OBC DIVISION B · PART 3 — FIRE PROTECTION, OCCUPANT SAFETY AND ACCESSIBILITYUpdated for the 2024 Ontario Building Code
Section 3.5 — Vertical Transportation
Full text of Section 3.5 (Vertical Transportation) — Division B, Part 3 (Fire Protection, Occupant Safety and Accessibility) of the 2024 Ontario Building Code, with every article reproduced below.
3.5.1.General
(1) This Section applies to vertical transportation facilities installed in a building, including elevators, escalators and
dumbwaiters.
(2) Elevators in a building within the scope of Subsection 3.2.6. shall conform to Articles 3.2.6.4. and 3.2.6.5.
3.5.2.Elevator Requirements
3.5.2.1.Required Elevator permalink →
(1) Except as provided in Sentence (2), in a Group B, Division 2 or 3 occupancy, if sleeping rooms or patient or resident
services are provided on more than one floor level and the floor levels are not connected by ramps conforming to Article
3.8.3.4., such floor levels shall be served by at least one elevator that is large enough to accommodate a stretcher in a
horizontal position.
(2) Sentence (1) does not apply to those parts of a floor area classified as a Group B, Division 3 occupancy if
(a) those portions of the floor area contain sleeping accommodation for not more than 10 persons, and
(b) not more than six occupants require assistance in evacuating in the case of an emergency.
3.5.2.2.Barrier-Free Design permalink →
(1) Passenger elevators shall conform to Appendix E of ASME A17.1 / CSA B44, “Safety Code for Elevators and
Escalators.”
3.5.3.Fire Separations
3.5.3.1.Fire Separations for Elevator Hoistways permalink →
(1) Except as permitted by Sentence (2), a vertical service space used as an elevator hoistway shall be separated from
all other portions of each adjacent storey by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating conforming to Table 3.5.3.1.
for the fire-resistance rating required by Subsection 3.2.2. for
(a) the floor assembly above the storey, or
(b) the floor assembly below the storey, if there is no floor assembly above.
(2) Passenger elevators, other than those provided for firefighters in accordance with Article 3.2.6.5., are permitted to be
located within interconnected floor space without being enclosed in a hoistway separated from the remainder of the
building, provided the elevator machinery is located in a room separated from the remainder of the building by a fire
separation having a fire-resistance rating not less than that required for hoistways by Sentence (1).
Table 3.5.3.1.
Fire Separation for Vertical Transportation Space
Forming Part of Sentences 3.5.3.1.(1) and 3.5.3.2.(1)
Minimum Fire-Resistance Minimum Fire-Resistance
Fire-Resistance Rating of Fire Separation
Rating of Vertical Service Space for Rating of Vertical Service Space for
Required for Floor Assembly
Elevator Hoistway Dumbwaiters
less than 45 min 45 min ---
45 min 45 min 45 min
1h 1h 45 min
1.5 h 1h 1h
2 h or more 1.5 h 1h
This provision includes a table — formatting is preserved from the source; refer to the official code for the authoritative layout.
3.5.3.2.Vertical Service Spaces for Dumbwaiters permalink →
(1) A vertical service space containing a dumbwaiter shall be separated from all other portions of each adjacent storey
by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating conforming to Table 3.5.3.1. for the fire-resistance rating required by
Subsection 3.2.2. for
(a) the floor assembly above the storey, or
(b) the floor assembly below the storey, if there is no floor assembly above.
This provision includes a table — formatting is preserved from the source; refer to the official code for the authoritative layout.
3.5.3.3.Fire Separations for Elevator Machine Rooms permalink →
(1) Except as permitted by Sentence (2), a room containing elevator machinery shall be separated from all other parts of
the building by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating not less than that required for the vertical service space
containing the elevator hoistway.
(2) A room containing elevator machinery need not be separated from the elevator hoistway that it serves provided the
room and the hoistway are separated from all other parts of the building by a fire separation having a fire-resistance
rating not less than that required for the vertical service space containing the elevator hoistway.
3.5.4.Dimensions and Signs
3.5.4.1.Elevator Car Dimensions permalink →
(1) Except as provided in Sentence (2), if an elevator is installed to conform to the requirements of Article 3.3.1.7., or if
one or more elevators are provided in a building more than three storeys in building height, each storey having elevator
service shall be served by at least one elevator that has inside dimensions that will accommodate and provide adequate
access for a patient stretcher 2 010 mm long and 610 mm wide in the prone position. (See Note A-3.5.4.1.(1))
(2) The inside dimensions stipulated in Sentence (1) do not apply to limited-use/limited-application elevators designed
and installed in accordance with ASME A17.1 / CSA B44, “Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.”
(3) An elevator satisfying the requirements of Sentence (1) shall be clearly identified on the main entrance level of the
building.
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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.