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.