In Sioux Falls, a basement egress window needs a net clear opening of at least 5.0 sq ft, a clear height of at least 24 in, a clear width of at least 20 in, and a sill no more than 48 in above the floor. The city amended the 2021 International Residential Code; the unamended code asks for 5.7 sq ft (5.0 at a grade-floor opening) and a 44 in sill. Either way, a below-grade opening needs a well of at least 9 sq ft, 36 in of projection and 36 in of width, with a permanent ladder or steps once it is deeper than 48 in in Sioux Falls (44 in under the model code).
Check your window
Sioux Falls vs the model code
Most egress advice online quotes the International Residential Code as published. Sioux Falls adopted the 2021 IRC effective January 1, 2022 with its own amendments, and three of them loosen the egress rules. If your house is inside city limits, these are the numbers that apply.
| Requirement | Sioux Falls | 2021 IRC as published |
|---|---|---|
| Net clear opening | 5.0 sq ft | 5.7 sq ft (5.0 at a grade-floor opening) |
| Clear height | 24 in min | 24 in min |
| Clear width | 20 in min | 20 in min |
| Sill height above floor | 48 in max | 44 in max |
| Window well area | 9 sq ft min | 9 sq ft min |
| Well projection and width | 36 in min each | 36 in min each |
| Ladder or steps required | Deeper than 48 in | Deeper than 44 in |
| Ladder rungs | At least 12 in wide, project at least 3 in from the wall, no more than 18 in apart vertically. The ladder may encroach up to 6 in into the well. | |
Sources: City of Sioux Falls Planning & Development Services, "Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings" and the city's adopted amendments to the 2021 IRC; International Code Council, 2021 IRC section R310. Other towns may adopt the code with or without amendments. Ask the building department.
Where an opening is required
- Every basement, and every habitable attic and sleeping room, needs at least one operable escape opening. Exception: a basement used only for mechanical equipment and no larger than 200 sq ft.
- Each basement bedroom needs its own opening.
- Remodeling an existing basement doesn't by itself trigger the requirement. Adding a new bedroom to it does.
- Sprinklered homes have an exception for basement bedrooms if the basement has two means of egress, or one means of egress and one escape opening.
- An opening may sit under a deck or porch if it can open fully and there's a path at least 36 in high out to the yard.
Worked examples
A slider that passes in Sioux Falls and fails elsewhere
A 48 in wide slider opens only one sash, giving about 21 in of clear width. At 36 in tall that's 21 × 36 = 756 sq in, or 5.25 sq ft. That clears the Sioux Falls minimum of 5.0 sq ft, and misses the model code's 5.7. Same window, different answer depending on which side of the city line the house is on.
A casement that passes everywhere
Clear opening 24 in wide by 38 in tall: 24 × 38 = 912 sq in, divided by 144 = 6.33 sq ft. With the sill at 42 in, it passes both rule sets.
Meeting the dimension minimums isn't enough
20 in × 24 in is only 3.3 sq ft. An opening can meet both the width and the height minimum and still fail on area. You need more of one or both.
The classic basement hopper
The small tilt-in window many older basements came with might be 32 in wide and 14 in tall, set 60 in off the floor. It fails the area, the height and the sill. It has to be cut down and replaced; there is no retrofit that makes it an egress window.
Covers, bars and grilles
Anything placed over an escape opening or its well, including covers, bars, grilles and screens, must leave the full clear opening and release from the inside without a key, tool, special knowledge, or more force than it takes to open the window.