Event organizers, venue managers and small business owners
Free occupant load calculator: floor area divided by the building code's load factor for standing, chairs or tables, plus the fixed-seat rule.
ePlan fills in
How it works
What you get
The check is free. The paperwork after it is drafted at the Special event permit door.
Modeled on: IBC Table 1004.5 as adopted locally (2021 Houston Building Code shown)
From public data
net per person is the load factor for an assembly space with tables and chairs, so a 2,400 sq ft room holds 160; standing room uses 5 sq ft
Source: Houston Permitting Center, 2021 Houston Building Code Table 1004.5
Describe the event and get the special event permit narrative, event safety plan and site layout notes your city asks for. Free to read.
Questions
Divide the floor area by the code's load factor for that use. In Houston's 2021 code table, assembly with tables and chairs uses 15 sq ft net per person, so 2,400 sq ft holds 160; chairs only use 7 and standing space 5. Your local code and fire marshal set the final number.
Where seating is fixed, the occupant load is the number of seats installed. Benches without dividing arms count one person per 18 inches of bench, and booth seating one person per 24 inches.
Yes, for exits. Santa Barbara County Fire's summary of the California Fire Code requires tent exits at least 0.2 inch wide per occupant, every point within 100 feet of an exit, and exit signs when the tent holds 50 or more people.
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Answer it and ePlan opens the Special event permit door, which drafts the paperwork.