FACT SHEET

CALCULATING OCCUPANT LOAD

The design of a building’s egress system—that is, the ways out of a building—is critical to ensuring everybody can
safely evacuate in the event of a fire. To determine how many exits are required, how wide they have to be, and the
anticipated number of people in the building, the occupant load needs to be estimated. This fact sheet uses an
example to illustrate the method for determining occupant load based on NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®.

CALCULATION EXAMPLE
The floor plan below shows an example of occupant load calculations for several types of rooms commonly found
in an office. The occupant load factors used for each room come from Table 7.3.1.2 in NFPA 101, Life Safety Code.

CONFERENCE ROOM OPEN OFFICE

Subtract cabinets: (75 ft – 5 ft) x (50 ft – 5 ft) = 70 ft x 45 ft 100 ft x 150 ft = 15,000 ft2
70 ft x 45 ft = 3,150 ft2 Subtract small meeting rooms: 15,000 ft2 – (30 ft x 40 ft) = 13,800 ft2
3,150 ft /15 ft2 per person = 210 people
2
13,800 ft2/150 ft2 per person = 92 people

5 ft Cabinets
Occupant load factor:
150 ft2/person
(general business use) TOTAL OCCUPANT LOAD
OF FLOOR:
5 ft 30 ft
Conference room 210
Call center 25
75 ft Occupant load factor:
15 net ft2/person Open office 92
(less concentrated 100 ft Small meeting rooms 42
assembly use) Occupant load factor:
40 ft 30 ft2/person Total 369
(Collaboration rooms/
spaces ≤450 ft in area)

Occupant load factor:

50 ft2/person
25 ft
(concentrated
business use)
Stair
50 ft

Not to scale
200 ft

SMALL MEETING ROOMS

CALL CENTER 40 ft x 30 ft = 1,200 ft2/6 rooms = 200 ft2 per room
50 ft x 25 ft = 1,250 ft2 200 ft2/30 ft2 per person = 6.66 people
1,250 ft /50 ft2 per person = 25 people
2 Round up: 7 people per room
7 x 6 = 42 people
 FACT SHEET

CALCULATING OCCUPANT LOAD CONTINUED

EGRESS CAPACITY VS. OCCUPANT LOAD

Egress Capacity: The number of people for which the egress Occupant Load: The total number of people that might occupy
system is credited. Egress capacity is calculated based on the a building or space at any one time. The occupant load reflects
available width of egress components (doors, stairs, corridors, the maximum number of people anticipated to occupy the
walkways, etc.). Further requirements in Chapter 7 of NFPA building rooms or spaces at any given time and under all possible
101 provide the details for calculating egress capacity of the space. situations. The occupant load is the greater of either the calculated
value OR the maximum probable number of people expected in
the space. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS is arranged with tables and chairs (to ensure that the required
aisle accessways between tables are maintained) and another for
Q: Is the calculated occupant load the maximum number of
rows of chairs.
people allowed in an occupancy?
Q: Can it be assumed that people will not be in two places
A: Not necessarily. The calculated occupant load is the minimum
at once? For example, in a school with a cafeteria, students
number of people for which the number and capacity of means of
are either in classrooms or in the cafeteria. Aren’t we
egress must be provided. A building can be occupied by as many
counting them twice if we have to provide egress for the
people for whom there are sufficient egress routes as required by
calculated number of people in the classrooms and in the
the code. Occupant load is the calculated number of people, or
cafeteria simultaneously?
the actual number, whichever is greater.
A: Once a building is designed and built, it is very difficult to
Q: What is the difference between a net and a gross
control how it will be used over its lifetime. Remember, building
occupant load factor?
and life safety codes prescribe minimum requirements for safety;
A: A gross factor is applied to the entire floor area, including providing adequate egress facilities is critical and is not an area in
the area occupied by interior walls, corridors, columns, fixed which to cut corners.
furnishings, shafts, and the like. A net factor is applied only to the
While it’s true that students can’t be in two places at once, a
floor area available for use, excluding the aforementioned areas.
school could use the cafeteria for some other purpose during
Q: How is occupant load determined when a building has school hours (e.g., a local polling place). An authority having
areas used for different purposes, such as a multipurpose jurisdiction might judge that a highly controlled facility, such as a
room? prison, will never have a fully occupied dining hall while the cells
A: Occupant load is based on how areas are used and not on the are fully occupied. The code would permit the authority having
building’s occupancy classification. On one day, a multipurpose jurisdiction (AHJ) to adjust the occupant load accordingly using
room might be set up with tables and chairs for dining. This the provisions for equivalency in Section 1.4 of NFPA 101.
arrangement is typically considered to be a less-concentrated
assembly use and the occupant load factor of 15 ft2/person (net)
applies. On another day, the tables might be removed and rows of Next Steps You Can Take
chairs set up for a presentation. This is typically considered to be
a concentrated assembly use and the factor of 7 ft2/person (net) N
 FPA Xchange™ members can view the NFPA Live
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nfpa.org/Login.
For the purpose of determining the required number and
capacity of means of egress, the occupant load is based on the Access NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2018 at nfpa.org/101.
worst-case scenario—in this example, the rows of chairs, which L
 earn about the code handbooks, training, and
yield the greater occupant load. A room like this might have a certifications at nfpa.org/101info.
maximum occupancy sign with two limits: one for when the room

This material contains some basic information about NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. It identifies some of the requirements in these documents as
of the date of publication. This material is not the official position of any NFPA Technical Committee on any referenced topic which is represented
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please go to nfpa.org/docinfo. While every effort has been made to achieve a work of high quality, neither the NFPA nor the contributors to this
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tributors shall be liable for any personal injury, property, or other damages of any nature whatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential, or
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© 2019 National Fire Protection Association / October 2019