Throw a bed in a room and you have a bedroom or install a toilet in a closet and you've built a bathroom, but does this actually fit the legal definitions of these rooms? While this might not seem important, if you're trying to sell your house, it could be. Extra bedrooms and bathrooms can increase your home's value, but not if they can't be legally labeled as such. In the real estate world, criteria for labeling bedrooms, for instance, might differ from what's legally required for sleeping quarters. If you're remodeling or renovating your home, knowing the minimum standards and permitting requirements is even more important to add value to your home, make it a safer place to live and ensure a smooth sale when the time comes.
The legal definition of any room usually includes specific building standards, which may include minimum square footage, ceiling heights, ventilation, safety features and more. While these standards, or building codes, vary from state to state and by municipality, many jurisdictions have adopted the International Residential Code (IRC) developed by the International Code Council. Although some areas enforce these codes unconditionally, others adapt the code to better suit their communities' needs, so check with your local code enforcement office for your area's legal definitions.
There are general definitions that apply to most rooms. For example, codes may state that any room isn't a room unless it has a window; although there are exceptions in bathrooms and kitchens with adequate mechanical ventilation. Some standards, including ceiling height minimums, vary slightly between jurisdictions. The typical standard is a seven-foot, six-inch minimum for any habitable room. However, states like Alabama require an eight foot or more minimum, whereas municipalities like New Orleans allow slightly lower seven foot minimums. Again, there are exceptions, which means you may or may not be held to these standards when converting an attic or basement with low or sloping ceilings to a bedroom or other living space.
Bedrooms have very explicit definitions. Most areas prohibit the use of kitchens and any non-habitable spaces for sleeping quarters, but that still doesn't make any other room with a bed in it a bedroom. The legal definition of a bedroom must incorporate code requirements with specifications clearly defined for safety. When designating a room as a bedroom, follow the IRC and your local building safety codes explicitly.
One unequivocal requirement for bedrooms is proper placement of smoke alarms within and/or outside the room. Another safety requirement states bedrooms must have two separate means of escape, and one of which must lead outside. Thus, bedrooms not only need a closeable door leading into the rest of the house, they also require a second opening that leads directly outdoors. These openings are typically windows that must meet strict guidelines, including a minimum opening height, width and overall area, and minimum and maximum distances between the floor and window sill.
Some municipalities also require minimum square footage for any room to be legally defined and usable as a bedroom. For example, New Orleans requires bedrooms to comprise at least 70 square feet. Real estate professionals often consider any room with a closet, window and closeable door a bedroom, but if your bedroom doesn't meet the minimum standards set forth by your municipality/state building codes, it's not legally a bedroom.
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Bathrooms are meant for personal hygiene activities, but these rooms demand certain fixtures with set clearance requirements to be legally defined as a bathroom. In real estate terms, a full bathroom includes a toilet, sink, shower and bathtub; a three-quarter bathroom needs a toilet, sink and shower; and a half bathroom has a sink and toilet. IRC requirements are more detailed. For example, they state that the front of the toilet must be a minimum of 21 inches from any obstruction and on the sides, from the center of the toilet there must be 15 inches of clearance from walls or other obstructions. Furthermore, any outlets within six feet of a water source must include GFCI protection.
A room's purpose often defines it, but every room has specific building codes and minimum size requirements in its legal description. For example, some codes state any cooking area over 80 square feet is defined as a kitchen, but anything less must be called a kitchenette in real estate advertisements. Most definitions are geared towards single-family detached dwellings, and likely differ for apartments, efficiency dwellings, tiny houses and residences with multi-purpose or shared rooms.
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