PART 9 — HOUSING AND SMALL BUILDINGSUpdated for the 2024 Ontario Building Code

9.9.12.3.Emergency Lighting

(1) Emergency lighting shall be provided in (a) exits, (b) principal routes providing access to exit in an open floor area, (c) corridors used by the public, (d) underground walkways, and (e) public corridors. (2) Emergency lighting required in Sentence (1) shall be provided from a source of energy separate from the electrical supply for the building. (3) Lighting required in Sentence (1) shall be designed to be automatically actuated for a period of at least 30 min when the electric lighting in the affected area is interrupted. (4) Illumination from lighting required in Sentence (1) shall be provided to average levels of not less than 10 lx at floor or tread level. (5) The minimum value of the illumination required by Sentence (4) shall be not less than 1 1x. (6) Where incandescent lighting is provided, lighting equal to 1 W/m² of floor area shall be considered to meet the requirement in Sentence (4). (7) Where self-contained emergency lighting units are used, they shall conform to CSA C22.2 No. 141, “Emergency lighting equipment.”

Understand this provision in seconds

BUILDAiD Assist explains any article of the building code in plain English — with exact citations, exceptions and related requirements.

Try BUILDAiD Beta

Code text is reproduced for reference from the Ontario Building Code (O. Reg. 163/24, 2024 Building Code Compendium). This page is provided for general information and is not an official copy. Always verify requirements against the official Ontario Building Code and confirm with your local building department.