Wisconsin Administrative Code

SPS 321.01 Scope. The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the design and construction of all one- and 2-family dwellings. History: Cr. Register, November, 1979, No. 287, eff. 6-1-80. Subchapter II — Design Criteria

SPS 321.02 Loads and materials. Every dwelling shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of this section. (1) DESIGN LOAD. Every dwelling shall be designed and constructed to support the actual dead load, live loads and wind loads acting upon it withou…

SPS 321.03 Exits. Exits, doors and hallways shall be constructed as specified in this section. the chapter was last published. 5 SAFETY AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (1) EXITS FROM THE FIRST FLOOR. (a) Except as allowed under par. (h), every dwelling unit shall be provided with at le…

SPS 321.035 Interior circulation. (1) DOORS AND OPENINGS. All doors and openings to the following areas shall be at least 80 inches high and provide either a net clear opening width of 30 inches or be a 32-inch door: (a) Except as provided under pars. (b) and (c), all entrances i…

SPS 321.04 Stairways and elevated areas. (1) SCOPE. (a) General. Except as provided under par. (b), the following stairways shall conform to the requirements of this section. 1. Every interior and exterior stairway attached to, or supported by any part of the structure covered un…

SPS 321.042 Ladders. Ladders which are used as part of a required exit shall conform to this section. (1) DESIGN LOAD. Ladders shall be designed to withstand loads of at least 200 pounds. (2) TREAD OR RUNGS. (a) Minimum tread requirements shall be specified in Table 321.042. Trea…

SPS 321.045 Ramps. (1) GENERAL. Every exterior or interior ramp which leads to or from an exit shall comply with the requirements of this section. Note: See ICC/ANSI A117.1 chapter 5 for more guidelines relating to the design and construction of an accessible ramp. Under that sta…

SPS 321.05 Natural light and natural ventilation. (1) NATURAL LIGHT. Each habitable room shall be provided with natural light by means of glazed openings. The area of the glazed openings shall be at least 8% of the net floor area, except under the following circumstances: (a) Exc…

SPS 321.06 Ceiling height. All habitable rooms, kitchens, hallways, bathrooms and corridors shall have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet, except as follows: (1) (a) Rooms may have ceiling heights of less than 7 feet provided at least 50% of the room[s floor area has a ceiling h…

SPS 321.07 Attic and crawl space access. (1) ATTIC. Attics with 150 or more square feet of area and 30 or more inches of clear height between the top of the ceiling framing and the bottom of the rafter or top truss chord framing shall be provided with an access opening of at leas…

SPS 321.08 Fire separation and dwelling unit separation. (1) FIRE SEPARATION. Dwelling units shall be separated from garage spaces, accessory buildings, property lines and other dwelling units in accordance with Table 321.08 and the following requirements: Table 321.08 Between Dw…

SPS 321.085 Fireblocking. (1) FIREBLOCKING LOCAFireblocking shall be provided in all of the following locations: (a) In concealed spaces of walls and partitions, including furred spaces, at the ceiling and floor levels. (b) At all interconnections between concealed vertical and h…

SPS 321.09 Smoke detectors. (1) A listed and labeled multiple-station smoke alarm with battery backup shall be installed in all of the following locations: the chapter was last published. SPS 321.09 WISCONSIN ADMINISTRATIVE CODE (a) An alarm shall be installed inside each sleepin…

SPS 321.095 Automatic fire sprinklers. (1) Except as provided in subs. (2) and (3), the design, installation, testing and maintenance of automatic fire sprinklers shall conform to NFPA 13D. (2) (a) The requirements of NFPA 13D sections 6.3 (4), 8.1.3 and 8.6 are not included as p…

SPS 321.097 Carbon monoxide detectors. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (ag) XCarbon monoxide detectorY has the meaning given in s. 101.149 (1) (am), Stats. Note: Section 101.149 (1) (am), Stats., reads as follows: XCarbon monoxide detectorY means an electronic or battery-operat…

SPS 321.10 Protection against decay and termites. (1) Wood used in any of the applications under this section shall meet all of the following requirements: (a) The wood shall be labeled and pressure treated with preservative in accordance with an AWPA standard or shall be natural…

SPS 321.11 Foam plastic. (1) (a) General. Foam plastic insulation shall have a flame-spread rating of 75 or less and a smoke-developed rating of 450 or less when tested in accordance with ASTM E-84. (b) Thermal barrier. Except as provided in par. (c), foam plastic insulation shal…

SPS 321.115 Installation of elevators or dumbwaiters. Elevators or dumbwaiters serving dwelling units shall comply with the requirements under ch. SPS 318. Subchapter III — Excavations

SPS 321.12 Drainage. (1) GRADE. The finished grade of the soil shall slope away from the dwelling at a rate of at least 1/2 inch per foot for at least 10 feet, except as provided in subs. (2) and (3). (2) OTHER SURFACES. Where the finished surface is impervious, it shall slope aw…

SPS 321.125 Erosion control and sediment control. (1) GENERAL. (a) Where land disturbing construction activity is to occur erosion and sediment control practices shall be employed, as necessary, and maintained to prevent or reduce the potential deposition of soil or sediment to a…

SPS 321.13 Excavations adjacent to adjoining property. (1) NOTICE. Any person making or causing an excavation which may affect the lateral soil support of adjoining property or buildings shall provide at least 30 days written notice to all owners of adjoining buildings of the int…

SPS 321.14 Excavations for footings and foundations. (1) EXCAVATIONS BELOW FOOTINGS AND FOUNDATIONS. No excavation shall be made below the footing and foundation unless provisions are taken to prevent the collapse of the footing or foundation. (2) EXCAVATIONS FOR FOOTINGS. All fo…

SPS 321.15 Footings. (1) GENERAL. (a) The dwelling and attached structures, such as decks and garages, shall be supported on a structural system designed to transmit and safely distribute the loads to the soil. (b) The loads for determining the footing size shall include the weig…

SPS 321.16 Frost protection. (1) GENERAL. (a) Footings and foundations, including those for landings and stoops, shall be placed below the frost penetration level or at least 48 inches below adjacent grade, whichever is deeper, except as allowed under sub. (2). (b) Footings may n…

SPS 321.17 Drain tiles. (1) DETERMINATION OF NEED. (a) New construction. 1. Except as provided under sub. (2), a complete drain tile or pipe system shall be installed around the foundation of dwellings under construction where groundwater occurs above the bottom of the footing. 2…

SPS 321.18 Foundations. (1) GENERAL. (a) Design. Foundation walls shall be designed and constructed to support the vertical loads of the dwelling, lateral soil pressure, and other loads without exceeding the allowable stresses of the materials of which the foundations are constru…

SPS 321.19 Floor design. Floors shall support all dead loads plus the minimum unit live loads as set forth in s. SPS 321.02. The live loads shall be applied to act vertically and uniformly to each square foot of horizontal floor area. Basements shall be provided with wood or conc…

SPS 321.20 Concrete floors. (1) When concrete floors are provided, the thickness of the concrete shall measure at least 3 inches. (2) When a concrete floor is placed in clay soils, a 4-inch thick base course shall be placed in the subgrade consisting of clean graded sand, gravel …

SPS 321.203 Garage floors. (1) MATERIALS. Garage floors shall be constructed of concrete or other noncombustible materials which are impermeable to petroleum products. Slabon-grade concrete garage floors shall be at least 4 inches thick and placed over at least 4 inches of granul…

SPS 321.205 Wood floors in contact with the ground. Wood floors in contact with the ground shall comply with the requirements under s. SPS 321.18 (4). History: Cr. Register, January, 1989, No. 397, eff. 2-1-89; am. Register, January, 8-1-03; correction made under s. 13.92 (4) (b)…

SPS 321.21 Precast concrete floors. Precast concrete floors shall be designed through structural analysis, or load tables furnished by the precast product fabricator may be used, provided the load tables were developed using structural analysis or load testing. History: Cr. Regis…

SPS 321.22 Wood frame floors. Unless designed through structural analysis, wood frame floors shall comply with the following requirements: (1) FLOOR JOISTS. (a) General. 1. Floor joists shall comply with the structural requirements and live load determination under s. SPS 321.02.…

SPS 321.225 Decks. (1) Decks attached to dwellings and any detached decks that serve an exit shall comply with the applicable provisions of subchs. II to X of ch. SPS 321, including all of the following: (a) Excavation requirements under s. SPS 321.14; (b) Footing requirements un…

SPS 321.23 Wall design. (1) LIVE AND DEAD LOADS. All walls shall support all superimposed vertical dead loads and live loads from floors and roofs. the chapter was last published. 25 SAFETY AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (2) HORIZONTAL WIND LOAD. Walls shall be designed to withstand a…

SPS 321.24 Exterior covering. (1) GENERAL. The exterior walls shall be covered with a permanent weather resistant finish. (2) DURING CONSTRUCTION. During construction, wall cavity insulation may not be installed until a water-resistant covering is in place over the wall cavity an…

SPS 321.25 Wood frame walls. Unless designed through structural analysis, wood frame walls shall comply with the following requirements. (1) STUD CONFIGURATION. Wood studs shall comply with the size and spacing requirements indicated in Table 321.25-A. Studs in the exterior walls…

SPS 321.26 Masonry walls. Masonry walls shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements of this section. (1) COLD WEATHER WORK. When ambient air temperature is below 40nF, the cold weather construction procedures under ACI 530.1 shall be followed. Note: The requirements …

SPS 321.28 Weather protection for roofs. (1) GEN(a) All roofs shall be designed and constructed to assure drainage of water. (b) All fasteners shall be corrosion resistant. (2) UNDERLAYMENT FOR SHINGLES. Underlayment consisting of number 15 asphalt-impregnated felt paper or equiv…

SPS 321.29 Masonry fireplaces. Masonry fireplaces shall be constructed of masonry, stone or concrete. Masonry fireplaces shall be supported on foundations of concrete or masonry. Structural walls shall be at least 8 inches thick. Masonry fireplaces shall conform to the following …

SPS 321.30 Masonry chimneys. Masonry chimneys shall conform to the following provisions: (1) MATERIALS. No masonry chimney shall rest upon wood. The foundation shall be designed and built in conformity with the requirements for foundations. Masonry chimney walls shall be at least…

SPS 321.32 Factory-built fireplaces. Factory-built fireplaces consisting of a fire chamber assembly, one or more chimney sections, a roof assembly and other parts shall be tested and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. (1) FIREPLACE ASSEMBLY AND MAINTENANCE. The…

SPS 321.33 Construction in floodplains. (1) GENWhere dwelling construction is allowed by local zoning ERAL. the chapter was last published. SPS 321.33 WISCONSIN ADMINISTRATIVE CODE ordinances to take place in floodfringe areas of floodplains, the dwelling shall meet the requireme…

SPS 321.34 Construction in coastal floodplains. (1) GENERAL. All dwellings constructed in coastal floodplains shall be designed by a registered architect or engineer and shall meet the requirements of this section and s. SPS 321.33. (2) ELEVATION. All dwellings constructed in a c…

SPS 322.01 Scope. (1) This chapter applies to all oneand 2-family dwellings covered by this code that use any amount of non-renewable energy for heat generation. Note: Non-renewable energy sources used for heat distribution only will not require compliance with this chapter. Note…

SPS 322.02 Application. (1) This chapter is not intended to conflict with any safety or health requirements. Where a conflict occurs, the safety and health requirements shall govern. (2) This chapter allows the designer the option of using various methods to demonstrate complianc…

SPS 322.10 Definitions. (1) XAir-impermeableY means having an air permeance less than or equal to 0.02 L/s-m2 at a pressure differential of 75 pascals when tested according to ASTM E 2178 or ASTM E 283. (2) XConditioned floor areaY means the sum of areas of all floors in conditio…

SPS 322.20 Basic requirements. (1) GENERAL. When available, information and values on thermal properties, performance of building envelope sections and components, and heat transfer shall be obtained from the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals. (2) COMPUTATION OF R-VALUES. (a) Insul…