Illumination of means of egress is required by the building code. For the purposes of this requirement, exit access shall include only designated stairs, aisles, corridors, ramps, escalators, and passageways leading to an exit.

Illumination of means of egress shall be continuous during the time that the conditions of occupancy require that the means of egress be available for use. Artificial Lighting shall be employed at such places and for such periods of time as required to maintain the illumination to the minimum footcandle {Lux(lx)} values herein specified.

The floors of means of egress shall be illuminated at all points including angles and intersections of corridors and passageways, stairways, landings of stairs, and exit doors to values of not less than 1 footcandle (10 lx) measured at the floor. Exception: In assembly occupancies, the illumination of the floors of exit access shall be not less than 1/5 footcandle (2 lx) during periods of performances or projections involving directed light.

Any required illumination shall be so arranged that the failure of any single Lighting unit, such as the burning out of an electric bulb, will not leave any area in darkness.

Emergency illumination shall be provided for a period of 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes) in the event of failure of normal Lighting. Emergency Lighting facilities shall be arranged to provide initial illumination that is no less than an average of 1 footcandle (10 lx) and a minimum at any point of .1 footcandle (1 lx) measured along the path of egress at floor level. Illumination levels may decline to .6 footcandle (6 lx) average and a minimum at any point of .06 footcandle (.6 lx) at the end of the emergency Lighting time duration. A maximum to minimum illumination uniformity ratio of 40 to 1 shall not be exceeded.

All of the products Exit Expo provides comply with the runtime requirements per the building code. To determine how many lights you will need per the minimum lighting requirements you will need to either consult a lighting designer who will review your building's layout or you can ask us and we can help.