Article 114Supplement v1, p. 114

COMMERCIAL LAWS SUPPLEMENT

structural framework, exterior walls and openings, interior

walls and enclosures, floors, exists, and stairs construction,

and roofs.

CHAPTER 5 Requirements for Fire Zones

SECTION 501. Fire Zones Defined. — Fire zones are areas

within which only certain types of buildings are permitted

to be constructed based on their use or occupancy, type

of construction, and resistance to fire.

SECTION 502. Buildings located in more than One Fire

Zone . — A building or structure which is located partly in

one fire zone and partly in another shall be considered to

be in the more highly restrictive fire zone, when more

than one-third of its total floor area is located in such

zone.

SECTION

503.

Moved

Building .

—

Any

building

or

structure moved within or into any fire zone shall be

made to comply with all the requirements for buildings in

that fire zone.

SECTION

504.

Temporary

Buildings .

—

Temporary

building

such

as

reviewing

stands

and

other

miscellaneous

structures

conforming

to

the

requirements of this Code, and sheds, canopies and

fences used for the protection of the public around and in

conjunction with construction work, may be erected in

the fire zones by special permit from the Building Official

for a limited period of time, and such buildings or

structures

shall

be-completely

removed

upon

the

expiration of the time limit stated in such permits.

SECTION 505. Center Lines of Streets . —For the purpose of

this Chapter, the center line of an adjoining street or alley

may be considered an adjacent property line. Distances

shall be measured at right angles to the street or alley.

SECTION

506.

Restrictions

on

Existing

Buildings .

—

Existing buildings or structures in fire zones that do not

comply with the requirements for a new building erected

therein

shall

not

hereafter

be

enlarged,

altered,

remodeled, repaired or moved except as follows:

(a) Such building is entirely demolished;

(b) Such building is to be moved outside the limits of the

more highly restrictive Fire Zone to a zone where the

building meets the minimum standards;

(c)

Changes,

alterations

and

repairs

may

be

made

provided that in any 12-month period, the value of the

work does not exceed twenty percent of the value of the

existing building, and provided that, such changes do not

add additional combustible material, and do not, in the

opinion of the Building Official, increase the fire hazard;

(d) Additions thereto are separated from the existing

building by fire walls, as set forth in Sub-section 604 (b);

(e) Damage from fire or earthquake, typhoons or any

fortuitous event may be repaired, using the same kind of

materials of which the building or structure was originally

constructed, Provided, That, the cost of such repair shall

not exceed twenty percent of the replacement cost of the

building or structure.

SECTION 507. Designation of Fire Zones . — The Secretary

shall promulgate specific restriction for each type of Fire

Zone. Cities and municipalities shall be divided into such

Fire Zones in accordance with local, physical, and spatial

framework plans submitted by city or municipal planning

and/or development bodies.

CHAPTER 6 Fire-Resistive Requirements in

Construction

SECTION

601.

Fire-Resistive

Rating

Defined.

—

Fire-resistive rating means the degree to which a material

can withstand fire as determined by generally recognized

and accepted testing methods.

SECTION

602.

Fire-Resistive

Time

Period

Rating .

—

Fire-resistive time period rating is the length of time a

material can withstand being burned which may be

one-hour, two-hours, three-hours, four-hours, etc.

SECTION 603. Fire-Resistive Standards . — All materials of

construction, and assemblies or combinations thereof

shall be classified according to their fire-retardant or

flame-spread ratings as determined by general accepted

testing methods and/or by the Secretary.

SECTION 604. Fire-Resistive Regulations . — The Secretary

shall

prescribe

standards and promulgate rules and

regulations on the testing of construction materials for

flame-spread characteristics, tests on fire damages, fire

tests

of

building

construction

and

materials,

door

assemblies and tinclad fire doors and window assemblies,

the installation of fire doors and windows and smoke and

fire

detectors

for

fire

protective

signaling

system,

application

and

use

of

controlled

interior

finish,

fire-resistive

protection

for

structural

members,

fire-resistive walls and partitions, fire-resistive floor or roof

ceiling,

fire-resistive

assemblies

for

protection

of

openings and fire-retardant roof coverings.

CHAPTER 7 Classification and General

Requirement of all Buildings by Use of Occupancy

SECTION

701.

Occupancy

classified.

— (a) Buildings

proposed for construction shall be identified according to

their use or the character of its occupancy and shall be

classified as follows:

(1) Group A — Residential Dwellings

Group A — Occupancies shall be dwellings.

(2) Group B — Residentials, Hotels and Apartments

—Group B Occupancies shall be multiple dwelling units

including boarding or lodging houses, hotels, apartment

buildings, row houses, convents, monasteries, and other

similar building each of which accommodates more than

ten persons.

(3) Group C — Education and Recreation — Group C

Occupancies

shall

be

buildings

used

for

school

or

day-care purposes, involving assemblage for instruction,

education, or recreation, and not classified in Group I or in

Division 1 and 2 or Group H Occupancies.

(4) Group D — Institutional — Group D Occupancies shall

include:

Division 1 — Mental hospitals, mental sanitaria, jails,

prisons,

reformatories,

and

buildings where personal

liberties of inmates are similarly restrained.

Division 2 — Nurseries for full-time care of children under

kindergarten age, hospitals, sanitaria, nursing homes with

non-ambulatory

patients,

and

similar buildings each

accommodating more than five persons.

Division 3 — Nursing homes for ambulatory patients,

homes for children of kindergarten age or over, each

accommodating more than five persons: Provided, that

Group D Occupancies shall not include buildings used

only for private or family group dwelling purposes.

(5) Group E — Business and Mercantile — Group E

Occupancies shall include:

Division 1 — Gasoline filling and service stations, storage

garages and boot storage structures where no work is

done

except

exchange

of

parts

and

maintenance

requiring no open flame, welding, or the use of highly

flammable liquids.

Division 2 — Wholesale and retail stores, office buildings,

drinking and dining establishments having an occupant

load of less than one hundred persons, printing plants,

police and fire stations, factories and workshops using

not highly flammable or combustible materials and paint

stores without bulk handlings.

Division 3 — Aircraft hangars and open parking garage

with no repair work is done except exchange of parts and

maintenance requiring no open flame, welding or the use

of highly flammable liquids.

© Compiled by RGL

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