Appendix I Patio Covers
Section I101 General
I101.1 General.
Patio covers shall be permitted to be detached from or attached to dwelling units. Patio covers shall be used only for recreational, outdoor living purposes and not as carports, garages, storage rooms or habitable rooms.
Section I102 Definition
I102.1 General.
The following term shall, for the purposes of this appendix, have the meaning shown herein. Refer to Chapter 2 of this code for general definitions.
PATIO COVER.
A structure with open or glazed walls that is used for recreational, outdoor living purposes associated with a dwelling unit.
Section I103 Exterior Walls and Openings
I103.1 Enclosure walls.
Enclosure walls shall be permitted to be of any configuration, provided that the open or glazed area of the longer wall and one additional wall is equal to not less than 65 percent of the area below not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) of each wall, measured from the floor. Openings shall be permitted to be enclosed with insect screening, translucent or transparent plastic conforming to the provisions of Sections 2606 through 2610, glass conforming to the provisions of Chapter 24 or any combination of the foregoing.
I103.2 Light, ventilation and emergency egress.
Exterior openings of the dwelling unit required for light and ventilation shall be permitted to open into a patio structure . However, the patio structure shall be unenclosed if such openings are serving as emergency egress or rescue openings from sleeping rooms. Where such exterior openings serve as an exit from the dwelling unit, the patio structure, unless unenclosed, shall be provided with exits conforming to the provisions of Chapter 10.
Section I104 Height
I104.1 Height.
Patio covers shall be limited to one-story structures not more than 12 feet (3657 mm) in height.
Section I105 Structural Provisions
I105.1 Design loads.
Patio covers shall be designed and constructed to sustain, within the stress limits of this code, all dead loads plus a minimum vertical live load of 10 pounds per square foot (0.48 kN/m2) except that snow loads shall be used where such snow loads exceed this minimum. Such patio covers shall be designed to resist the minimum wind and seismic loads set forth in this code.
I105.2 Footings.
In areas with a frost depth of zero, a patio cover shall be permitted to be supported on a concrete slab on grade without footings, provided that the slab conforms to the provisions of Chapter 19 and is not less than 3 1/2 inches (89 mm) thick, and the columns do not support loads in excess of 750 pounds (3.34 kN) per column.