Definitions

Agricultural occupancy (Group G) means the occupancy of a building or part thereof that is located on land that is associated with and devoted to the practice of farming, and is used for the purpose of producing crops, raising farm animals, or preparing, marketing, storing or processing agricultural products.

Agricultural occupancy with no human occupants (Group G, Division 4) means an agricultural occupancy that is not intended to be occupied by persons under normal use and is generally used for the storage of agricultural materials and by-products. (See Note A-1.4.1.2.(1).)

Assembly occupancy (Group A) means the occupancy or the use of a building, or part thereof, by a gathering of persons for civic, political, travel, religious, social, educations, recreational or like purposes, or for the consumption of food or drink.

Authority having jurisdiction means the governmental body responsible for the enforcement of any part of the building code or the official or agency designated by that body to exercise such a function.

Basement means a storey or storeys of a building located below the first storey.

Building means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.

Business and personal services occupancy (Group D) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the transaction of business or the rendering or receiving of professional or personal services.

Care or detention occupancy (Group B) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof by persons who require special care or treatment because of cognitive or physical limitations or by persons who are restrained from, or are incapable of, self preservation because of security measures not under their control.

Combustible means that a material fails to meet the acceptance criteria of CAN4-S114, “Determination of Non-Combustibility in Building Materials.”

Combustible construction means that type of construction that does not meet the requirements for noncombustible construction.

Dwelling unit means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used as a domicile by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities.

Encapsulated mass timber construction means that type of construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by the use of encapsulated mass timber elements with an encapsulation rating and minimum dimensions for structural members and other building assemblies.

Encapsulation rating means the time in minutes that a material or assembly of materials will delay the ignition and combustion of encapsulated mass timber elements when it is exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as otherwise prescribed by this Code.

Exposing building face means that part of the exterior wall of a building that faces one direction and is located between ground level and the ceiling of its top storey or, where a building is divided into fire compartments, the exterior wall of a fire compartment that faces one direction.

Farm building means a building or part thereof that contains an agricultural occupancy.

Fire compartment means an enclosed space in a building that is separated from all other parts of the building by enclosing construction providing a fire separation having a required fire-resistance rating.

Fire separation means a construction assembly that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire.

Fire-resistance rating means the time in hours or fraction thereof that a material or assembly of materials will withstand the passage of flame and the transmission of heat when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as determined by extension or interpretation of information derived therefrom as prescribed in the building code.

Fire-retardant treated wood means wood or a wood product that has had its surface-burning characteristics, such as flame spread, rate of fuel contribution and density of smoke developed, reduced by impregnation with fire-retardant chemicals.

Firewall means a type of fire separation of noncombustible construction which subdivides a building or separates adjoining buildings to resist the spread of fire and which has a fire-resistance rating as prescribed in the building code and has structural stability to remain intact under fire conditions for the required fire-rated time.

Flame-spread rating means an index or classification indicating the extent of spread-of-flame on the surface of a material or an assembly of materials as determined in a standard fire test as prescribed in the building code.

Floor area means the space on any storey of a building between exterior walls and required firewalls, including the space occupied by interior walls and partitions, but not including exits, vertical service spaces, and their enclosing assemblies.

Greenhouse agricultural occupancy (Group G, Division 3) means an agricultural occupancy whereplantsare grownina building or part thereof that is primarily constructed of roofs and walls designed to transmit natural light.

Heavy timber construction means that type of combustible construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by placing limitations on the sizes of wood structural members and on the thickness and composition of wood floors and roofs and by the avoidance of concealed spaces under floors and roofs.

High hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 1) means an industrial occupancy containing sufficient quantities of highly combustible and flammable or explosive materials which, because of their inherent characteristics, constitute a special fire hazard.

High-hazard agricultural occupancy (Group G, Division 1) means an agricultural occupancy containing sufficient quantities of highly combustible and flammable or explosive materials which, because of their inherent characteristics, constitute a special fire hazard.

Industrial occupancy (Group F) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, processing, repairing or storing of goods and materials.

Limiting distance means the distance from a exposing building face to a property line, the centre line of a street, lane or public thoroughfare, or to an imaginary line between 2 buildings or fire compartments on the same property, measured at right angles to the exposing building face.

Loadbearing (as applying to a building element) means subject to or designed to carry loads in addition to its own dead load, excepting a wall element subjected only to wind or earthquake loads in addition to its own dead load.

Low hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 3) means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is not more than 50 kg/m² or 1 200 MJ/m² of floor area.

Medium hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 2) means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is more than 50 kg/m² or 1 200 MJ/m² of floor area and not classified as high hazard industrial occupancy.

Mercantile occupancy (Group E) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the displaying or selling of retail goods, wares or merchandise.

Mezzanine means an intermediate floor assembly between the floor and ceiling of any room or storey and includes an interior balcony.

Noncombustible means that a material meets the acceptable criteria of CAN4-S114, “Determination of Non-Combustibility in Building Materials.”

Noncombustible construction means that type of construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by the use of noncombustible materials for structural members and other building assemblies.

Occupancy means the use or intended use of a building or part thereof for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property.

Occupant load means the number of persons for which a building or part thereof is designed.

Residential occupancy (Group C) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof by persons for whom sleeping accommodation is provided but who are not harboured or detained to receive medical care or treatment or are not involuntarily detained.

Sprinklered (as applying to a building or part thereof) means that the building or part thereof is equipped with a system of automatic sprinklers.

Storage garage means a building or part thereof intended for the storage or parking of motor vehicles and containing no provision for the repair or servicing of such vehicles.

Storey means that portion of a building which is situated between the top of any floor and the top of the floor next above it, and if there is no floor above, that portion between the top of such floor and the ceiling above it.