11.5 Type C (Visitable) Units and Units with Communication Features
Key Takeaways
Type C (Visitable) units, new in A117.1-2017, need one unit entrance on a circulation path from a street, sidewalk, driveway or garage, and an entrance level with a toilet room and a 70 square foot habitable space.
The Type C circulation path is 36 inches wide with doorways of 31 3/4 inches, and the toilet room needs a lavatory, a water closet with Type B clearances and grab bar reinforcement.
IBC Chapter 11 does not require Type C units; they apply only where a jurisdiction or other regulation scopes them.
Units with communication features extend building fire alarm wiring into the unit, use visible appliances that comply with 702 and do no other duty, and have a hard-wired doorbell and a 180-degree peephole or other visitor identification.
IBC 907.5.2.3 drives the count: I-1 and R-1 facilities use Table 907.5.2.3.2 for units with visible alarms, and every R-2 unit with a required fire alarm system must be able to support visible appliances.
11.5 Type C (Visitable) Units and Units with Communication Features
The Dwelling and Sleeping Units subtopic on the ICC 21 outline reads: "Verify that Accessible dwelling units, Type A units, Type B units, & Type C units, comply with accessibility code provisions." Type C units and units with communication features are smaller topics, but they are the most likely to be missed.
Type C (Visitable) Units (A117.1 Section 1105)
A117.1 Section 102.1 explains that Section 1105 provides criteria for minimal accessibility features for one- and two-family dwelling units and townhouses that are not covered by the HUD Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines. The concept is visitability: a visitor who uses a wheelchair can enter the home, use a bathroom and spend time in a room on the entrance level.
The IBC does not require Type C units. A117.1 Section 1101.1 applies Chapter 11 to units "required by the scoping provisions adopted by the administrative authority" to be Type C units. A jurisdiction may adopt such scoping locally or through other programs. On the exam, apply the Section 1105 technical criteria when a question says a unit is required to be a Type C unit.
| Item | Section | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Unit entrance | 1105.2 | At least one unit entrance on a circulation path from a public street or sidewalk, a dwelling unit driveway, or a garage |
| Connected spaces | 1105.3 | The circulation path connects the entrance with the interior spaces in 1105.4 |
| Interior spaces | 1105.4 | The entrance level includes a toilet room or bathroom and one habitable space of 70 sq ft minimum; a food preparation area on the entrance level complies with 1105.7; no toilet room required on an entrance level with less than 120 sq ft of habitable space |
| Circulation path components | 1105.5.1 | Walking surfaces not steeper than 1:20, doors and doorways, ramps, elevators (407 to 409) and platform lifts (410) |
| Walking surfaces | 1105.5.2 | Changes in level per 303; clear width 36 in. |
| Doorways | 1105.5.3 | Clear opening 31 3/4 in. (face of door to stop, door open 90 degrees); thresholds per 303, exterior sliding door thresholds up to 3/4 in. beveled |
| Ramps | 1105.5.4 | Comply with 405, but handrails, intermediate landings and edge protection are not required where the ramp sides drop 1/2 in. maximum within 10 in.; width per 403.5 |
| Toilet room | 1105.6 | At least a lavatory and a water closet; reinforcement for future grab bars at the water closet; water closet clearances per the Type B criteria (1104.11.3.1.2) |
| Food preparation area | 1105.7 | At least a sink, a cooking appliance and a refrigerator; 40 in. between opposing elements (36 in. where no cooktop or range is provided) |
| Lighting controls and outlets | 1105.8 | 15 to 48 in. above the floor, except dedicated-use outlets, ceiling fan and light controls, floor outlets, and controls and outlets over countertops |
Units with Communication Features (A117.1 Section 1106)
These features serve residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the 2009 edition they were Section 1006; in 2017 they are Section 1106.
| Item | Section | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Unit smoke detection | 1106.2 | Where provided, includes audible notification per NFPA 72 |
| Building fire alarm system | 1106.3 | Where a building fire alarm system is provided, its wiring is extended to a point within the unit near the unit smoke detection system |
| Visible notification appliances | 1106.4 | Where provided, comply with 702; activated by unit smoke detection (smoke appliances) or by the building alarm in the portion of the building containing the unit; the same appliances may serve both; they may not be used for any other purpose |
| Unit primary entrance notification | 1106.5.1 | A hard-wired electric doorbell, with a button on the public side producing an audible tone in the unit; where visible doorbell signals are in sleeping areas, controls to deactivate them |
| Visitor identification | 1106.5.2 | A means to see a visitor without opening the door; peepholes provide a 180-degree view |
| Remote entry systems | 1106.6 | Where a voice system at a site, building or floor entrance communicates with units, the public interface supports voice and TTY, and the unit interface has a telephone jack supporting voice and TTY |
| Closed-circuit systems | 1106.7 | Where provided, the public interface complies with 1106.6.1 and the unit interface in units required to have communication features complies with 1106.6.2 |
Where They Are Required (IBC 907.5.2.3)
- Groups I-1 and R-1: the number of units with visible alarms activated by both the in-room smoke alarm and the building fire alarm system follows Table 907.5.2.3.2 (2 units for 6 to 25 units, 12 for 101 to 150, 5% for 501 to 1,000, and so on; see Section 8.1).
- Group R-2 with a fire alarm system required by Section 907: all dwelling and sleeping units have the capability to support visible alarm notification appliances in accordance with A117.1 Chapter 11, so a future resident can have appliances connected without rewiring.
- Detention cells with communication features follow A117.1 806.3 (visible alarms where audible alarms serve the cells and inmates have independent egress; volume-control telephones).
Comparing the Unit Types
| Feature | Accessible (1102) | Type A (1103) | Type B (1104) | Type C (1105) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who scopes it | IBC 1108 | IBC 1108 (R-2 apartments) | IBC 1108 | Local or other regulation |
| Doors within the unit | 32 in. (404) | 32 in. (404) | 31 3/4 in. | 31 3/4 in. on the path |
| Clear floor space | 30 x 52 (new) | 30 x 52 (new) | 30 x 48 | - |
| Grab bars | Installed | Reinforcement | Reinforcement | Reinforcement at water closet |
| Kitchen | 804 | 1103.12 | 1104.12 | 1105.7 (40 in.) |
| Extent | Whole unit | Whole unit | Whole unit (with exceptions) | Entrance level only |
Under ICC A117.1-2017 Section 1105.4, what must the entrance level of a Type C (Visitable) unit include?
A full kitchen and a bedroom on the entrance level
A toilet room and one 70-square-foot habitable space
A roll-in shower and a 120-square-foot living room on that level
Only an accessible entrance door
In a unit required to have communication features, what does ICC A117.1 Section 1106.3 require where a building fire alarm system is provided?
A strobe in every room of the unit
A separate battery-powered alarm installed in each bedroom of the unit
Building alarm wiring extended into the unit near its smoke detection
A direct monitored connection from the unit to the fire department
Which statement about Type C (Visitable) units is correct for the 2021 and 2024 IBC?
The IBC requires Type C units in every Group R-3 occupancy with four or more units
Type C units replace Type B units in R-2 apartments
Type C units must have a roll-in shower
The IBC does not scope them; A117.1 1105 applies where adopted rules require
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.