What is a Bedroom?

This might seem like a simple question, but it can often be a point of contention, especially when listing a home for sale, since many buyers are looking for a minimum number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the home they purchase. Surprisingly, the California Residential Code does not define the term bedroom, and uses the term sleeping room instead, which for all intensive purposes would be the same thing. Although, if you fall asleep on the couch, could that be considered a sleeping room?

Size
The code requires a minimum size of 70 square feet to be considered habitable space (a space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking) and a minimum dimension of 7 feet — therefore the minimum roof size for a bedroom is 7 feet by 10 feet. There are some older buildings that have bedrooms smaller than what is currently required, as they were built before the code existed or before the code was enforced. It should also be noted that the code requires a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet, so if the ceiling is lower than 7 feet, it is not considered habitable space or a sleeping room.

Closets
The code does not require a closet for a room to be considered a bedroom / sleeping room. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a bedroom that meets the minimum size requirements without a closet. A wardrobe or other furniture can be used for storage. It should be noted that some cities will require a bedroom to have a closet when approving plans for new construction (or additions), but that is a local requirement for new construction that is not in the code. Local governments are allowed to adopts requirements that are more restrictive than the code. While the code does not require a closet, the general public might expect to have a closet, which could make it tricky to go against the grain of those expectations.

Safety
The code requires certain safety features in sleeping rooms, since people may be asleep when an emergency happens and they will be slower to react. A means of secondary egress (now called emergency escape and rescue opening) is required in each sleeping room, which can be an exterior door or a window large enough to enable occupants to escape and rescue personnel to enter. Each bedroom is required to have smoke alarm inside, as well as a smoke alarm in the common area outside, and in the immediate vicinity of, the bedroom. In addition, carbon monoxide alarms are required in the common area outside, and in the immediate vicinity of, the bedroom — unless there is a fuel burning appliance inside the bedroom, then a carbon monoxide alarm is also required inside in addition to the carbon monoxide alarm as outside the bedroom.

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