Windows must be present to categorize it a bedroom

Q. I'm a loan officer and am currently processing a purchase loan for a home with a basement bedroom. The appraiser says the basement room is not a legal bedroom because is has no windows. In another transaction, an appraiser discounted a bedroom because it did not have a closet. Could you please list the standard requirements for a legal bedroom?

Michael

A. According to the International Residential Code (IRC), a legal bedroom must be at least 70 square feet in area, with a width not less than 7 feet. The minimum required ceiling height is 7 feet 6 inches. If the ceiling is sloped, the required height applies to at least half of the ceiling. As for windows, the appraiser is correct: Bedrooms must have windows for light, ventilation, and emergency escape. If a basement room does not meet these requirements, it cannot be considered as a legal bedroom.

The minimum size requirement for bedroom windows that provide natural light is at least 8 percent of the floor area of the room, and minimum size for openable windows is at least 4 percent of the floor area of the room.

For emergency escape, the openable window must have a sill height of no more than 44 inches above the floor. The size of the opening should be at least 5.7 square feet, measuring no less than 24 inches in height and no less than 20 inches in width. Windows should also be openable without the use of a key or a tool. Screens and bars are permitted as long as they can be opened or removed from inside the dwelling, also without the use of a key or a tool.

The code makes no mention of bedroom closets because these can be provided by means of portable cabinets.

Access Media Group