Rehabilitation Code: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Definitions

201.0 General

201.1 The words and terms used in this code shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Any term not defined herein which is defined in any other code applicable to this code shall have the meaning as defined in that code. Where a term is defined in this code and is also defined in another code, then the term shall have the meaning as defined herein wherever it is used in this code. Words used in the present tense include the future. Words in the masculine gender include the feminine and neuter. The singular number includes the plural and the plural number includes the singular.

202.0 Definitions

Accessibility: See Chapter 10, Accessibility

Administrative requirements: Statutory and/or regulatory requirements addressing non-structural safety requirements of an occupancy such as firefighters on duty in a Place of Assembly or a certain number of fire drills in an Educational Occupancy.

Approximate fire rating: A determination by the Authority Having Jurisdiction that the referenced component of a building is the rough equivalent of a comparably listed or recognized assembly. For example, a solid core wood door, with a minimum thickness of one and three-eighths (1 3/8") inches, installed securely in an existing door jamb, may be determined to have an approximate fire rating of twenty minutes. Likewise, a layer of five-eighths (5/8") inch sheetrock over an existing plaster ceiling, or comparable assembly approved by the State Fire Marshal and the Building Commissioner, may be determined to provide an approximate fire separation of one hour between occupancies. In determining the approximate fire rating of an assembly, the authority having jurisdiction may rely upon Section 720 (calculated fire resistance) of the International Building Code, 2000 edition. (Appendix A)

Artist-in-residence: An artist or artists using a space within a building for combined living and artistic working purposes.

As amended: The term "as amended" as used herein, refers to the rules and regulations, legally adopted by the Building Board and/or Fire Board, which clarify, modify and/or amend the referenced model code or statutory provision.

Authority having jurisdiction: The State Building Commissioner, his or her certified staff and certified building officials shall enforce the Building Code element of this Code. The State Fire Marshal, his or her certified staff and certified Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshals shall enforce the Fire Code element of this Code. See also definitions of Certified Building Official and Certified Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal.

Boiler Code: Rhode Island Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code � 1989.

Building Code: R.I.G.L. 23-27.3-100 et seq. and all rules and regulations adopted by the Building Code Standards Committee pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-27.3-101.9 (a-c), Regulation SBC-1, dated May 1, 1998.

Building Board: The Rhode Island Building Code Standards Committee established pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-27.3-100.1.4.

Categories of work: The nature and extent of construction work undertaken in an existing building. The following categories of work entail increased requirements respectively:

Repair: The patching, restoration, painting and/or minor replacement of materials, elements, components, equipment and/or fixtures for the purposes of maintaining such materials, elements, components, equipment and/or fixtures in good or sound condition.

Renovation: The change, strengthening or addition of load bearing elements, the refinishing, replacement, bracing, strengthening, upgrading or extensive repair of existing materials, elements, components, equipment and/or fixtures. Renovation involves no reconfiguration of spaces.

Alteration: The reconfiguration of any space, the addition or elimination of any door or window, the reconfiguration or extension of any system, or the installation of any additional equipment.

Reconstruction: The reconfiguration of a space which affects an exit, or a corridor shared by more than a single tenant; and/or reconfiguration of space such that the rehabilitation work area is not permitted to be occupied because existing means of egress and fire protection systems, or their equivalent, are not in place or continuously maintained; and/or extensive alterations as defined in Chapter 5 of this code.

Change of occupancy: A change in the purpose for which a building or portion thereof is used or intended to be used as defined in the Building Code.

Addition: An increase in building area, aggregate floor area, height or number of stories of a structure.

Certified Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal: An Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal, or certified member of the State Fire Marshal's staff, who has been trained and certified by the State Fire Marshal to enforce the fire code elements of this code.

Certified Building Official: A Building Official, or certified member of the Building Commissioner's staff, who has been trained and certified by the State Building Commissioner to enforce the building code elements of this code.

Complex rehabilitation project involving multiple codes: A rehabilitation project or portion thereof that involves two or more construction codes enumerated in Section 105.2 and (1) is in one of the following categories of work: addition, change of occupancy or reconstruction or (2) is in any category of work and involves the installation of sprinklers.

Construction permit application: Any application made to a state or local jurisdiction for a permit or other government approval for a rehabilitation project.

Covered occupancies: See Table 202.0.

Dangerous (structurally): Where the stresses in any member, the condition of the building or any of its components or elements or attachments, or other condition that results in an overload exceeding one hundred fifty (150%) percent of the stress allowed for the member or material in the Building Code.

Electrical Code: See regulation SBC-5, as adopted and amended by the Building Code Standards Committee.

Elevator Code: Rhode Island Elevator Safety Code, dated May 15, 1999.

Energy Code: See regulation SBC-8, as adopted and amended by the Building Code Standards Committee.

Equipment or fixture: Any plumbing, heating, electrical, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigerating and fire protection equipment, and elevators, dumb waiters, escalators, boilers, pressure vessels and other mechanical facilities or installations, which are related to building services. Equipment or fixture shall not include manufacturing, production or process equipment, but shall include connections from building service to process equipment.

Exit: That portion of a means of egress that is separated from all other spaces of the building or structure by construction or equipment, in accordance with the adopted version of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code for new construction, to provide a protected way of travel to the exit discharge. Exits include exterior exit doors, exit passageways, horizontal exits, separated exit stairs, and separated exit ramps.

Exit access: That portion of a means of egress that leads to an exit.

Exit discharge: That portion of a means of egress between the termination of an exit and a public way. Fire alarm system: A mandated fire detection system as outlined in R.I.G.L. 23-28.25-1 et seq. including all related rules and regulations adopted by the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-28.3-3.

Fire Board: Rhode Island Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review established pursuant to

R.I.G.L. 23-28.3-2.

Fire Prevention Code: NFPA 1- Fire Prevention Code and NFPA 101- Life Safety Code for new construction as amended by the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review.

Fire Safety Code: R.I.G.L. 23-28.1-1 et seq. and all rules and regulations adopted by the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-28.3-3, including the Rhode Island Fire Prevention Code.

Hazard of Contents:

High Hazard: High Hazard contents shall be classified as those that are likely to burn with extreme rapidity from which explosions are likely.

Low Hazard: Low hazard contents shall be classified as those of such low combustibility that no self-propagating fire therein can occur.

Ordinary Hazard: Ordinary hazard contents shall be classified as those that are likely to burn with moderate rapidity or to give off a considerable volume of smoke.

High-rise building: A building greater than seventy-five (75') feet in height where the building height is measured from the lowest level of fire department vehicle access to the floor of the highest occupiable story.

Historical building: See 901.1.1 Definition: Historical Building.

Horizontal exit: A way of passage from one building to an area of refuge in another building on approximately the same level, or a way of passage through or around a fire barrier to an area of refuge on approximately the same level in the same building that affords safety from fire and smoke originating from the area of incidence and areas communicating therewith.

Imminent danger: Any conditions or practices in any occupancy or structure that pose a danger that could reasonably be expected to cause death, serious physical harm, or serious property loss.

Labeled: Equipment or materials to which has been attached a label, symbol, or other identifying mark of an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with product evaluation, that maintains periodic inspection of production of labeled equipment or materials, and by whose labeling the manufacturer indicates compliance with appropriate standards or performance in a specified manner.

Legal Use: The last recorded use of a building that was established and approved by the local zoning official.

Life Safety Code: References to the "Life Safety Code" in the text of this Code, shall refer the user to the provisions of the NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2000 Edition, unless otherwise noted.

Load bearing element: Any column, girder, beam, joist, truss, rafter, wall, floor or roof sheathing which supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight, and/or any lateral load.

Local jurisdiction: See definitions of Certified Building Official and Certified Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal (above).

Maintenance requirements: Statutory and/or regulatory requirements addressing the manner and frequency of inspection, repair and/or replacement of the fire protection equipment and systems in a building such as sprinkler and fire alarm systems, exit signs, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers and cooking and other suppression systems.

Materials and methods requirements: Those requirements in the Building Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Rhode Island Fire Safety Code, Rhode Island Fire Prevention Code, Electrical Code, Boiler Safety Code, Energy Code, Elevator Code, or Accessibility Code that specify material standards, details of installation and connection, joints, penetrations and continuity of any element, component or system in the building. The required quantity, fire-resistance, flame spread, acoustic or thermal performance, or other performance attribute is specifically excluded from materials and methods requirements.

Means of egress: A continuous and unobstructed way of travel from any point in a building or structure to a public way consisting of three separate and distinct parts: (1) the exit access, (2) the exit, and (3) the exit discharge.

Means of escape: A way out of a building or structure that does not conform to the strict definition of means of egress but does provide an alternate way out.

Mezzanine: An intermediate level between the floor and the ceiling of any room or space.

Mechanical Code: See regulation SBC-4, dated April 1, 1998.

Minimum Housing Code: Adopted pursuant to RIGL 45-24.2-1.

Occupancy classification: The classification of occupancies into groups in accordance with Section 302 of the Building Code as modified by Section 202.0 of this Code.

The following table is provided for the user's convenience in order to allow quick cross-reference between the chapters of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code and the Building Code covering a specific occupancy.

Table 202.0

Operational requirements: Statutory and/or regulatory requirements addressing how a building is operated such as the determination of the maximum occupancy in a Place of Assembly.

Permit: An official document or certificate issued by the authority having jurisdiction which authorizes performance of a specific activity.

Plumbing Code: See regulation SBC-3, dated April 1, 1998.

Rehabilitation: Any work, as described by the categories of work defined herein, undertaken in an existing building.

Rehabilitation Board: Rhode Island Joint Committee on the Rehabilitation Building Code for Existing Buildings and Structures established pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-29.1-2.

Rehabilitation Code: A code designed to encourage the continued use or reuse of legally existing buildings adopted pursuant to the provisions of R.I.G.L. 23-29.1-1 et seq.

Rehabilitation work area: That portion of a building affected by any renovation, alteration or reconstruction work as initially intended by the owner and indicated as such in the permit. Rehabilitation work area excludes other portions of the building where incidental work entailed by the intended work must be performed, and portions of the building where work not initially intended by the owner is specifically required by this code.

Sprinkler system: A system, designed in accordance with NFPA 13, 13R and/or 13D, as required and/or amended pursuant to R.I.G.L. 23-29.1-1 et seq., which sharply reduces the heat release rate of a fire and preventing its re-growth by means of direct and sufficient application of water through the fire plume to the burning surface.

Structural frame: The structural frame shall be considered to be the columns and the girders, beams, trusses and spandrels having direct connections to the columns and bracing members designed to carry gravity loads. The members of floor or roof panels which have no connection to the columns shall be considered secondary members and not a part of the structural frame.

Substantial damage: For the purpose of determining compliance with the flood provisions of this code, damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed fifty (50%) percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Substantial improvement: For the purpose of determining compliance with the flood provisions of this code, any repair, alteration, addition, or improvement of a building or structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty (50%) percent of the market value of the structure before the improvement or repair is started. If the structure has sustained substantial damage, any repairs are considered substantial improvement regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:

 1. Any project for improvement of a building required to correct existing health, sanitary or safety code violations identified by the code official and that are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions.

 2. Any alteration of a historical structure provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historical structure.

Substantial structural damage: A condition where:

 1. The vertical elements of the lateral force resisting system in any story, in any direction and taken as a whole, have suffered damage such that the lateral load-carrying capacity has been reduced by more than twenty (20%) percent from its pre-damaged condition, or;

 2. The vertical load carrying components supporting more than thirty (30%) percent of the structure's floor or roof area have suffered a reduction in vertical load carrying capacity to below seventy five (75%) percent of the International Building Code required strength levels calculated by either the strength or allowable stress method.

Technically infeasible: A change to a building that has little likelihood of being accomplished because the existing structural conditions require the removal or modification of a load-bearing member that is an essential part of the structural frame, or because other existing physical or site constraints prohibit modification or addition of elements, spaces or features which are in full and strict compliance with applicable requirements.

Unsafe buildings or equipment: Buildings or existing equipment that are unsanitary or deficient because of inadequate means of egress facilities, inadequate light and ventilation, or which constitute a fire hazard, or are otherwise dangerous to human life or the public welfare, or which involve illegal or improper occupancy or inadequate maintenance, shall be deemed an unsafe condition.

Work area: That portion or portions of a building consisting of all renovated or reconfigured spaces as indicated on the construction documents. Work area excludes other portions of the building where incidental work entailed by the intended work must be performed, and portions of the building where work not initially intended by the owner is specifically required by this code.