Egress path compliance

Why does egress compliance matter?

Egress non-compliance is the most common reason for plan review rejection.

How does Helonic go from floor plans to an egress report?

Helonic measures travel paths from the most remote point to the exit discharge and flags lengths, widths, and exit counts that miss IBC Chapter 10.

1. Parse floor plans. The AI reads architectural floor plans to identify corridors, doors, stairwells, exit discharge paths, and room occupancy designations.
2. Calculate occupant loads. Based on room areas and occupancy classifications, the system calculates occupant loads per IBC Table 1004.5 to determine required exit capacity.
3. Trace egress paths. Every possible egress path is traced from the most remote point to the exit discharge, measuring travel distance, common path of travel, and dead-end lengths.
4. Report violations. Any path that exceeds IBC limits for travel distance, dead-end length, or exit width is flagged with exact measurements and code references.

What egress rules does Helonic verify?

Helonic verifies IBC Chapter 10 items including travel distance, number of exits, corridor width, and dead-end limits on every floor.

• Travel distance calculation. Measures the actual walking distance from the most remote occupiable point to the nearest exit, checking against IBC maximums based on sprinkler status and occupancy type.
• Common path verification. Identifies sections where occupants have only one path available before reaching a point where two distinct paths diverge, ensuring compliance with IBC Section 1006.2.1.
• Dead-end corridor detection. Flags corridors that exceed the 20-foot (or 50-foot with sprinklers) dead-end limit where occupants could become trapped during an emergency.
• Exit width compliance. Calculates required exit width based on occupant load and verifies that doors, corridors, and stairways provide adequate capacity per IBC Section 1005.
• Load vs exit capacity. Cross-references calculated occupant loads with the total exit capacity to ensure sufficient exits are provided, including the loss-of-one-exit scenario.
• Exit separation verification. Checks that required exits are separated by at least one-half (or one-third) the maximum diagonal distance, ensuring exits are not clustered together.

Why do egress misses force redesign?

Egress non-compliance is the single most common reason for plan review rejection by building departments. When a design fails egress review, it often requires significant architectural redesign such as moving walls, widening corridors, or adding stairwells, cascading changes across every discipline.

Catching these issues before submittal saves weeks of review cycles and avoids the expensive redesign work that follows a rejection. Helonic gives architects and code consultants an automated first pass that catches the issues plan reviewers will flag.

Frequently Asked Questions