481—61.4 (135C) Typical construction. This rule contains construction requirements that are typical in all areas of the building.
	 61.4(1) Details and finishes shall provide a high degree of safety for the occupants by minimizing the opportunity for accidents. Hazards such as sharp corners shall be avoided. (III)
	 61.4(2) Minimum exit corridor widths shall be 8 feet in new construction and not less than 4 feet for renovated facilities or as approved by the department. Corridors in adjunct areas not intended for the housing of or use by residents may be a minimum of 6 feet in width. (III) Handrails may project into corridors.
	 61.4(3) Drinking fountains, telephone booths, vending machines or similar items shall not project into the required width of any corridor. (III)
	 61.4(4) Minimum width doors to all rooms which need access for beds or stretchers shall be at least 3 feet 8 inches. Doors to resident toilet rooms and other rooms which need access for wheelchairs shall have a minimum clear opening width of at least 32 inches. (III)
	 61.4(5) Handrails shall be provided on both sides of corridors and stairways used by residents. There shall be a clear distance of 1½ inches between handrail and wall. (III)
	  a.   	 Handrails shall be mounted with the top surfaces 31 to 34 inches above the finished floor. (III) (Exception 2)
	  b.   	 The end of handrails shall return to the wall. (III) (Exception 2)
	 61.4(6) Stairs, stair landings, balconies, ramps and aisles located along the edge of open-sided floors and mezzanines shall have guards to prevent falls over the open side. (III)
	  a.   	 The heights of guards shall be at least 42 inches. (Exception 4)
	  b.   	 Open guards shall have intermediate rails or an ornamental pattern so a sphere 6 inches in diameter cannot pass through. (Exception 4)
	 61.4(7) Landings shall be provided at the top and the bottom of each stair run. There shall be an approved landing which complies with 5-2.2.4.3 of the 1985 Life Safety Code between the top step and the doorway regardless of the direction of the door swing. (III) (Exception 2)
	 61.4(8) Toilet and bath facilities shall have an aggregate outside window area of at least 4 square feet. Facilities which have a system of mechanical ventilation are exempt from this regulation. (III)
	 61.4(9) No doors shall swing into the exit corridor except doors to spaces such as small closets which are not subject to entry, resident bedroom doors as indicated in subrule 61.5(7), paragraph “j,” or those required by the state fire marshal. (III)
	 61.4(10) All doors, except elevator doors, opening from corridors shall be swing-type. (III)
	 61.4(11) Mirrors shall be provided in toilet rooms and resident bathrooms.
	  a.   	 Mirrors in resident bathrooms or toilet rooms shall be arranged for convenient use by residents in wheelchairs as well as by residents in a standing position. (III)
	  b.   	 The bottom of the mirror shall be no more than 40 inches above the floor. (III) (Exception 3)
	 61.4(12) All lavatories shall have paper towel dispensers. (III)
	 61.4(13) Screens of 16 mesh per square inch shall be provided at all exterior openings and in any exterior door that is normally left open. (III)
	 61.4(14) Screen doors shall swing outward and be self-closing. At the discretion of the state fire marshal, screens for fire doors may swing in. (III)
	 61.4(15) Fire escape or porch railings and protected barrier enclosures shall be designed to resist a horizontal thrust of 50 pounds per running foot of railing. (III)
	 61.4(16) Exposed heating pipes, hot water pipes, or radiators in rooms and areas used by or within reach of residents shall be covered or protected to prevent injury or burns. (II, III)
	 61.4(17) All fans located within 7 feet of the floor shall be approved by Underwriters’ Laboratories Inc.	(UL) and shall have a guard with no greater than ½-inch spacing in one direction. (III)
	 61.4(18) Finishes shall be as follows:
	  a.   	 Floors shall be easy to clean and shall have wear resistance appropriate to the location involved. Floors in kitchens and related spaces shall be waterproof and nonabsorbent. In all areas where floors are subject to wetting, they shall have a slip-resistant finish. (III)
	  b.   	 Ceilings shall be washable or easy to clean. (III) This requirement does not apply to boiler rooms, mechanical and building equipment rooms, shops or similar spaces.
	  c.   	 Ceilings in the dietary and food preparation areas shall be cleanable and have a finished covering over all pipe and duct work. (III) (Exception 2)
	  d.   	 Ceilings shall be acoustically treated in nursing areas, day rooms, dining rooms, recreation areas, waiting areas and corridors in resident areas. (III)
	  e.   	 Wall assemblies shall present cleanable and continuous surfaces to the interior of resident rooms and corridors. (III) (Exception 4)
	 61.4(19) Partition, floor and ceiling construction in resident areas shall comply with noise reduction criteria in the following table. The requirements set forth in this table assume installation methods which will not appreciably reduce the efficiency of the assembly as tested. Location of electrical receptacles, grills, duct work, other mechanical items, and blocking and sealing of partitions at floors and ceilings shall not compromise the sound isolation required. (III)
Table 1

(Exception 2)	Airborne Sound Transmission Class
(STC)*	
 	Partitions	Floors	
Resident’s room to resident’s room	35	35	
Corridor to resident’s room	35	35	
Public space to resident’s room**	40	40	
Service areas to resident’s room***	50	50	
*Sound transmission (STC) shall be determined by tests in accordance with methods set forth in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E 90 and ASTM Standard E 413.
**Public space includes lobbies, dining rooms, recreation rooms, treatment rooms and similar places.
***Service areas include kitchens, elevators, elevator machine rooms, laundries, garages, maintenance rooms, boiler and mechanical equipment rooms, and similar spaces of high noise. Mechanical equipment located on the same floor or above residents’ rooms, offices, nurses’ stations, and similar occupied spaces shall be effectively isolated from the floor.
	 61.4(20) The following ceiling heights are required:
	  a.   	 Corridors, storage rooms, residents’ toilet rooms, and other minor rooms—not less than 7 feet 6 inches; (III) (Exception 2)
	  b.   	 Boiler room—not less than 2 feet 6 inches above the main boiler header and connecting piping with adequate headroom under piping for maintenance and access; (III) (Exception 2)
	  c.   	 All other rooms—not less than 8 feet; (III) (Exception 2)
	  d.   	 Ceiling-mounted equipment, luminaries, suspended tracks, or rails and pipes located in the path of normal traffic shall be not less than 6 feet 8 inches above the floor; (III) (Exception 3)
	  e.   	 Boiler rooms, food preparation centers, and laundries shall be insulated and ventilated to prevent any floor surface above from exceeding 10°F above the ambient room temperatures. (III)
	 61.4(21) Doors, sidelights, and windows in which the glazing extends below 31 inches from the floor shall have a horizontal mullion or railing 31 to 34 inches above the finished floor. Those shall be safety glass, plastic glazing material, or wire glass when required by the state fire marshal. (III) (Exception 4) All replacement glass shall meet this standard. (III)
	 61.4(22) All sheet plastic and molded plastic insulation in living spaces, attics, and crawl spaces shall be covered with an approved thermal barrier. The thermal barrier shall be constructed of materials with no less than the fire protection qualities of ½-inch fire-resistant gypsum board or as accepted by Uniform Building Code (UBC) Sec.	1712(b)2, 1985 Edition. (III)
	 61.4(23) Thresholds shall be low profile, and expansion joint covers shall be flush with the floor surface to facilitate the use of wheelchairs and carts. (III)