Background: The provisions of the Borough of Doylestown Code of Ordinance and the PAUCC shall control the requirements for bedrooms and sleeping rooms.

Definitions: Bedroom means any room that is used for sleeping purposes. Sleeping room means any room used for sleeping without regard to whether that is the primary or intended purpose of the room.

Bedroom or Sleeping Room Requirements

Room dimensions: Bedrooms must have a minimum of 70 square feet clear floor area. Bedrooms may not be less than 7 feet in any dimension, and must have a ceiling that is at least 7 foot high. In bedrooms with sloped ceilings at least 50 percent of the floor space must have 7 foot high ceilings and any floor area with less than 5 foot high ceilings is not counted towards the necessary 70 square foot of floor space. All bedrooms and sleeping rooms must be finished spaces separated from unfinished spaces.

Room Access: Bedrooms must be accessible from a hallway or common area. An area that requires a person to travel through a bathroom or another bedroom to enter and exit the room is not permitted to be used as a bedroom.

Light and Ventilation :All bedrooms must have at least one operable window with screens. The total area of windows must be at least 8 percent of the floor area. For rooms with no window you must contact code enforcement to check the light and ventilation requirements.

Room Egress: A bedroom must have two means of egress. The normal doorway ingress and egress plus a second emergency egress. If a window serves as the second egress it must be:

  • 5.7 square foot (820.8 square inches) of clear open space
  • No less than 20 inches wide
  • No less than 24 inches high

This means that a 20 inch wide window will need to be over 41 inches high. A 24 inch high window will need to be over 34 inches wide. Note that these measurements are for the clear unobstructed space. All doorways and windows must be operable from the inside without a key, excessive force, or special knowledge.

Smoke Alarms: All bedrooms and sleeping rooms must have at least one smoke alarm.

The information provided in this guide is intended only to assist residents in understanding the code requirements for bedrooms. It is not a complete recitation of the code. Property owners should consult the Doylestown Borough Code of Ordinance for answers to specific questions.