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Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS

Section 3006 — ELEVATOR LOBBIES AND HOISTWAY OPENING PROTECTION

2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-07-29 · California

Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.

3006.1 General.

Enclosed elevator lobbies and elevator hoistway door protection shall be provided in accordance with the following:

  1. Where elevator hoistway door protection is required by Section 3006.2, such protection shall be provided in accordance with Section 3006.3.

  2. Where enclosed elevator lobbies are required for underground buildings, such lobbies shall comply with Section 405.4.3.

  3. Where an area of refuge is required and an enclosed elevator lobby is provided to serve as an area of refuge, the enclosed elevator lobby shall comply with Section 1009.6.4.

  4. Where fire service access elevators are provided, enclosed elevator lobbies shall comply with Section 3007.6.

  5. Where occupant evacuation elevators are provided, enclosed elevator lobbies shall comply with Section 3008.6.

3006.2 Elevator hoistway door protection required.

Elevator hoistway doors shall be protected in accordance with Section 3006.3 where an elevator hoistway connects more than two stories in any state institution or other state-owned or specified state occupied building regulated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and more than three stories for all other buildings. Hoistway opening protec- tion is required to be enclosed within a shaft enclosure in accordance with Section 712.1.1 and any of the following conditions apply:

  1. The building is not protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2.

2. Group A occupancies.

3. Group E occupancies.

4. Group H occupancies.

5. Group I occupancies.

6. Group L occupancies. 7. Group R-1, R-2, R-2.1 and R-2.2 occupancies. 8. High-rise buildings. 9. The elevator hoistway door is located in the wall of a corridor required to be fire-resistance rated in accordance with Section 1020.1.

See Section 403.6 for additional requirements for high-rise buildings.

Exceptions:

  1. Protection of elevator hoistway doors is not required where the elevator serves only open parking garages in accordance with Section 406.5.

  2. Protection of elevator hoistway doors is not required at the levels of exit discharge, provided that the levels of exit discharge is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1.

on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

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ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS

  1. Protection of elevator hoistway doors is not required on levels where the elevator hoistway doors open to the exterior.

3006.2.1 Rated corridors. Where corridors are required to be fire-resistance rated in accordance with Section 1020.2, elevator hoistway openings shall be protected in accordance with Section 3006.3.

3006.3 Elevator hoistway door protection.

Where Section 3006.2 requires protection of the elevator hoistway doors, the protection shall be provided by one of the following:

  1. An enclosed elevator lobby shall be provided at each floor to separate the elevator hoistway doors from each floor with fire partitions in accordance with Section 708. In addition, doors protecting openings in the fire partitions shall comply with Section 716.2.2.1. Penetrations of the fire partitions by ducts and air transfer openings shall be protected as required for corridors in accordance with Section 717.5.4.1.

  2. An enclosed elevator lobby shall be provided at each floor to separate the elevator hoistway doors from each floor by smoke partitions in accordance with Section 710. In addition, doors protecting openings in the smoke partitions shall comply with Sections 710.5.2.2, 710.5.2.3 and 716.2.6.1. Penetrations of the smoke partitions by ducts and air transfer openings shall be protected as required for corridors in accordance with Section 717.5.4.1.

  3. Additional doors or other devices shall be provided at each elevator hoistway door in accordance with Section 3002.6. Such doors or other devices shall comply with the smoke and draft control door assembly requirements in Section 716.2.2.1.1 when tested in accordance with UL 1784 without an artificial bottom seal.

4. [SFM] When approved, in other than Group I-2 occupancies elevator hoistway shall be pressurized in accordance with Section 909.21.

  1. A smoke-protective curtain assembly for hoistways shall be provided at each elevator hoistway door opening in accordance with Section 3002.6. Such curtain assemblies shall comply with the smoke and draft control requirements in Section 716.2.2.1.1 when tested in accordance with UL 1784 without an artificial bottom seal. Such curtain assemblies shall be equipped with a control unit listed to UL 864. Such curtain assemblies shall comply with Section 2.11.6.3 California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 6, Elevator Safety Orders . Installation and maintenance shall be in accordance with NFPA 105.

6. [SFM] Enclosed elevator lobbies are not required where the hoistway door has a fire-protection rating as required by Section 707.6 and the hoistway door opening is also protected by a listed and labeled smoke containment system complying with ICC ES AC 77.

3006.4 Means of egress.

Elevator lobbies shall be provided with not less than one means of egress complying with Chapter 10 and other provisions in this code. Egress through an enclosed elevator lobby shall be permitted in accordance with Item 1 of Section 1016.2. Electrically locked exit access doors providing egress from elevator lobbies shall be permitted in accordance with Section 1010.2.14.

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▸ Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  4. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  5. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  6. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  7. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  8. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
  9. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  10. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  11. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  12. Chapter 11 — RESERVED
  13. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  14. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  15. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  16. Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
  17. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  18. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  19. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  20. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  21. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  22. Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  23. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  24. Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  25. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  26. Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 21A — MASONRY
  30. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  31. Chapter 22A — STEEL
  32. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  33. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  34. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  35. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  36. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  37. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  38. Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
  39. ▸ Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
    Overview
    1. Section 3001 — GENERAL
    2. Section 3002 — HOISTWAY ENCLOSURES
    3. Section 3003 — EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
    4. Section 3004 — CONVEYING SYSTEMS
    5. Section 3005 — MACHINE ROOMS
    6. Section 3006 — ELEVATOR LOBBIES AND HOISTWAY OPENING PROTECTION
    7. Section 3007 — FIRE SERVICE ACCESS ELEVATOR
    8. Section 3008 — OCCUPANT EVACUATION ELEVATORS
    9. Section 3009 — PRIVATE RESIDENCE ELEVATORS
    10. Section 3010 — SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ELEVATORS IN HOSPITALS
  40. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  41. Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
  42. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  43. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  44. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  45. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  46. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  47. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  48. Chapter 34 — RESERVED
  49. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  50. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  51. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  52. Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  53. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  54. Appendix E — RESERVED
  55. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  56. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
  57. Appendix H — SIGNS
  58. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  59. Appendix J — GRADING
  60. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
  61. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
  62. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
  63. Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
  64. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
  65. Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
  66. Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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