Dade County Building Code (1935)

1935-Miami-Dade-Building-Code_p105_124

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description1935 Miami-Dade code: fire zone restrictions and construction types I-III.

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This document outlines the 1935 Miami-Dade Building Code regulations regarding fire zone restrictions and building construction classifications.

Fire Zone Restrictions

The code imposes strict regulations on buildings located in designated fire zones to mitigate fire hazards:

  • Fire Zone No. 1: Buildings over 400 sq ft must comply with new building requirements. Alterations exceeding 20% of the building’s value require full compliance with new standards (p. 105). Wood shingle roofing repairs are limited to 10% of the area; otherwise, new fire-retardant roofing is required (p. 105). Type IV and V constructions generally cannot be altered or moved, except for demolition, relocation outside the zone, or specific interior repairs that do not increase fire hazard (p. 105). All buildings in this zone must have fire-retardant roofs and one-hour fire-resistive doors/windows, with exceptions for openings facing wide public streets (p. 105-106). Group E occupancies (industrial/hazardous) are prohibited except for public garages or gas stations (p. 106).
  • Fire Zone No. 2: Type V buildings must have one-hour fire-resistive exterior walls. Type IV buildings over 1,000 sq ft are prohibited (p. 106). Alterations exceeding 50% of the building’s value require compliance with new zone standards (p. 106). Similar restrictions apply to Group E occupancies as in Zone 1 (p. 107).
  • Fire Zone No. 3: Any building complying with the general code requirements may be erected or moved into this zone (p. 107).

Construction Classifications

Part V of the code classifies buildings into five types based on fire resistance, with Type I being the most fire-resistive and Type V the least (p. 108). The document details requirements for Types I, II, and III:

  • Type I (Fire-Resistive): The structural frame must be fireproofed steel/iron or reinforced concrete. Exterior walls and foundations must be masonry or reinforced concrete. There are no limits on height or area (p. 109). Structural members require 3-4 hours of fire-resistive protection depending on building height (p. 110-111). Floors and roofs must be fire-resistive, and vertical openings (stairwells, elevator shafts) must be enclosed with 2-hour fire-resistive construction (p. 109-110).
  • Type II (Heavy Timber): The structural frame can be fireproofed steel/iron, reinforced concrete, masonry, or heavy timber. Height is limited to 75 feet (7 stories), with exceptions for sloping ground (p. 114). Wood columns must be at least 8 inches nominal, and beams/girders at least 6 inches nominal (p. 116). Fireproofing for steel members is required unless the building is one story or under 65 feet (p. 116). Wood structural members do not require fireproofing (p. 116).
  • Type III (Ordinary Masonry): Interior load-bearing construction may be masonry, concrete, steel, or wood, but exterior walls and foundations must be masonry or reinforced concrete. Height is limited to 55 feet (5 stories) (p. 119). Partitions and floors may be wood, but in buildings over two stories (Groups C and D), bearing partitions must be one-hour fire-resistive (p. 123). Vertical openings require one-hour fire-resistive enclosures (p. 123).

General Requirements

The code emphasizes that specific materials or construction methods providing equal or greater safety than specified may be used (p. 108). It also includes detailed specifications for foundations, including minimum dimensions for walls and footings for private residences (p. 122), and requires ventilation in solid foundation walls for Type II and III buildings (p. 114, 122). Diagrams illustrate typical wall sections for residential and commercial construction, detailing materials like concrete blocks, steel reinforcement, and roofing specifications (p. 120-121).

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