Basement bedroom code compliance
If someone sleeps down there, the room needs a way out. Here's what that means for finishing projects, rentals and sales.
The residential code requires an emergency escape and rescue opening in every sleeping room, and each basement bedroom needs its own. That's the line between a basement bedroom and a basement room that just has a bed in it. It matters for your family's safety first, and then for permits, rentals, appraisals and resale.
Finishing a basement?
If your plans show a bedroom, the city plan reviewer will look for an egress window in it. Minnesota's code guidance says repairs and alterations to an existing basement don't trigger an escape opening, but a new sleeping room created in an existing basement must have one, unless the basement is fully sprinklered under the code's exception. Fargo's handout likewise expects every basement sleeping room to have its own opening.
What about older basement bedrooms?
Fargo's egress handout says existing windows are presumed to have met code when they were installed, and swapping one for the same size and style doesn't force an upgrade. Changing a bedroom window's rough opening or style does, and Fargo strongly recommends egress windows even where they aren't required. A basement bedroom that was added without a permit is a different story.
Renting out a basement room?
A tenant sleeping in a basement with no escape window is a serious safety risk and a liability. Before you list a basement room as a bedroom, make sure it has a compliant escape opening and working smoke alarms. Check with your city about any rental rules that apply.
Selling or buying?
Buyers and appraisers often ask whether basement bedrooms have egress. If a room is marketed as a bedroom and doesn't have a code-size escape window, expect questions. Adding one before you list, or negotiating it into the deal, is often simpler than explaining it.
How to tell if a room complies
- Open the window fully and measure the clear opening: at least 20 inches wide, 24 inches high, and 5 square feet total for a below-grade window
- Measure from the floor to the bottom of the opening: 44 inches or less (48 inches for below-grade openings in Fargo)
- Check the well: at least 36 by 36 inches, and a ladder if it's deeper than 44 inches
- Make sure any cover opens from inside without tools
The installer prices the job after seeing the wall, the yard and the room. We don't quote prices, and any number given over the phone before someone has looked at your foundation is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can a basement bedroom use a door instead of a window?
Yes, a side-hinged door or sliding door that opens to the outside, like a walkout, can serve as the escape opening. On flat Red River Valley lots, walkouts are uncommon, so a window is the usual answer.
Does every basement room need an egress window?
No. The code calls for at least one escape opening in the basement and one in each sleeping room. A family room or storage area doesn't need its own if the basement has one.
Related services
- Basement egress window installation
- Cutting and enlarging openings
- Window wells and ladders
- Window well covers
More background: Fargo egress window guide.
Finishing the basement or adding a bedroom down there?
Call now and a local egress window installer will help you plan the opening, the well and the permit.