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Egress WindowsEdmonton

Guide

Basement Bedroom Egress Checklist

Twelve checks, in order, that tell you whether the bedroom in your basement has a way out that meets the requirement. Bring a tape measure.

Most basement windows that homeowners think are “probably fine” fail on one of two things: the measurement was taken on the frame rather than the clear opening with the window open, or the window well in front of it is too tight. Work through the list below in order and you will know which side of the line you are on.

  1. Is the room used, or intended to be used, as a bedroom?

    If yes, the requirement applies. Laundry rooms, bathrooms, unfinished basements and recreation rooms are not held to it.

  2. Does the room have its own outside window or exterior door?

    It has to be from that room. A conforming window down the hall does not cover a bedroom.

  3. Open the window fully before measuring anything.

    Every measurement that follows is taken with the window in its open position. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that changes the answer.

  4. Measure the clear width of the opening.

    Not the frame, not the glass — the actual gap you could pass through. On a slider, the moving panel takes roughly half the width with it.

  5. Measure the clear height of the opening.

    Same principle. On a hopper or awning, the sash swings into the opening and takes height away.

  6. Is the smaller of those two numbers at least 380 mm (15 in)?

    If either dimension is under 380 mm, the window does not conform regardless of how large the total area is.

  7. Multiply the two. Is the result at least 0.35 m² (3.77 ft²)?

    Both conditions have to be satisfied at once. Do not round a smaller opening up: 380 mm × 920 mm is only 0.3496 m². A 380 mm × 922 mm rectangle exceeds 0.35 m², but geometry alone does not establish compliance.

  8. Can the window be opened from inside without keys, tools or special knowledge?

    And without removing sashes or hardware. Security bars, screwed-shut sashes and painted-over hardware all fail this.

  9. Does the window stay open on its own?

    A window that has to be held open is not an escape route.

  10. Does the window open into a window well?

    If yes, the well is now part of the assessment.

  11. Is there at least 760 mm (30 in) of clear space in front of the open window?

    Measured from the wall with the window open, not to the back of the empty well.

  12. If the well has a cover, can you open it from inside without a tool?

    Covers must support foot traffic, open from inside without keys or tools, and have no opening wider than 13 mm.

What to do with the answer

Everything passed

Good. Note that this was a self-check rather than an inspection — if you are about to list the house, legalise a suite, or rely on it for a tenancy, it is worth having it confirmed by someone whose opinion carries weight.

The opening is close but under

The usual outcome, and the cheaper of the two routes. An existing opening gets widened or deepened, which brings in structural work above it and a rebuilt well outside. What basement window enlargement involves.

There is no window in that wall at all

A new opening has to be cut through the foundation. What that involves.

The window is fine but the well is the problem

More common than people expect, especially where a previous owner enlarged a window and left the original well. Window well requirements.

Before you ask for a quote

Having these five things ready will get you a more useful answer from anyone you contact:

  • The clear opening dimensions you measured, with the window open
  • Whether the room is a bedroom now or will be
  • Roughly how wide the opening would need to become
  • Whether there is another window near it
  • What the ground outside that wall looks like — and whether the well holds water

The project planner turns those answers into a scope summary if you would rather work through it that way.

Common questions

Does every basement bedroom need an egress window?

Each bedroom needs at least one outside window or exterior door openable from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge and without removing sashes or hardware. If a basement has three bedrooms, one conforming window between them does not satisfy the requirement — the escape route has to be from the room.

Which rooms are exempt?

Windows are not required in laundry rooms, water closet rooms, basement recreation rooms or unfinished basements. The requirement follows bedrooms specifically.

The room is not called a bedroom on the plans. Does that help?

Not really. What governs is how the space is used or intended to be used. A room with a closet and a door that someone sleeps in is a bedroom for this purpose, whatever the drawing called it.

The bedroom was already there when I bought the house. Am I responsible?

This is worth a direct conversation with the City rather than an assumption either way. Older work does not automatically become compliant with age, and a non-conforming bedroom tends to surface at the point of sale, insurance renewal or a tenancy — which is usually when people discover it.

Does a non-conforming basement bedroom affect selling the house?

It commonly comes up. A room advertised as a bedroom that does not have a conforming escape window is a routine finding in home inspections and a routine subject of negotiation. Whether and how it affects a specific transaction is a question for a realtor or lawyer, not for us.

What if my window is close but not quite there?

Close is the most common outcome, and it usually means enlarging the existing opening rather than cutting a new one — which is the cheaper of the two routes. How much wider it has to go determines whether engineered drawings come into it.

Related pages

Measured it and come up short?

Send us the numbers you took and what the room is used for. We will tell you which of the two routes applies and what it involves.

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