Confirm that the seating is a bleacher or grandstand under ICC 300, meaning tiered seating on its own structural system rather than seats fixed to a stepped floor, and which ICC 300 edition the adopted code references. Then trace egress within the seating, wheelchair spaces, stepped-aisle handrails, spaces under the seating, and any press box or camera platform between the architectural drawings and the supplier’s layout. AI can flag conflicts; the architect, the supplier’s engineer, and the building official decide compliance.
What does ICC 300 cover?
The ICC store page for ICC 300-2023 says the standard addresses new and existing installations of all types of bleacher seating, including fixed and folding bleachers for indoor, outdoor, temporary, and permanent use, and is intended to coordinate with the means of egress systems in the building codes. ICC’s Building Safety Journal explains that it covers seating supported on a dedicated structural system, that single or bench seats bolted to a stepped floor are not bleachers, and that its criteria include construction, egress within the bleacher system, inspection and maintenance of existing bleachers, and relocation.
ICC’s bleacher safety committee page says the final ballot for the 2023 edition closed July 31, 2023 and ANSI approval followed on September 18, 2023, and the Building Safety Journal says the 2023 edition is referenced in the 2024 IBC, IFC, and IEBC. The store still lists the 2017 and earlier editions. Checked October 21, 2026. A jurisdiction on an earlier I-Code edition references an earlier ICC 300, so record the edition the adopted code names and any local amendments rather than assuming 2023.
ICC 300 relies on IBC Chapter 10 for some provisions: the Building Safety Journal notes that exits from the bleacher are set in ICC 300 while exits from the room it sits in follow the IBC, and that spaces under bleachers such as ticket booths, toilet rooms, concessions, and storage are addressed by the IBC. Accessibility follows the IBC and ICC A117.1. See the IBC Chapter 10 egress guide and the ICC A117.1 guide.
Gather the architectural set and the seating supplier’s drawings
Collect the code analysis and life safety plans, the floor plans and sections through the seating, the seating supplier’s layout, elevations, and structural drawings, the handrail and guard details, the accessible seating plan, any press box or platform drawings, the structural drawings for floor or wall support, the fire protection and fire alarm drawings for the room, and the bleacher specifications.
For existing or relocated bleachers, add the existing conditions survey and the scope of alterations, because the 2023 edition addresses where aisles and handrails are added and where open risers are infilled.
Trace the seating through the room and the supplier set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Is it a bleacher? | Sections, seating supplier drawings, structural drawings, code analysis | Record whether the seating sits on its own structural system or on a stepped floor, and which code path the code analysis follows. |
| Egress within the seating | Supplier layout, life safety plan, code analysis | Match aisle, cross aisle, and exit locations on the supplier layout to the life safety plan, and confirm the room’s exits are counted separately. |
| Wheelchair spaces and accessible egress | Accessible seating plan, supplier layout, life safety plan | Check that the wheelchair spaces, companion seats, and accessible routes on the architectural plans exist in the supplier layout, including at raised exterior bleachers. |
| Handrails and guards | Handrail and guard details, supplier elevations, specifications | Find stepped aisles, open sides, and rear edges where the architect and supplier show different rails or none. |
| Spaces under the seating | Floor plans, sections, fire protection drawings, code analysis | Record any booth, toilet, concession, or storage space under the bleacher and the separation or protection the code analysis assigns to it. |
| Press boxes and platforms | Press box drawings, supplier layout, life safety plan | Confirm access and egress for press boxes and camera, audio, or security platforms are drawn and agree between documents. |
Room egress continues in the IBC Chapter 10 guide and fire code items in the IFC guide. Bleachers are common on K–12 school and sports and recreation projects.
Example: telescopic seating replaced in a high school gym
Hypothetical example. A high school replaces its telescopic bleachers. The architectural plan shows wheelchair spaces cut into the front row at two locations and aisles aligned with the gym doors, while the supplier layout shows a continuous front row, aisles shifted to suit its standard module, and no handrails along two of the stepped aisles.
The architectural plan shows two wheelchair space cutouts in the front row and aisles aligned with the gym exits, but the supplier layout shows a continuous front row, shifted aisles, and no handrails at two stepped aisles. Confirm the seating layout and coordinate the accessible seating, aisles, and handrails with the life safety plan.
The architect and the supplier reconcile the layout before fabrication. The finding is a disagreement between documents; the building official decides compliance.
Review bleacher drawings with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the ICC 300 edition the project uses from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the code analysis, life safety plans, floor plans, sections, accessible seating plan, handrail and guard details, seating supplier layout, elevations, and structural drawings, press box drawings, fire protection drawings, and bleacher specifications. Flag a conflicting ICC 300 edition, seating whose classification differs between documents, aisles and exits that differ between the supplier layout and the life safety plan, wheelchair spaces missing from the supplier layout, stepped aisles without handrails, and spaces under the seating with no stated separation. Use the supplied ICC 300 and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved. It does not calculate egress capacity, design the bleacher structure, or check loads.
Document review does not certify compliance or approve a permit. Those remain with the architect, the supplier’s engineer, and the building official.