Article 4 - F-2 PLACES OF ASSEMBLY

Section 27-548

Section 27-548

  §  27-548  General.  The provisions of this section shall apply to all
places  of  assembly  classified  in  occupancy  group  F-2  under   the
provisions of subchapter three. F-2 places of assembly shall comply with
all  of the requirements of article two of this subchapter, and with the
following:
  (a) Enclosure. To qualify as an F-2 outdoor place of assembly, a place
of assembly shall have at least forty per cent of the  combined  surface
area  of  all exterior wall and roof planes open to the outdoors. When a
portion of an outdoor place of assembly is enclosed to a greater extent,
that portion shall comply with all of  the  requirements  of  this  code
applicable to indoor places of assembly.
  (b) Grandstands. Grandstands shall comply with the following:
  (1) CONSTRUCTION. Grandstands shall be designed in accordance with the
requirements of subchapters nine and ten of this chapter.
  (2)   HEIGHT   AND   AREA.   Grandstands,   when   built  entirely  of
noncombustible materials, may be of unlimited height and area, and  when
built  of  combustible  materials,  shall  be  subject  to the following
limitations:
  a. No section of seating shall exceed twenty feet in height, or exceed
ten thousand square feet in area.
  b. When more  than  one  section  of  seating  is  provided,  and  the
separation  between  them is less than fifty feet, each section shall be
separated from the other by construction having a fire-resistance rating
of at least two hours and rising to a height of at least  two  feet  six
inches above the levels of seating at each row.
  c.  No  outdoor  grandstand  of combustible materials shall be erected
within less than two-thirds of its height, but in no case less than  ten
feet,  of  a building or an interior lot line unless separated therefrom
by noncombustible construction having a one hour fire-resistance rating.
  (3) SPACES UNDER SEATS. Spaces under grandstand seats  shall  be  kept
free  of all combustible materials and shall not be occupied or used for
other than  egress,  unless  such  spaces  are  completely  enclosed  by
noncombustible construction having a two hour fire-resistance rating.
  (4)  PARKING.  Motor  vehicle  parking spaces shall not be closer than
twenty  feet  to  any   grandstand   unless   separated   therefrom   by
noncombustible construction having a one hour fire-resistance rating.
  (c) Stage requirements.
  (1)  DEFINITION.  For the purposes of this section the stage in an F-2
place of assembly shall be the area where the principal activity  viewed
by the audience takes place.
  (2)  CONSTRUCTION. The horizontal area of stage construction shall not
exceed the following:
  Wood frame: maximum area-- five thousand square feet.
  Fire retardant treated wood: maximium area-- ten thousand square feet.
  Noncombustible frame: maximum area--unlimited.
  (3) EXITS FROM THE STAGE. At least two exits, remote from each  other,
shall  be  available  from  every point on a stage, each within a travel
distance limitation of three hundred feet.  The  occupant  load  of  the
stage shall be based upon one person per fifty square feet of area. When
any  portion  of a stage is used for audience seating at any time, exits
of adequate capacity shall be provided  for  that  portion,  within  the
travel  distance  limitations  for assembly space seating. Exit openings
serving a stage directly shall have a capacity of four  hundred  persons
per unit of exit width.
  (4)  EMERGENCY  CONTROL  PANEL.  In  F-2  places of assembly having an
occupant load over one thousand  persons,  an  emergency  control  panel
shall be provided as follows:

  a.  It shall be located so as to have a view of the audience and stage
areas,  and  shall  be  readily  accessible  at  all  times  during  the
presentation  of  a  performance  to  an audience, to a competent person
instructed in its use.
  b. It shall be equipped with tell-tale lights to indicate when feeders
and  sub-feeders  of emergency light and power circuits are in operation
in assembly spaces and all exits.
  c.  It  shall  be  equipped  with  a  public  address  system  serving
loudspeakers  in  the assembly space. The public address system shall be
connected to both the normal and emergency light and power circuits.
  (d)  Drive-in  theaters.  Drive-in  theaters  shall  comply  with  the
following:
  (1)  Projection  booths  and projection machines shall comply with the
requirements of section 27-543 of article two of this subchapter.  Motor
vehicle  parking  spaces  shall  not  be  closer than twenty feet to any
projection booth or machine.
  (2) Projection screens and supporting structures shall comply with the
requirements of section 27-544 of article two  of  this  subchapter  and
shall  be  designed  in  accordance with the requirements of subchapters
nine and ten of this chapter as applied to signs. Motor vehicle  parking
spaces shall not be closer than twenty feet to any projection screen.
  (e)  Amusement  parks. Buildings and structures within amusement parks
shall be constructed to conform with all of  the  requirements  of  this
code  governing  the specific use and occupancy. Amusement devices shall
not be placed in operation until they have been made to comply with  the
provisions of subchapter eighteen of this chapter.