Safety Glazing Requirements Chart: IBC and IRC Compared

KEY CODE NUMBERS

What are the key safety glazing code numbers?

These are the page’s fastest quotable findings. Each carries the controlling figure, edition or date, qualifier, named primary source, and the July 25, 2026 verification date.

1. In the 2024 model codes, glazing beside stairways and at bottom stair landings uses a 36-inch vertical trigger in the IRC and a 60-inch trigger in the IBC—a 24-inch difference. Source: ICC 2024 IRC §§R324.4.6–R324.4.7 and ICC 2024 IBC §§2406.4.6–2406.4.7; verified July 25, 2026.
2. The 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC each organize the core human-impact safety-glazing rules into seven hazardous-location subsections. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §§2406.4.1–2406.4.7 and ICC 2024 IRC §§R324.4.1–R324.4.7; verified July 25, 2026.
3. Door-adjacent glazing generally requires a bottom exposed edge below 60 inches plus a 24-inch proximity test, but the IBC and IRC define that 24-inch zone differently. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2406.4.2 and ICC 2024 IRC §R324.4.2; verified July 25, 2026.
4. A large, low window meets the general hazardous-location test only when all four conditions are true: pane area greater than 9 square feet, bottom edge below 18 inches, top edge above 36 inches, and a walking surface within 36 inches. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2406.4.3 and ICC 2024 IRC §R324.4.3; verified July 25, 2026.
5. Where the model codes require human-impact testing, glazing defaults to CPSC Category II unless the applicable code table indicates otherwise; the ANSI alternative likewise defaults to Class A where permitted. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2406.2 and ICC 2024 IRC §R324.3.1; verified July 25, 2026.
6. CPSC Category I/Class B uses a 150 foot-pound impact test with a 100-pound shot bag dropped 18 to 18.5 inches; Category II/Class A uses 400 foot-pounds and a 48- to 48.5-inch drop. Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission final rule and 16 CFR Part 1201; verified July 25, 2026.
7. The federal regulation itself equates Category I with Class B and Category II with Class A. Source: 16 CFR §1201.2(a)(3)–(4); Title 16 current through July 23, 2026; verified July 25, 2026.
8. Current 16 CFR Part 1201 names five covered architectural product types: storm or combination doors, doors, bathtub doors and enclosures, shower doors and enclosures, and sliding patio-type glass doors. Source: 16 CFR §1201.1(a); Title 16 current through July 23, 2026; verified July 25, 2026.
9. Since 1981, the CPSC has expressly excluded an exterior-wall window over a bathtub or within a shower stall from that federal enclosure interpretation, while an adopted building code can still classify the same location as hazardous. Source: 16 CFR §1201.40, 46 FR 45751; verified July 25, 2026.
10. The 2024 IBC uses an 8-foot outboard-pane exception for the large-window rule, while the 2024 IRC retains a 25-foot exception. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2406.4.3 and ICC 2024 IRC §R324.4.3; verified July 25, 2026.
11. The 2024 IBC states that where safety glazing is required, the requirement applies to single glazing, laminated glass, and every pane in a multipane assembly. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2406.1; verified July 25, 2026.
12. The 2024 IBC glass-guard provisions set maximum nominal stresses of 3,000 psi for heat-strengthened glass and 6,000 psi for fully tempered glass under the specified design method. Source: ICC 2024 IBC §2407.1.1; verified July 25, 2026.
13. Indiana currently lists a 2012 IBC base for commercial buildings and a 2018 IRC base for one- and two-family dwellings—a six-year edition spread inside one state. Source: Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules table, 675 IAC 13-2.6 and 675 IAC 14-4.4; verified July 25, 2026.
14. Under Indiana's 2012 IBC base, the commercial bottom-stair-landing trigger remains below 36 inches above the landingand within 60 inches horizontally of the bottom tread, not the current IBC's below-60-inch arc test. Source: ICC 2012 IBC §2406.4.7 and Indiana's adopted-code record; verified July 25, 2026.
15. ANSI Z97.1-2026 is now available, while current 16 CFR Part 1201 continues to incorporate ANSI Z97.1-2015 and the 2024 IRC references ANSI Z97.1-2015 (R2020). Source: ASC Z97, 16 CFR §1201.4, and ICC 2024 IRC Chapter 44; verified July 25, 2026.

THE CHART

What does the safety glazing requirements chart show?

Both 2024 model codes identify seven core hazardous locations where human-impact safety-glazing rules apply. Five categories share the same broad trigger, while the stairway and bottom-landing rows use different vertical dimensions and several other rows contain code-specific geometry or exceptions.

Table 1. Safety glazing hazardous locations: 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC compared

IMPACT CLASS

What impact class does the glass actually have to meet?

A hazardous-location finding establishes that human-impact safety glazing is required; it does not by itself identify every permitted product or table exception. The model codes generally default to CPSC Category II, with Category I available only where the governing table permits it.

Table 3. CPSC impact categories and ANSI class equivalents

The equivalence is not merely an industry crosswalk. The current federal definitions are titled “Category I products (Class B)” and “Category II products (Class A)” in 16 CFR §1201.2(a)(3)–(4).

Table 4. Which federal category applies to which covered product?

EDITION CHANGES

What changed between code editions?

Every section number and threshold on this page belongs to an edition. The changes below are the ones that materially alter a citation, a measurement, or the relationship between the current model codes and the editions still used in Indiana.

Table 6. Verified safety glazing changes by code edition

METHODOLOGY

How was this dataset built?

Fort Wayne Commercial Glass Repair Research assembled the chart from primary code, regulation, standards-developer, state-agency, and county material read on July 25, 2026. The dataset was normalized into 12 records, with the original comparison operators, code editions, section numbers, exceptions, source URLs, and verification date retained in each record.

• What we collected. For each of the seven hazardous locations, we recorded the section number, triggering condition, dimensional threshold, comparison operator, and named exceptions separately for the 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC. We then recorded the federal product scope, Category I/II assignments, impact energies, drop heights, edition changes, and Indiana's adopted editions.
• Where we got it. The current model-code columns use ICC Digital Codes for the 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC. Humboldt County's government-published R324.4 page was used as a readable official cross-check. The 2012 and 2015 IBC pages and ICC's 2015 update establish the bottom-landing transition. The federal layer uses 16 CFR Part 1201 on eCFR and the CPSC's final rule. The Indiana layer uses the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's code table, the Indiana Register's final rule, the incorporated 2020 Indiana Residential Code, Indiana's General Administrative Rules, and Allen County's current-code page.
• How we processed it. Measurements were normalized to inches, feet, square feet, foot-pounds, and pounds per square inch while preserving the source's comparison operators. “Greater than,” “less than,” “within,” “more than,” and “or more” were not converted into approximate ranges.
• How we handled editions. A section number is stored with its code and edition. The current national comparison uses 2024 model codes. Indiana's commercial column uses the 2012 IBC base identified in 675 IAC 13-2.6, and its residential column uses the 2018 IRC base identified in 675 IAC 14-4.4.
• How we handled conflicts. The issuing agency or official code text controls over a national status database, secondary summary, or trade article. Where different editions contain different rules, the dataset keeps both values visible rather than smoothing them into a single number.
• Copyright. The IBC and IRC are copyrighted by the International Code Council. The page summarizes the requirements in original language, identifies the controlling sections, and does not reproduce an entire code section or table.
• Verification tier. Every published record is marked ★, meaning it was read directly against an official code, regulation, issuing-agency page, standards-developer publication, or official edition-change record. No consequential value remains in a pending tier.
• What we did not use as evidence. Contractor pages, code forums, home-inspection articles, and other competitor content were used only to identify common wording and points of confusion. No requirement or number in the published dataset is sourced from them.

MATERIALS

Is safety glazing the same thing as tempered glass?

No. “Safety glazing” describes compliance with an applicable impact-performance requirement; “tempered glass” names one material and treatment route that can satisfy it. The location rule and the compliant-product question are separate decisions.

LIMITATIONS

What are the limitations of this chart?

This dataset is an educational reference. It does not replace an adopted code, an incorporated amendment, a project specification, an approved construction document, a written interpretation, a product listing, a design release, or a determination by the authority having jurisdiction.

• The 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC columns describe national model-code provisions. They do not establish that those editions have been adopted in a particular jurisdiction. Local amendments are not cataloged outside the Indiana Chapter 24 and adoption records identified on this page.
• The chart covers human-impact safety glazing and selected federal architectural-glazing product classifications. It does not provide a complete treatment of fire-rated glazing, structural glass design under IBC §2407, glass thickness selection under ASTM E1300, windborne-debris glazing, blast or security glazing, skylights and sloped glazing, glass floors, existing-building provisions, historic-district approvals, or Canadian requirements.
• Federal product scope and building-code location scope are related but distinct. A product can fall outside a federal interpretation and remain subject to an adopted building-code rule; the exterior-wall bathroom window is the clearest example.
• The Indiana rows identify the editions and administrative information published as current on July 25, 2026. Later rulemaking, amendments, written interpretations, or changes to county procedures can alter the controlling answer.
• Glazing in guards, storefronts, overhead assemblies, wet areas, and stair locations presents fall, laceration, structural-load, and handling hazards. This page contains no installation, removal, cutting, drilling, lifting, or replacement instructions; those operations belong to qualified personnel working from approved documents and the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction.

DATASET DOWNLOAD

What is included in the dataset download?

The downloadable dataset contains the 12 normalized records used to build the visible chart. The CSV and JSON contain the same record IDs, verification date, source names, source URLs, model-code columns, Indiana-edition columns, federal-scope notes, exceptions, and methodological qualifiers.

Dataset title

Safety Glazing Requirements Chart: IRC, IBC, CPSC, and Indiana Crosswalk

Version

2026-07-25-v1

Records

12

Last fully verified

July 25, 2026

Fields

record_id, record_type, scenario, core_trigger, model_code_2024_irc, model_code_2024_ibc, indiana_residential_2018_irc, indiana_commercial_2012_ibc, federal_16_cfr_1201, exceptions_or_qualifiers, verification_tier, verified_date, primary_source_names, primary_source_urls, notes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the most common safety glazing questions?

These answers restate the chart's most frequently confused distinctions in compact form. They use the same editions, measurements, and exceptions as the visible tables and the downloadable dataset.

Is safety glazing the same as tempered glass?

No. Safety glazing is a compliance category defined by impact performance. Tempered glass is one material that can satisfy it; laminated glass and other qualified materials can also comply when tested and identified for the application.

What is the 24-inch rule for safety glazing?

The two codes state it differently. The 2024 IBC treats glazing as hazardous where its nearest vertical edge falls within a 24-inch arc of either vertical edge of a closed door and its bottom exposed edge is below 60 inches. The 2024 IRC uses a two-part test: within 24 inches of either side of the door in the closed-door plane, or on a wall less than 180 degrees from that plane and within 24 inches of the hinge side of an in-swinging door.

Do all four low-window conditions have to be met?

Yes. Pane area greater than 9 square feet, bottom edge below 18 inches, top edge above 36 inches, and a walking surface within 36 inches horizontally must all be true for the general large-window hazardous-location test.

Does a pane measuring exactly 9 square feet meet the "greater than 9 square feet" condition?

No. Exactly 9 square feet does not satisfy "greater than 9." The same boundary logic means exactly 18 inches does not satisfy "less than 18," and exactly 36 inches does not satisfy "greater than 36."

Why do the IRC and IBC give different answers near stairs?

They use different vertical triggers and different protective exceptions. The 2024 IRC uses 36 inches and a qualifying protective-rail exception; the 2024 IBC uses 60 inches and a guard-and-distance exception. Both also except glazing at least 36 inches horizontally from the walking surface.

Why do some references say R308.4 and others say R324.4?

The 2024 IRC renumbered the glazing provisions from R308 to R324. Both numbers are correct for different editions. Indiana's residential code is based on the 2018 IRC, so R308.4 remains the current Indiana citation.

Does a window near a shower require safety glazing?

It can under the adopted building code when the location and below-60-inch condition are met. Separately, the CPSC has stated since 1981 that federal Part 1201 does not apply to an exterior-wall window over a bathtub or within a shower stall. Those are different scope questions.

What is the difference between Category I and Category II?

Category I/Class B uses a 150 foot-pound test with a 100-pound shot bag dropped 18 to 18.5 inches. Category II/Class A uses 400 foot-pounds and a 48- to 48.5-inch drop. The federal regulation states the Category-to-Class equivalence directly.

Is wired glass safety glazing?

Not automatically. The federal rule retains a narrow exemption for wired glass used to retard fire where that use is required by a federal, state, local, or municipal fire ordinance. ANSI Z97.1-2015 eliminated the former lower Class C impact test, so wired glass outside the exemption must satisfy the applicable current performance requirement.

Do glass guards need anything beyond safety glazing?

Yes. Glazing in guards and railings is a hazardous location regardless of pane area or height, but structural adequacy is governed separately. The 2024 IBC Section 2407 provisions include material, support, load, and nominal-stress requirements in addition to the Section 2406 human-impact rule.

Does Fort Wayne use the 2024 IBC?

No. Indiana currently lists a commercial code based on the 2012 IBC and a residential code based on the 2018 IRC, and Allen County publishes the same editions. The 2024 columns in this chart are national model-code comparisons.

Which rule controls when the federal standard, the model code, and the local code differ?

The federal product standard governs products within its current scope. The adopted jurisdictional code and amendments govern the building-code requirements for the project. A model code that has not been adopted remains a reference rather than the local enforceable edition.

RELATED PAGES

Related pages on this site

• Commercial Glass Reference Desk — sourced references covering federal glazing rules, Indiana code, Allen County permits, and local authorities
• Commercial Door Glass Repair in Fort Wayne — door leaves and qualifying glazing beside doors can be hazardous locations, subject to the adopted code's listed exceptions
• Storefront Glass Repair in Fort Wayne — storefront systems, fixed lites, and how code applies to display glass
• Editorial & Source Standards — how this site verifies facts, uses official sources, and records review dates