Secured Seating

Seats in assembly occupancies accommodating more than 200 persons shall be securely fastened to the floor, except where fastened together in groups of not less than three and not exceeding seven. All seats in balconies and galleries shall be securely fastened to the floor, except in places of religious worship.

Unsecured Seating

  • Seats not secured to the floor shall be permitted in restaurants, night clubs, and other occupancies where fastening seats to the floor might be impracticable.
  • Unsecured seats shall be permitted, provided that, in the area used for seating, excluding such areas as dance floors and stages, there is not more than one seat for each 152 ft of net floor area, and adequate aisles to reach exits are maintained at all times.
  • Seating diagrams shall be submitted for approval by the authority having jurisdiction to permit an increase in occupant load.

Occupant Load Posting

  • Every room constituting an assembly occupancy and not having fixed seats shall have the occupant load of the room posted in a conspicuous place near the main exit from the room. Approved signs shall be maintained in a legible manner by the owner or authorized agent.
  • Signs shall be durable and shall indicate the number of occupants permitted for each room use.
  • Clothing and personal effects shall not be stored in corridors, unless otherwise permitted by the following:
    • This requirement shall not apply to corridors protected by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance to Fire Marshal standards.
    • This requirement shall not apply to corridor areas protected by a smoke detection system in accordance to Fire Marshal standards.
    • This requirement shall not apply to storage in metal lockers, provided that the required egress width is maintained.

Image showing seat spacingSeating Arrangement

  • Where non-fixed seating is located between a table and an aisle, the measurement of required clear width of the aisle shall be made to a line 19 in., measured perpendicularly to the edge of the table, away from the edge of said table.
  • Using tables and chairs the maximum occupant load calculations are one person for every 15 square feet.
  • Using standing room only the maximum occupant load calculations are one person for every 7 square feet.
  • The space between two adjacent tables shall be dictated by the position of chairs at said tables as follows:
    • 36 inches minimum between two adjacent tables without any chair backs facing each other.
    • 55 inches minimum between two adjacent tables when one has a chair back facing the other.
    • 74 inches minimum between two adjacent tables with chairs "back-to-back."
    • This information is illustrated in the diagram to the right.


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