Egress Window Requirement Checker: Your Local Figures

Egress requirements vary by jurisdiction, by code edition and by whether the room is a bedroom. This checker deliberately does not hardcode a number. You enter the figures your building department gives you, then your actual opening, and it tells you where you stand on all four tests.

When this tool helps most

Use it before finishing a basement bedroom, and before buying a window, so you are not fitting an opening that has to come out again.

How to use this tool

1. Call or email your local building department and ask for the required clear opening area, minimum width, minimum height and maximum sill height.
2. Enter those four figures in the required fields.
3. Measure your actual clear opening with the sash fully open, not the rough opening.
4. Measure the sill height above the finished floor.
5. Read the four checks.

Worked example

A 30 by 36 inch clear opening with a 40 inch sill, checked against commonly cited figures of 5.7 square feet, 20 inches wide, 24 inches high and a 44 inch maximum sill, gives 7.50 square feet of clear opening and meets all four. Reduce the width to 18 inches and it fails both the width and the area tests.

Understanding your results

All four tests must pass, and they interact. Note that the minimum width and the minimum height usually cannot both be at their minimum and still produce the required area, which catches people out when specifying a window.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Measuring the rough opening or the frame instead of the clear opening with the sash open.
• Assuming a number found online applies in your jurisdiction.
• Forgetting that the window well serving an egress window has its own requirements.
• Finishing a bedroom first and discovering the egress problem at inspection.

How to get the most accurate result

• Measure your own basement or crawl space with a tape measure instead of using typical sizes.
• Use the numbers printed on your product labels, manuals and data sheets.
• Change one input at a time to see which assumption matters most.
• Print or save the result and bring it to your installer or contractor.

Next steps

Budget the work with the Basement Finishing Cost Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this tool not just tell me the code?

Because requirements differ by jurisdiction and code edition, and your building department is the authority. A website quoting one edition as fact would mislead some readers.

What is clear opening?

The actual hole a person could pass through with the window fully open. It is always smaller than the frame or the rough opening.

Does the window well matter?

Yes. A well serving an egress window usually has its own minimum dimensions and may need a permanent ladder. Ask about those at the same time.

This tool is for planning and education only. It does not store your entries. Structural judgement belongs to a licensed structural engineer, radon mitigation design to a certified mitigator, and mold over roughly 10 square feet to a remediation professional. New circuits are a job for a licensed electrician. Read our disclaimer.