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IBC Chapter 7 — Fire and Smoke Protection Features

Updated Mar 25, 2026
Fire-resistance-rated construction requirements: fire walls, fire barriers, fire partitions, smoke barriers, smoke partitions, horizontal assemblies, shaft enclosures, and opening protectives.

Section 703: Fire-resistance rating and testing — ratings determined by ASTM E119 or UL 263. Section 706: Fire walls — structural stability, minimum 2-hr rating (3-hr or 4-hr for certain occupancies). Each side independently stable. Section 707: Fire barriers — occupancy separations, shaft enclosures, exit enclosure walls. 1-hr minimum for most uses, 2-hr for occupancy separations, 2-hr for shafts in 4+ stories. Section 708: Fire partitions — corridor walls, dwelling unit separations. 1-hr in sprinklered buildings, 0.5-hr for certain dwellings. Section 709: Smoke barriers — continuous membrane, 1-hr rated, hospital smoke compartments. Section 710: Smoke partitions — corridor smoke, not required to be fire rated. Section 711: Horizontal assemblies — floor/ceiling and roof/ceiling assemblies maintaining fire resistance. Section 713: Shaft enclosures — 2-hr for shafts in 4+ stories, 1-hr for others. Section 716: Opening protectives — fire doors, fire shutters, fire windows rated by NFPA 252/257.

TAGS
IBCfire-wallfire-barrierfire-partitionsmoke-barriershaft-enclosureopening-protective
DETAILS
code year
2024
code system
IBC
code section
Chapter 7
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