Public Act 094-0630
 
SB0046 Enrolled LRB094 04081 RXD 34101 b

    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Public Building Egress Act is amended by
adding Section 1.5 as follows:
 
    (425 ILCS 55/1.5 new)
    Sec. 1.5. Stairwell door access.
    (a) Stairwell enclosures in buildings greater than 4
stories shall comply with one of the following requirements:
        (1) No stairwell enclosure door shall be locked at any
    time in order to provide re-entry from the stair enclosure
    to the interior of the building; or
        (2) Stairwell enclosure doors that are locked shall be
    equipped with an electronic lock release system that is
    activated upon loss of power, manually by a single switch
    accessible to building management or firefighting
    personnel, and automatically by activation of the
    building's fire alarm system.
    A telephone or other two-way communications system
connected to an approved constantly attended location shall be
provided on not less than every fifth floor in each stairway
where the doors to the stairway are locked. If this option is
selected, the building must comply with these requirements by
January 1, 2006.
    (b) Regardless of which option is selected under subsection
(a) of this Section, stairwell enclosure doors at the main
egress level of the building shall remain unlocked from the
stairwell enclosure side at all times.
    (c) Building owners that select the option under paragraph
(2) of subsection (a) of this Section must comply with the
following requirements during the time necessary to install a
lock release system and the two-way communication system:
        (1) Re-entry into the building interior shall be
    possible at all times on the highest story or second
    highest story, whichever allows access to another exit
    stair;
        (2) There shall not be more than 4 stories intervening
    between stairwell enclosure doors that provides access to
    another exit stair;
        (3) Doors allowing re-entry shall be identified as such
    on the stair side of the door;
        (4) Doors not allowing re-entry shall be provided with
    a sign on the stair side indicating the location of the
    nearest exit, in each direction of travel that allows
    re-entry; and
        (5) The information required to be posted on the door
    under paragraphs (3) and (4) of this subsection (c), shall
    be posted at eye level and at the bottom of the door.
    (d) Nothing in this Section applies to any stairwell
enclosure door that opens directly into a dwelling unit,
provided the dwelling unit door has a self-closer, latch, and
no self-locking hardware. Where all doors in the stairwell meet
these criteria, the stairwell shall be provided with either a
two-way communication system or readily operable windows on
each landing or intermediate landing.    
    (e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e), a home
rule unit may not regulate stairwell door access in a manner
less restrictive than the regulation by the State of stairwell
door access under this Act. This subsection (e) is a limitation
under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the
Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule
units of powers and functions exercised by the State.
    (e) This Section does not apply in a home rule municipality
that, on or before January 1, 2005, has passed an ordinance
regulating building access from stairwell enclosures in
buildings that are more than 4 stories in height.