The Ontario Building Code | Access to Fire Escapes
3.4.7.3. Access to Fire Escapes
(1) Access to fire escapes shall be from corridors through doors at floor level, except that access from a dwelling unit is permitted to be through a casement window having an unobstructed opening not less than 1 100 mm high by 550 mm wide with a sill height of not more than 900 mm above the inside floor.
(2) The clear area of a fire escape balcony onto which a door opens, shall be not less than 1 m2.
In Plain Language
Access to a fire escape must be through corridor doors at floor level, except that a dwelling unit can access one through a casement window meeting specific minimum size and sill-height requirements.
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.