* Refer to the date the building permit application was filed
October 22, 1955
Circular of December 13, 1982, concerning the safety of persons during rehabilitation or improvement work on existing residential buildings: Introduction: Recommendations concerning personal safety and fire protection applicable to work carried out in existing residential buildings. Under current legislation, Articles R. 111-1 et seq. of the French Building and Housing Code, relating to the construction rules for residential buildings, apply only to the construction of new residential buildings, the raising of existing residential buildings, and additions to such buildings. The following recommendations concern only work carried out within the volume of existing buildings and not covered by the provisions of these articles of the Building and Housing Code. This includes: • on the one hand, work intended to create housing in existing buildings other than residential buildings; • on the other hand, work to improve, convert, or rehabilitate residential buildings when it involves the creation, modification, or replacement of structural elements or equipment. Therefore, maintenance work, routine repairs, and even the restoration of existing building elements or equipment within pre-existing spaces are not covered. The general principles of these provisions are as follows: • the work must not reduce the previous level of safety; • unless otherwise specified in the text, the recommendations do not obligate the owner to carry out work on parts of the structure that they do not intend to modify otherwise. The recommendations gathered here aim to ensure the most satisfactory balance possible between the required level of safety and the technical and financial constraints. The first part of this brochure deals with fire safety. The second part addresses other aspects related to personal safety. The appendix contains definitions of terms, useful references, and additional information, to which the lettered headings in the text refer. I. Fire protection: In general, the fire risks presented by the buildings in their previous state will be reduced as much as possible; under no circumstances should they be aggravated. Work will be designed and carried out in such a way as to limit the transmission of fire and smoke from one level to another and to maintain, if not improve, the evacuation capabilities of occupants and the intervention capabilities of the public emergency and fire services. These services will be referred to hereafter as "emergency services." The following provisions are deemed to comply with these objectives. It is the responsibility of the owners, through regular maintenance and appropriately timed inspections, to ensure the upkeep of the installations, fittings, or mechanical devices, automatic or otherwise, that contribute to fire safety.
May 23, 1960
This includes structures that do not allow access for firefighters' ladders.
DRY COLUMN – Decree of May 23, 1960 concerning the protection of residential buildings against fire, safety and safeguarding of persons in case of fire – Article 5: Dwellings where the floor of the highest habitable level is located more than twenty-five meters above ground level must be equipped with one or more 65/70 mm dry risers, the installation of which must be stopped in agreement with the fire services (Paris police headquarters, departmental fire service inspectorate in the departments).
Circular of December 13, 1982, concerning the safety of persons during rehabilitation or improvement work on existing residential buildings: Introduction: Recommendations concerning personal safety and fire protection applicable to work carried out in existing residential buildings. Under current legislation, Articles R. 111-1 et seq. of the French Building and Housing Code, relating to the construction rules for residential buildings, apply only to the construction of new residential buildings, the raising of existing residential buildings, and additions to such buildings. The following recommendations concern only work carried out within the volume of existing buildings and not covered by the provisions of these articles of the Building and Housing Code. This includes: • on the one hand, work intended to create housing in existing buildings other than residential buildings; • on the other hand, work to improve, convert, or rehabilitate residential buildings when it involves the creation, modification, or replacement of structural elements or equipment. Therefore, maintenance work, routine repairs, and even the restoration of existing building elements or equipment within pre-existing spaces are not covered. The general principles of these provisions are as follows: • the work must not reduce the previous level of safety; • unless otherwise specified in the text, the recommendations do not obligate the owner to carry out work on parts of the structure that they do not intend to modify otherwise. The recommendations gathered here aim to ensure the most satisfactory balance possible between the required level of safety and the technical and financial constraints. The first part of this brochure deals with fire safety. The second part addresses other aspects related to personal safety. The appendix contains definitions of terms, useful references, and additional information, to which the lettered headings in the text refer. I. Fire protection: In general, the fire risks presented by the buildings in their previous state will be reduced as much as possible; under no circumstances should they be aggravated. Work will be designed and carried out in such a way as to limit the transmission of fire and smoke from one level to another and to maintain, if not improve, the evacuation capabilities of occupants and the intervention capabilities of the public emergency and fire services. These services will be referred to hereafter as "emergency services." The following provisions are deemed to comply with these objectives. It is the responsibility of the owners, through regular maintenance and appropriately timed inspections, to ensure the upkeep of the installations, fittings, or mechanical devices, automatic or otherwise, that contribute to fire safety.
September 10, 1970
NATURAL SMOKE EXTRACTION – Decree of 10 September 1970 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 11: In the case of dwellings of the third and fourth families, on the highest floor, the stairwell must include either a frame or a glazed window made of thin glass and equipped, if it is not directly accessible, with a device allowing its easy opening from the landing of the stairs, or with an assembly allowing, in the event of a fire, the evacuation of smoke under the same conditions.
NATURAL SMOKE EXTRACTION – Decree of 10 September 1970 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 17: A "smoke-proof" staircase is an interior staircase whose walls are fire-resistant for one hour or fire-retardant for two hours when they separate it from horizontal circulation areas protected from smoke, and fire-resistant for one hour when they separate it from the rest of the building. (...) It must have, at its upper part, a horizontal ventilation opening of 1 square meter in area, venting to the roof. This ventilation may be either permanent and cannot be shut off, or linked to a smoke detection system. In the latter case, there must be a manual control, maintained in perfect working order, at the level accessible to firefighters. This provision may not be required in the case of mechanical ventilation.
MECHANICAL SMOKE EXTRACTION – Decree of September 10, 1970, concerning the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 15.16: Buildings in the fourth category must include at least one protected exit, that is to say: a) A protected horizontal circulation area (…), which directly connects each dwelling either to a protected staircase as defined below, or to the public road. (…). Smoke-free horizontal circulation areas must be designed to ensure the efficient evacuation of smoke and heat. For natural ventilation, collective ventilation ducts with a cross-section of 10 square decimeters for low-level ventilation and 20 square decimeters for high-level ventilation are considered to meet this requirement under average climatic conditions. The walls of these circulation areas must be fire-resistant for half an hour, and their coverings must be made of materials that are at least flame-resistant. The distances between the door of the dwellings and the access to the staircase must not exceed 15 meters. (…).
DRY COLUMN – Decree of 10 September 1970 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 20: Buildings where the lowest floor of the top level is located more than 28 meters above ground level must have: One dry riser per staircase; A priority call system for at least one elevator per battery, designed to make these devices available to firefighters upon their arrival on the scene.
Circular of December 13, 1982 concerning the safety of persons during rehabilitation or improvement work on existing residential buildings - introduction: Recommendations concerning personal safety and fire protection applicable to work carried out in existing residential buildings. Under current legislation, Articles R. 111-1 et seq. of the French Building and Housing Code, relating to the construction rules for residential buildings, apply only to the construction of new residential buildings, the raising of existing residential buildings, and additions to such buildings. The following recommendations concern only work carried out within the volume of existing buildings and which is not covered by the provisions of these articles of the Building and Housing Code. This includes: • on the one hand, work aimed at creating dwellings in existing buildings other than residential buildings; • on the other hand, work to improve, convert, or rehabilitate residential buildings when it involves the creation, modification, or replacement of structural elements or equipment. Therefore, maintenance work, routine repairs, and even the restoration of existing building elements or equipment within pre-existing spaces are not covered. The general principles of these provisions are as follows: • the work must not reduce the previous level of safety; • unless otherwise specified in the text, the recommendations do not obligate the owner to carry out work on parts of the structure that they do not intend to modify otherwise. The recommendations gathered here aim to ensure the most satisfactory balance possible between the required level of safety and the technical and financial constraints. The first part of this brochure deals with fire safety. The second part addresses other aspects related to personal safety. The appendix contains definitions of terms, useful references, and additional information, to which the lettered headings in the text refer. I. Fire protection: In general, the fire risks presented by the buildings in their previous state will be reduced as much as possible; under no circumstances should they be aggravated. Work will be designed and carried out in such a way as to limit the transmission of fire and smoke from one level to another and to maintain, if not improve, the evacuation capabilities of occupants and the intervention capabilities of the public emergency and fire services. These services will be referred to hereafter as "emergency services." The following provisions are deemed to comply with these objectives. It is the responsibility of the owners, through regular maintenance and appropriately timed inspections, to ensure the upkeep of the installations, fittings, or mechanical devices, automatic or otherwise, that contribute to fire safety.
January 31, 1986
NATURAL SMOKE EXTRACTION – Decree of January 31, 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 25: In multi-family dwellings of the second category and in dwellings of the third category A, the following provisions must be applied: At the top of the highest floor, the stairwell must have a device that is normally closed and allows, in the event of a fire, an opening of at least one square meter to ensure smoke evacuation. A control located on the ground floor of the building, near the staircase, must allow for easy opening via an electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electromagnetic, or electro-pneumatic system (*). In the case of multi-family dwellings of the second category, this control may also be achieved using a linkage system. In all cases, access to this control device must be restricted to fire and rescue services and authorized personnel. Furthermore, in dwellings of the third category A, the opening of the device must be linked to a self-contained triggering detector (**). The provisions of this article do not apply to an exterior staircase as defined in Article 29 bis. (*) Compliant with technical instruction no. 247 of the Minister of the Interior. (**) Compliant with the relevant French standard.
MECHANICAL SMOKE EXTRACTION – Decree of September 10, 1970, concerning the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 15.16: Buildings in the fourth category must include at least one protected exit, that is to say: a) A protected horizontal circulation area (…), which directly connects each dwelling either to a protected staircase as defined below, or to the public road. (…). Smoke-free horizontal circulation areas must be designed to ensure the efficient evacuation of smoke and heat. For natural ventilation, collective ventilation ducts with a cross-section of 10 square decimeters for low-level ventilation and 20 square decimeters for high-level ventilation are considered to meet this requirement under average climatic conditions. The walls of these circulation areas must be fire-resistant for half an hour, and their finishes must be made of materials that are at least flame-resistant. The distance between the door of the dwellings and the access to the staircase must not exceed 15 meters. (…).
DRY COLUMN – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 3:Furthermore, buildings with more than seven stories above ground level must be equipped with dry risers in accordance with the provisions of Article 98.
DRY COLUMN – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 98: Dwellings in categories B and B must have a 65 mm dry riser per staircase. This dry riser must be equipped with a 40 mm outlet per floor, or a double 40 mm outlet in the case of floors serving duplex or triplex units. However, this is not mandatory in multi-family residential buildings in category B with a maximum of seven stories above the ground floor, and designed so that ground-floor access to the entrance hall(s) is via the ladders defined in Article 4 above. Dry risers must comply with current French standards, and their outlets must be located inside the vestibules, where they exist. The dry riser supply connection must be located no more than 60 meters from a standardized water supply point accessible via a usable access route, situated along a road accessible to fire engines and meeting the specifications of Article 4 above. Water supply points must be located no more than 5 meters from the edge of the roadway or the fire engine parking area.
EMERGENCY LIGHTING – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 27: The "protected" staircase must: – be served on each level by a protected horizontal circulation route, with which it communicates only through a single exit; – not contain any shafts, hoppers, pipes, garbage chutes, access to various rooms, or elevators, with the exception of its own electrical lighting conduits, dry risers, water pipes and downpipes, metal pipes, and gas pipes referred to in Article 54; – have electrical lighting consisting either of a branch circuit directly from the main distribution board (without passing through basements) and selectively protected, or of self-contained, non-permanent emergency lighting units conforming to the relevant French standards. The installation of the self-contained emergency lighting units referred to above is mandatory in the staircases of dwellings in the fourth category. Non-recessed conduits must be classified as category C2 ([*]. NOTE: (*]) As defined in standard NFC 32 070
FIRE EXTINGUISHER – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 96: Firefighting resources must be provided and include: 1° For all parks: – portable fire extinguishers distributed at a rate of one device per fifteen vehicles. These fire extinguishers (1) must be either alternatively of types 13 A or 21 B, or multipurpose of type 13 A – 21 B; NOTE: (1) Compliant with the relevant French standards.
SIGNAGE – Decree of 31 January 1986 concerning the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 100: The owner, or their designated representative, is required to post the following in entrance halls, near stairwells and elevators: Fire safety instructions; and floor plans of the basement and ground floor. Specific fire safety instructions for each type of building must also be posted in parking areas, if any, near stairwells and elevators. At a minimum, the following information must be included on the fire plans: – the location of main partitions and basement corridors; – the location of exits, internal passageways, or courtyards providing access to the exterior of the building; – the location of elevators and freight elevators, with their access points; – the location of garbage rooms and receptacles, if a garbage chute exists; – the location of emergency equipment, including dry riser outlets and smoke extraction controls.
EXTRACTOR – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 89: The ventilation system must be designed and constructed in such a way that the flow rates achieved and the locations of the exhaust and, where applicable, supply vents effectively prevent the stagnation, even localized, of harmful or flammable gases. In the event of a fire, smoke extraction from the parking facility is ensured by the ventilation systems referred to in this article. Parking facility ventilation may be natural or mechanical. When the parking facility has several levels, ventilation must be mechanical on the levels below the reference level, except in specific cases where each level has large openings to the outside air on two opposite sides. In the case of natural ventilation, the upper and lower ventilation openings must each have a minimum cross-section of six square decimeters per vehicle. In the case of mechanical ventilation, the requirement is deemed to be met if the aforementioned ventilation provides an air exchange rate of 600 cubic meters per hour per car. This system may operate only when the parking facility is in use. In the case of mechanical ventilation, priority manual controls, selective by level, allowing the fans to be stopped and restarted must be installed near access points usable by emergency and fire services. Their locations must be clearly marked so they are easily identifiable day and night. The fans must normally operate in smoke at 200°C for one hour. The fans must be supplied with power via a branch circuit directly from the main electrical panel and be selectively protected.
BAC – Decree of 31 January 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 96:– at each level a crate of one hundred litres of loose sand equipped with a round-bottomed bucket and placed near the traffic ramp; ;
DRY COLUMN – Decree of 10 September 1970 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 20: Buildings where the lowest floor of the top level is located more than 28 meters above ground level must have: One dry riser per staircase; A priority call system for at least one elevator per battery, designed to make these devices available to firefighters upon their arrival on the scene.
ALARM – Decree of January 31, 1986 relating to the protection of residential buildings against fire – Article 95:The detection and alarm systems must consist of: 1. An automatic fire detection system installed: – from the third level if the parking facility has four or five levels below the reference level and is not equipped with an automatic fire suppression system; – on all levels if the parking facility has at least six levels below the reference level. This detection system must be connected: – either to a security station specific to the parking facility; – or to a caretaker's or concierge's office in the residential building(s) to which the parking facility is attached; – or to a signaling device in the building lobby if there is neither a security station nor a concierge. 2. A telephone line to call the nearest fire department from the parking facility's security station or from the caretaker's or concierge's office mentioned above, if they exist. 3° A system enabling the alarm to be given to users of the park if the latter has more than four levels above the reference level or more than two levels below.
