Occupant load by space
Floor area of each room or area divided by its load factor from IBC Table 1004.5, or the actual number of fixed seats, with the function of each space named.
Plan check correction · Egress
Plan check correction: occupant load and egress width
Egress comments usually start with the occupant load. If the reviewer cannot see how the load was calculated, they cannot check whether the doors, corridors, and stairs are wide enough.
The comment asks you to show the occupant load of each space using the code’s load factors and to prove that every egress component is wide enough for the load it serves. Clear it with an egress plan that tabulates the load by room and states the required and provided width at each exit, door, corridor, and stair.
Read the comment
What the plans examiner is asking for
Required width for each component
The load served multiplied by the width factor in IBC Section 1005: 0.3 inch per occupant for stairways and 0.2 inch for other components in the base requirement.
Provided clear width
The actual clear width of doors, corridors, and stairs, which cannot be less than the code minimums even when the calculation allows less.
Distribution of the load
How the load splits between exits, so losing one exit does not leave the others below half the required capacity.
Published correction lists
How city lists word this correction
Published lists ask for an occupant load calculation, an exit analysis, or an egress plan with widths. Paraphrased from each department’s own published list; the lists do not rank items by how often they are issued.
| City | What the published list asks for | Code cited | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Label each space with the occupant load factor matching its actual function, and provide width calculations for all egress components. | CBC T1004.5; CBC 1005.2, 1005.3 | Commercial Plan Check Correction Sheets (2026 LABC), Part II, H. Means of Egress, items 3 and 10 |
| San Francisco | Show occupant loads and an analysis of the means of egress system, including diagonal dimensions and exit separation where two or more exits are required. | SFBC 106A.3.4.2.1, item 3d | SFBC 106A.3.4.2.1 Contents of site permit application, item 3d |
| San Diego | Label every space with its use and occupant load, derived from CBC occupant load factors and the City's technical bulletin on occupant load. | Technical Bulletin BLDG-10-1 | Project Submittal Manual Section 2, checklist item 5.7.1 (Space and Occupant Loads) |
| San Jose | Include an exit analysis that shows exit access, exits and exit discharge along with the occupant loads they serve. | — | BDN 01 Information Required on the Drawings, Required Information list |
| Seattle | A means-of-egress plan (it may be on the floor plans) shows occupant load calculations, each room's exit door and swing, and corridor and stair widths. | — | Screening Standards - NEW Commercial Projects, Means of Egress/Exiting Plan |
| New York City | Egress calculations give each floor's area, occupancy classification, space per occupant, occupant load and number of exits, and show exit widths and capacities. | — | Plan Exam Guidelines for Next Day Review – All Floor Plans, item A.09 Egress Calculations |
| Denver | Denver's local occupant-load table departs from the base code for several space types: it revises the factor for 'business areas' to require using whichever of the gross or net method yields the higher load, and adds Denver-specific factors for pool decks and for marijuana plant-husbandry flowering/vegetative and CO2-enriched work rooms. | DBC Table 1004.5 | 2025 Denver Building Code, Chapter 10: Means of Egress, Section 1004 Occupant Load |
| Portland | Floor plans affected by the scope of work must fully dimension each level, distinguish demolished/existing/proposed walls with a legend, and show windows (size, sill height, method of operation, safety glazing, window wells) and doors with size and swing direction. | — | Life Safety and Structural Review Completeness Checklist for Residential Additions and Alterations, Architectural Drawings section |
| Phoenix | Architectural floor plans need a separate code/exiting plan showing the longest path of egress to the nearest exit, the number of exits provided, occupant load, and the required versus provided width at each egress component. | — | Commercial Building Permit Submittal Checklist, Architectural Plan section |
| Phoenix | Bedroom and basement egress windows must meet minimum opening requirements with a maximum sill height of 44 inches, coordinated between the floor plan and elevations. | IRC R310, R310.1 | Residential Plan Submittal Checklist, Floor Plans items 4-5 |
| Boston | Egress plans for places of assembly must show occupant load calculated for each floor and space by a Massachusetts-registered architect or engineer, along with full exit routes and their effective widths. | — | Place of Assembly Permit page, egress plan requirements |
| Austin | Size every egress component so its width is not less than the occupant load served multiplied by 0.3 in./occupant for stairways and 0.2 in./occupant for other components (reduced in fully sprinklered buildings), and confirm corridor widths against the minimum-width table. | IBC 1005.3; Table 1020.3 | Architectural Plan Review Commercial Checklist, Section L items 103-104 |
| Chicago | Occupant load calculations and egress capacity (width) calculations must both be shown, not just the resulting exit counts. | 14B-10-1004.1; 14B-10-1005.1 | Sample Code Compliance Matrix, items B.10.01-B.10.02 |
Sources reviewed September 12, 2026. Code sections are as cited on each list and follow that city’s adopted code. Confirm the current list and edition with the department.
Revise the set
What changes on the drawings, and what else to re-check
A change in the load ripples into the number of exits, plumbing fixtures, and door hardware.
| Change | Sheets to revise | Also re-check |
|---|---|---|
| Room use or area changed | Egress plan occupant load table; floor plan room names | Plumbing fixture count, number of exits per space, code analysis total |
| Door widened or added | Floor plan; door schedule | Panic hardware where required, rated opening labels, accessible maneuvering clearance |
| Corridor width changed | Floor plan; enlarged plans | Reflected ceiling plan, rated corridor walls, furniture or equipment in the clear width |
| Stair width changed | Stair plans and sections | Structural framing, handrail projections, shaft enclosure dimensions |
Close the comment
A response the reviewer can verify
An illustrative example written for this guide, not a real project or a city’s wording. Name the sheet, the detail, and the change, so the recheck does not start with a search.
Comment
Provide occupant load calculations and show egress capacity for each exit on the plans.
Response
Revised as requested. Egress plan A0.10 now tabulates occupant load by room using the code load factors (total 286). Each exit shows the load served, required width, and provided clear width. Door 104 widened to a 36-inch leaf; door schedule A6.01 updated.
Before you submit
Catch it before the plans examiner does
Tabulate on one sheet
Put the load factor, area, and load for every space in one table on the egress plan, so the reviewer can follow the math.
Check against the minimums
Compare calculated widths with the minimum door, corridor, and stair widths and use the larger value.
Match the schedules
Confirm the door schedule, stair details, and corridor dimensions show the same widths as the egress plan.
Groundbook compares the drawings, schedules, and specifications with the adopted code and local amendments, and links each potential issue to the sheets and sections behind it. We read the amendments governments publish online and use licensed model codes only where a license allows it. Your team verifies each finding; the jurisdiction makes every approval decision. See the pre-permit review and drawing-to-code review.
Questions, answered
Occupant load and egress width: questions
Is occupant load based on gross or net area?
It depends on the use. IBC Table 1004.5 marks each load factor as gross or net. Offices typically use gross area, while assembly and classroom uses often use net area.
Do egress width factors change with sprinklers?
They can. The base factors are 0.3 inch per occupant for stairways and 0.2 inch for other components. In the 2024 IBC, buildings sprinklered throughout with an emergency voice/alarm communication system may use 0.2 and 0.15 inch, except in Groups H and I-2.
Does the occupant load on the plans have to match the posted occupancy sign?
Assembly spaces often need a posted occupant load. Use the same calculated number on the plans and on the sign to avoid a comment at inspection.
Keep going
Related corrections and city guides
Travel distance and common path
Measured travel paths to exits, and the distance before two routes are available, compared with the code limits.
Read this correctionNumber and separation of exits
Enough exits for the occupant load of each space and story, placed far enough apart that one fire cannot block both.
Read this correctionCode analysis
Occupancy, construction type, allowable area, occupant load, and sprinkler basis stated on the cover sheet and consistent with the plans.
Read this correctionLos Angeles plan check
How LADBS reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Francisco plan check
How DBI reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Diego plan check
How DSD reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideRespond to plan check comments
Response letter format, six response types, and a free response log.
Read the guideFind the corrections before the plans examiner does
Upload the drawing set. We read the local amendments that governments publish online, and link each potential issue to its sources for your team to verify.