TL;DR
Means of egress is the code term for the continuous, unobstructed path from any point in a building to the outdoors, made up of exit access, the exit itself, and the exit discharge. Residential rules flow from it: bedrooms need emergency escape openings of at least 5.7 square feet, hallways and stairs have minimum widths, and doors must operate without keys or special knowledge from inside.
What it means
Means of egress is the code term for the continuous, unobstructed path from any point in a building to the outdoors, made up of exit access, the exit itself, and the exit discharge. Residential rules flow from it: bedrooms need emergency escape openings of at least 5.7 square feet, hallways and stairs have minimum widths, and doors must operate without keys or special knowledge from inside. Basement finishing and attic conversions most often stall at this requirement.
Where it sits in the glossary
Means of egress is part of the Permits group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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