Best practices book - Flipbook - Page 379
Building Confidence, Building Community.
APPENDIX B5 (DENVER)
DENVER POLICY
Overview:
This policy establishes the Denver Building and Fire Departments’ requirements for approving requests by religious or
charitable entities for temporary occupancy of existing buildings, or portions thereof, as a temporary shelter for the
homeless during cold-weather-related emergencies. Approval of such requests allows for a 180-day maximum use of
the building as an emergency residential shelter without requiring the building to conform to all the Denver Building and
Fire Code requirements normally associated with occupancies containing sleeping units. A temporary certificate of
occupancy is required for this temporary change in use.
If the nonconforming residential shelter use will occupy the building for more than 180 days per 12 consecutive
months, then the change of occupancy provisions of Denver Building & Fire Code Amendments (DBCA) Section 142.2
apply. A new Certificate of Occupancy is required for all such changes.
Reference: ADMIN Section 134
Temporary use of an existing building for other than that designated and approved by the building’s Certificate of
Occupancy shall comply with the requirements of Section 3103 of the International Building Code (IBC), and with the
requirements and limitations of any other City ordinance or rule and regulation.
Exception: Where approved by the building official and the fire code official, buildings serving as emergency
residential shelters shall not be required to conform to all of the requirements of Section 3103.1.1 of the IBC when the
building official and fire code official determine there are practical difficulties involved in carrying out the provisions
of this code that make enforcement of the strict letter of this code impractical. The details of any action granting
modifications shall be sent to the building owner and entered into the permit files of the Agency.
Minimum Life Safety Requirements
A. Buildings with no or partial automatic fire sprinkler protection
a. The maximum capacity of the emergency shelter shall be twenty or less people in aggregate. All sleeping rooms
shall be provided with direct access to an exterior exit door at grade or to an exterior exit stairway. A sleeping
room intended to accommodate ten or more people shall be provided with access to two exits. Sleeping rooms
shall not be located above the second story.
B. Buildings protected throughout with automatic fire sprinkler protection
The maximum number of persons is limited to the capacity of the exit system serving the sleeping area. A sleeping
room intended to accommodate ten or more people shall be provided with access to two exits.
C. Sleeping areas and all exit paths serving the sleeping areas shall be provided with a fire alarm and detection system
as required by the International Fire Code (IFC) for a Group R-1 occupancy. Carbon monoxide (CO) detection shall
be afforded in sleeping rooms where the building is served by natural gas or fuel burning appliances are existent.
Where 20 or fewer people are sheltered, the system may be comprised of multi-station interconnected smoke
alarms (and CO alarms where required) and such can be powered from the building wiring with battery backup or
10-year lithium batteries. Where the temporary shelter will be used for less than 60-days, the 24V fire alarm system
& devices can be installed as temporary.
D. A minimum sleeping room temperature of 60-degrees Fahrenheit shall be maintained.
E. Portable fueled (gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, coal, wood) appliances/devices are not permitted to be used
in the space-conditioning of any area of the temporary occupancy unless explicitly approved by the building official
and fire code official.
F.
Emergency illumination and exit signage shall be provided and compliant with DBCA Chapter 10.
G. When the building is used for sleeping purposes, the exterior doors leading to the sleeping area shall be placarded
with a 12”x12” yellow weather resistant sign/placard reading “SLEEPING OCCUPANTS” to alert emergency
personnel.
BEST PRACTICES | 370
Homelessness in the United States, How are Major Jurisdictions Dealing with This Issue?
www.iccsafe.org | page 24
