MeyerFire
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • THE TOOLKIT
    • SUBMIT AN IDEA
    • BACKFLOW DATABASE*
    • CLEAN AGENT ESTIMATOR*
    • CLOUD CEILING CALCULATOR
    • DOMESTIC DEMAND*
    • FIRE FLOW CALCULATOR*
    • FIRE PUMP ANALYZER*
    • FIRE PUMP DATABASE*
    • FRICTION LOSS CALCULATOR
    • HANGER SPACER*
    • IBC TRANSLATOR*
    • K-FACTOR SELECTOR*
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('19 ONLY)
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('99-'22)*
    • LIQUIDS ANALYZER*
    • OBSTRUCTION CALCULATOR
    • OBSTRUCTIONS AGAINST WALL*
    • PLUMBING FIXTURE COUNTS
    • QUICK RESPONSE AREA REDUCTION
    • REMOTE AREA ANALYZER*
    • SPRINKLER DATABASE*
    • SPRINKLER FLOW*
    • SYSTEM ESTIMATOR*
    • TEST & DRAIN CALCULATOR
    • THRUST BLOCK CALCULATOR
    • TRAPEZE CALCULATOR
    • UNIT CONVERTER
    • VOLUME & COMPRESSOR CALCULATOR
    • WATER STORAGE*
    • WATER SUPPLY (US)
    • WATER SUPPLY (METRIC)
  • UNIVERSITY
    • ABOUT
    • CATALOG
    • CONTENT LIBRARY
  • PE Exam
    • PE Forum & Errata
    • PE Store
    • PE Tools
    • PE Prep Series
    • PE 100-Day Marathon
  • LOGIN
  • PRICING
    • SOFTWARE & TRAINING
    • STORE
  • THE CAUSE
    • ABOUT US
    • BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR
    • HELP/SUPPORT
Picture

What is a Business Occupancy?

3/15/2023

0 Comments

 
MeyerFire University | LS101.10
By Chris Campbell, PE
SUMMARY
  • One-Page Summary [PDF]

CODE & STANDARD REFERENCES
  • IBC – 2021: Section 304.1 Definition of Business Occupancy (with examples)
  • IBC – 2021: Section 303.1.2 Small Assembly spaces that quality as Business Occupancies
  • IBC – 2021: Section 311.1.1 Small storage areas as accessory to Business Occupancies

TRANSCRIPT

What is a Business Occupancy? 

INTRODUCTION 

A Business occupancy, also known as a Group B occupancy, is an occupancy involving “the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, for office, professional or service-type transactions, including storage of records and accounts” as written in IBC Section 304.1. 

More simply stated, a business occupancy involves a space used for business purposes. 

Unlike other occupancy types, the IBC does not divide Business occupancies into sub-types, so all Business occupancies are under the “Group B” designation. The IBC does provide a list of examples of Group B occupancies but note that this is not an exhaustive list. There can certainly be other types of business activities that would still be considered a Group B occupancy.

EXAMPLES OF GROUP B OCCUPANCIES

The example list includes: Airport traffic control towers, Ambulatory care facilities, Animal hospitals, Banks, Barber or beauty shops, Car washes, Civic administration facilities, outpatient clinics, Dry cleaning and laundries, pick-up and delivery stations, Educational occupancies for students above the 12th grade, Electronic data processing facilities, Small Food processing establishments, testing and research laboratories, Motor vehicle showrooms, Post offices, Print shops, Professional service facilities, Radio and television stations, Telephone exchanges, and Training and skill development facilities that are not in a school or academic program. 

In addition to this list, there are a few additional situations where business occupancy may be present.

SMALL ASSEMBLY USE SPACES

As described in the Assembly occupancy video, small assembly spaces with an occupant load of less than 50 or with an area less than 750 SF are considered Group B occupancies. This is true even if the room or spaces are used for assembly purposes. Note that the occupant load factor for such rooms is based on IBC Table 1004.5, which is based on the function of the space and not the occupancy classification. 

So a 500 SF conference room located within a Business occupancy would not be considered an assembly occupancy, but rather part of the Business occupancy.

But you would still apply the occupant load factor of 1 person per 15 net square feet from IBC Table 1004.5 for Assembly: Tables and Chairs functions. 

Another common misconception is classroom spaces for students above the 12th grade.  

EDUCATIONAL CLASSROOMS

Even if such a room has the name education in the title, it is not a Group E occupancy. Rather, it would be a Group B occupancy for a typical classroom and a Group A-3 occupancy for a larger lecture hall. 

And finally, many designers make the mistake of classifying small storage rooms within a business occupancy as a separate Group S storage occupancy.  

STORAGE AREAS

The code has a specific provision for this situation in Section 311.1.1, which states that “A room or space used for storage purposes that is accessory to another occupancy shall be classified as part of that occupancy.” So those small storage rooms within a business space can just be considered part of the business occupancy and should not be considered a Group S occupancy. 

SUMMARY

So, what is a business occupancy?  

In short, it is a building, structure or space used for office, professional or service-type transactions. The IBC provides a lengthy list of examples of business occupancy, and remember that all business occupancies are within the same Group B designation. Remember that small spaces used for assembly purposes are often classified as business occupancies as well. 

I am Chris Campbell, this is MeyerFire University.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Sentry Page Protection
    Please Wait...

    FULL CATALOG

    SEARCH

    FILTER BY:

    All
    By: Aaron Johnson
    By: Al Yakel
    By: Ben Brooks
    By: Chris Campbell
    By: Chris Logan
    By: David Stacy
    By: Edward Henderson
    By: Franck Orset
    By: Joe Meyer
    By: Kelsey Longmoore
    By: Steve Frederick
    By: Steven Barrett
    By: Tyler Mobley
    Category: Business
    Category: Documents
    Category: Fire Alarm
    Category: Fundamentals
    Category: Life Safety
    Category: Smoke Control
    Category: Suppression
    Category: Tools
    Course
    Crossword
    Exercise
    Level: Advanced
    Level: Intermediate
    Level: Introductory
    On-Demand Course
    Simulation
    Workshop

    ARCHIVES:

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021

    INSTRUCTORS:

    Aaron Johnson, CFEI
    Al Yakel, SET
    ​Chris Campbell, PE
    ​Chris Logan, CFPS, RSE
    ​
    David Stacy, PE
    Ed Henderson, PE
    ​Franck Orset
    Joe Meyer, PE
    Steve Frederick

    RSS Feed

Picture
​Home
Our Cause
The Blog
The Forum
PE Exam Prep
The Toolkit

MeyerFire University
​Pricing
Login
​Support
Contact Us
Picture

MeyerFire.com is a startup community built to help fire protection professionals shine.
Our goal is to improve fire protection practices worldwide. We promote the industry by creating helpful tools and resources, and by bringing together industry professionals to share their expertise.

​MeyerFire, LLC is an International Code Council Preferred Education Provider.

All text, images, and media ​Copyright © 2023 MeyerFire, LLC

We respect your privacy and personal data. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 
The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author and do not represent the opinions of any other party, nor does the presented material assume responsibility for its use. Fire protection and life safety systems constitute a critical component for public health and safety and you should consult with a licensed professional for proper design and code adherence.

Discussions are solely for the purpose of peer review and the exchange of ideas. All comments are reviewed. Comments which do not contribute, are not relevant, are spam, or are disrespectful in nature may be removed. Information presented and opinions expressed should not be relied upon as a replacement for consulting services. Some (not all) outbound links on this website, such as Amazon links, are affiliate-based where we receive a small commission for orders placed elsewhere.

  • Blog
  • Forum
  • THE TOOLKIT
    • SUBMIT AN IDEA
    • BACKFLOW DATABASE*
    • CLEAN AGENT ESTIMATOR*
    • CLOUD CEILING CALCULATOR
    • DOMESTIC DEMAND*
    • FIRE FLOW CALCULATOR*
    • FIRE PUMP ANALYZER*
    • FIRE PUMP DATABASE*
    • FRICTION LOSS CALCULATOR
    • HANGER SPACER*
    • IBC TRANSLATOR*
    • K-FACTOR SELECTOR*
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('19 ONLY)
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('99-'22)*
    • LIQUIDS ANALYZER*
    • OBSTRUCTION CALCULATOR
    • OBSTRUCTIONS AGAINST WALL*
    • PLUMBING FIXTURE COUNTS
    • QUICK RESPONSE AREA REDUCTION
    • REMOTE AREA ANALYZER*
    • SPRINKLER DATABASE*
    • SPRINKLER FLOW*
    • SYSTEM ESTIMATOR*
    • TEST & DRAIN CALCULATOR
    • THRUST BLOCK CALCULATOR
    • TRAPEZE CALCULATOR
    • UNIT CONVERTER
    • VOLUME & COMPRESSOR CALCULATOR
    • WATER STORAGE*
    • WATER SUPPLY (US)
    • WATER SUPPLY (METRIC)
  • UNIVERSITY
    • ABOUT
    • CATALOG
    • CONTENT LIBRARY
  • PE Exam
    • PE Forum & Errata
    • PE Store
    • PE Tools
    • PE Prep Series
    • PE 100-Day Marathon
  • LOGIN
  • PRICING
    • SOFTWARE & TRAINING
    • STORE
  • THE CAUSE
    • ABOUT US
    • BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR
    • HELP/SUPPORT