Egress windows for basement bedrooms in Utah

When you need one

The building code says every sleeping room needs a way out besides the door, called an emergency escape and rescue opening. For a basement, the rule is simple:

• Adding a bedroom? It needs an egress opening.
• Finishing a basement with no new bedroom? The code says other basement remodels do not need a new one.

The opening can be a window or a door to the outside. A door has to swing on side hinges or slide.

The numbers

Watch the math. A window that is exactly 24 inches tall and 20 inches wide meets both minimums but is only 3.3 square feet. At 24 inches tall, the opening has to be about 34 inches wide to reach 5.7. These sizes are the clear opening when the window is open, not the size of the frame.

Window wells

• The well must be at least 9 square feet, and at least 36 inches out from the wall and 36 inches wide.
• It has to be big enough for the window to open all the way.
• If the well is deeper than 44 inches, it needs a ladder or steps fixed in place. A ladder must be at least 12 inches wide, with rungs no more than 18 inches apart.
• The well drains into the foundation drain, unless the soil drains well on its own.
• A cover or grate must come off from the inside without a key, a tool or extra force.

What Utah changes

Utah uses the 2021 code with its own edits. Two matter here:

• The yard rule is looser. Utah drops the code's 36-inch minimum width for the yard the window opens onto.
• Older bedrooms get some protection. If a bedroom was legal when it was finished but its window is smaller than today's rule, Utah does not force a bigger window if that would hurt the structure or could not meet setback and window well rules. That protection does not apply to a basement apartment.

Swapping an old window for a new one has its own exception. A replacement can be the largest standard size that fits the existing opening, as long as it opens the same way or wider.

What an egress window costs

• Angi says about $4,236 on average, with most people paying $2,723 to $5,881. Permits and inspections add $150 to $500.
• This Old House puts a basement egress window at $2,500 to $5,000 for a standard size and $3,000 to $7,500 for custom.

Cutting into a foundation is structural. In Sandy, a new window that needs structural changes needs structural plans, and the city may want an engineer. Draper's basement checklist asks you to show the egress from every bedroom on the plans.

How Alpha Homes handles egress

Alpha Homes sizes the window and the window well to pass inspection and draws them into the plan before the permit is pulled. If your basement plan has bedrooms, the egress windows are part of the price from the start, not a surprise later.

Keep reading

• How long does it take to finish a basement?
• What does it cost to finish a basement in Utah?
• Do you need a permit to finish a basement in Sandy, Utah?