The Ontario Building Code | Travel Distance
3.4.2.4. Travel Distance
(1) Except as permitted by Sentence (2), for the purposes of this Subsection, travel distance means the distance from any point in the floor area to an exitmeasured along the path of travel to the exit.
(2) The travel distance from a suite or a room not within a suite is permitted to be measured from an egress door of the suite or room to the nearest exit provided,
(a) the suiteor room is separated from the remainder of the floor areaby a fire separation,
(i) having a fire-resistance rating not less than 45 min in a floor area that is not sprinklered, or
(ii) that is not required to have a fire-resistance rating, in a floor area that is sprinklered, and
(b) the egress door opens onto,
(i) an exterior passageway,
(ii) a corridor used by the public that is separated from the remainder of the floor area in conformance with the requirements in Article 3.3.1.4. for the separation of public corridors, or
(iii) a public corridor that is separated from the remainder of the floor area in conformance with Article 3.3.1.4.
(3) Travel distance to an exit shall be not more than 50 m from any point in a service spacereferred to in Sentence 3.2.1.1.(9).
(4) If there is a firewall in an elementary or secondary school, the travel distance shall not be measured to a door in thefirewall, but shall be measured to an exterior exit door or an exit door to a stairway.
In Plain Language
Travel distance, the distance someone must walk from any point in a floor area to reach an exit, is measured along the actual path of travel, not a straight line, and this article defines exactly how that measurement works.
This is a plain-language summary of the 2012/2017 Ontario Building Code text above, for general understanding only and not a substitute for the Code. Always confirm current requirements against the 2024 edition (O.Reg. 163/24) or a qualified professional before construction.