SB0046 Enrolled

LRB094 04081 RXD 34101 b






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    AN ACT concerning safety.

 
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    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
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represented in the General Assembly:


 
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    Section 5. The Public Building Egress Act is amended by 
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adding Section 1.5 as follows:
 
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    (425 ILCS 55/1.5 new)

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    Sec. 1.5. Stairwell door access.
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    (a) Stairwell enclosures in buildings greater than 4 
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stories shall comply with one of the following requirements:
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        (1) No stairwell enclosure door shall be locked at any 
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    time in order to provide re-entry from the stair enclosure 
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    to the interior of the building; or
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        (2) Stairwell enclosure doors that are locked shall be 
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    equipped with an electronic lock release system that is 
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    activated upon loss of power, manually by a single switch 
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    accessible to building management or firefighting 
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    personnel, and automatically by activation of the 
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    building's fire alarm system.
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    A telephone or other two-way communications system 
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connected to an approved constantly attended location shall be 
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provided on not less than every fifth floor in each stairway 
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where the doors to the stairway are locked.  If this option is 
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selected, the building must comply with these requirements by 
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January 1, 2006.
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    (b) Regardless of which option is selected under subsection 
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(a) of this Section, stairwell enclosure doors at the main 
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egress level of the building shall remain unlocked from the 
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stairwell enclosure side at all times.
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    (c) Building owners that select the option under paragraph 
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(2) of subsection (a) of this Section must comply with the 
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following requirements during the time necessary to install a 
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lock release system and the two-way communication system:
 


 






SB0046 Enrolled
- 2 -
LRB094 04081 RXD 34101 b




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        (1) Re-entry into the building interior shall be 
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    possible at all times on the highest story or second 
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    highest story, whichever allows access to another exit 
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    stair;
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        (2) There shall not be more than 4 stories intervening 
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    between stairwell enclosure doors that provides access to 
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    another exit stair;
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        (3) Doors allowing re-entry shall be identified as such 
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    on the stair side of the door;
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        (4) Doors not allowing re-entry shall be provided with 
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    a sign on the stair side indicating the location of the 
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    nearest exit, in each direction of travel that allows 
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    re-entry; and
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        (5) The information required to be posted on the door 
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    under paragraphs (3) and (4) of this subsection (c), shall 
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    be posted at eye level and at the bottom of the door.
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    (d) Nothing in this Section applies to any stairwell 
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enclosure door that opens directly into a dwelling unit, 
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provided the dwelling unit door has a self-closer, latch, and 
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no self-locking hardware.  Where all doors in the stairwell meet 
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these criteria, the stairwell shall be provided with either a 
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two-way communication system or readily operable windows on 
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each landing or intermediate landing.    
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    (e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e), a home 
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rule unit may not regulate stairwell door access in a manner 
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less restrictive than the regulation by the State of stairwell 
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door access under this Act. This subsection (e) is a limitation 
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under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the 
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Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule 
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units of powers and functions exercised by the State.
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    (e) This Section does not apply in a home rule municipality 
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that, on or before January 1, 2005, has passed an ordinance 
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regulating building access from stairwell enclosures in 
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buildings that are more than  4 stories in height.