hold a child against falling.

Those are completely different risk profiles and yet it's the same stairway.

There is no prohibition against a person walking down the stairs under those varying conditions. In fact it's within the range of expected human behavior.

That's where lighting, proper tread design, and other features become increasingly important.

Blaming the victim main fact be part of a successful legal defense by a property owner but it doesn't make it correct.

About your question asking how could the building owner have not noticed the missing stairway lighting?

My OPINION is that lots of people don't notice building hazards nor give them much thought until someone is injured.

Having served as a qualified expert witness in a number of stairfall injury cases, in my OPINION and EXPERIENCE, responsible owners sometimes stonewall an injury claim principally because of an understandable fear that admitting anything exposes them to a very expensive lawsuit.

...

Continue reading at COLOR / LIGHTING CUES AVOID TRIP HAZARDS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see LIGHTING OVER STAIRS, CODE FAQs - questions & answers posted originally at this page.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• FIRE ESCAPES & FIRE STAIRS
• LIGHTING OVER STAIRS & AT EXITS - home
  • STAIR LIGHTING & SWITCH REQUIREMENTS
  • STAIR ILLUMINATION LEVEL CODES
  • OSHA ILLUMINATION LEVEL REQUIREMENTS
  • STAIR ILLUMINATION LEVEL DIMMERS
  • FULL TIME STAIR / EGRESS ILLUMINATION vs WHEN OCCUPIED
  • EGRESS vs EMERGENCY EGRESS LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS
  • STAIR LIGHTING INSPECTION / DEFECTS
• PLATFORMS & LANDINGS, ENTRY & STAIR
• STAIR CODES & STANDARDS - home
• STAIR CODE DETAILS

Suggested citation for this web page

LIGHTING OVER STAIRS & AT EXITS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to STAIRS RAILINGS LANDINGS RAMPS

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