Basement bedroom code compliance
Plenty of basement bedrooms around Sioux Falls were finished without a real escape window. Here's what it takes to fix one.
A room counts as a bedroom for safety purposes when someone sleeps in it, whatever the listing calls it. If that room is in a basement and the only window is a small hopper near the ceiling, there's no second way out if a fire blocks the stairs. Fixing it usually means adding or enlarging an egress window and well, and checking a few other items while the permit is open.
What does a basement bedroom need?
- An escape opening. Sioux Falls' adopted code requires at least 5.7 square feet of net clear opening, with the bottom no more than 48 inches above the floor, plus the model code's 24-inch minimum height and 20-inch minimum width.
- A usable well. At least 9 square feet of floor area under the model code, with a ladder or steps if it's deeper than 48 inches.
- Smoke alarms. When permitted alterations with a valuation over $1,000 are made, Sioux Falls requires smoke alarms located as they would be in a new home, including inside each sleeping room and outside sleeping areas, interconnected where more than one is required. Work limited to exterior items such as windows is an exception, so ask what your project triggers.
- Carbon monoxide alarms. Required under similar conditions for alterations, with some exceptions.
- Ceiling height. For new habitable basement space in an existing home, Sioux Falls' amendments set a minimum ceiling height of 6 feet.
Buying or selling a home?
Appraisers and home inspectors often note when a basement bedroom lacks egress. Buyers may ask for a repair or a credit, or they may treat the room as a bonus room. If you're selling, getting the window done with a permit before listing gives buyers a finaled permit to look at.
Renting out the basement?
Basement bedrooms in rentals carry the same life-safety stakes. Check with the City of Sioux Falls or your town's building office about what applies to your property before a tenant moves in.
The contractor prices the job after seeing the wall, the yard and the room. We don't quote prices, and a number given over the phone before anyone has looked at the foundation is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can I list a basement room as a bedroom without an egress window?
It isn't a code-compliant sleeping room without one, and inspectors and appraisers often flag it. Talk to your real estate agent about how to describe it, and consider adding the window.
Do I need new smoke alarms when I add an egress window?
Work limited to exterior items like windows is an exception to Sioux Falls' smoke alarm upgrade rule, but a basement finish or bedroom remodel over $1,000 with a permit can trigger it. Ask the contractor or the city.
Related services
More background: Sioux Falls egress window guide.
Finishing the basement or adding a bedroom down there?
Call and get connected with a local contractor who cuts and installs egress windows.