If a building has occupiable levels extending to 80 feet above the lowest fire department access level, how is it classified?

If a building has occupiable levels extending to 80 feet above the lowest fire department access level, how is it classified?

• A. High-Rise Building
• B. Mid-Rise Building
• C. Low-Rise Building
• D. Skyscraper

Answer: (A)

Height above the lowest fire department access level is how these classifications are defined. The cutoff used in fire service practice is 75 feet. Since occupiable levels reach 80 feet above that access level, the building clearly exceeds the 75-foot threshold, placing it in the high-rise category. Mid-rise and low-rise describe shorter structures (roughly 35–75 feet and under 35 feet, respectively), and skyscraper is not a formal category used in standard fire-service classification. So it’s a high-rise building.

Height above the lowest fire department access level is how these classifications are defined. The cutoff used in fire service practice is 75 feet. Since occupiable levels reach 80 feet above that access level, the building clearly exceeds the 75-foot threshold, placing it in the high-rise category. Mid-rise and low-rise describe shorter structures (roughly 35–75 feet and under 35 feet, respectively), and skyscraper is not a formal category used in standard fire-service classification. So it’s a high-rise building.