29 CFR 1910.36: Design and construction requirements for exit routes
The official text is on the eCFR. This page maps how the section is organized, quotes the paragraphs our ASP, CSP practice questions are built on, and gives free questions you can try. Text below is quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; the section was last amended 2017-01-01.
How 29 CFR 1910.36 is organized
- (a) Basic requirements4 paragraphs
- (b)4 paragraphs
- (c) Exit discharge3 paragraphs
- (d)3 paragraphs
- (e)2 paragraphs
- (f)3 paragraphs
- (g)4 paragraphs
- (h) An outdoor exit route is permitted5 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 8 live PassCited questions built on this section. This reflects our question bank, not the real exam.
“(2) The door that connects any room to an exit route must swing out in the direction of exit travel if the room is designed to be occupied by more than 50 people or if the room is a high hazard area (i.e., contains contents that are likely to burn with extreme rapidity or explode).”
“(2) An exit must be separated by fire resistant materials. Construction materials used to separate an exit from other parts of the workplace must have a one-hour fire resistance-rating if the exit connects three or fewer stories and a two-hour fire resistance-rating if the exit connects four or more stories.”
“(2) More than two exit routes. More than two exit routes must be available in a workplace if the number of employees, the size of the building, its occupancy, or the arrangement of the workplace is such that all employees would not be able to evacuate safely during an emergency.”
“(d) An exit door must be unlocked. (1) Employees must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge. A device such as a panic bar that locks only from the outside is permitted on exit discharge doors.”
“(2) Exit route doors must be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails.”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1910.36
Question 1
During a walkthrough of a warehouse, a safety professional finds that a storage room designed to hold 80 people has a side-hinged door that swings into the room, against the direction of exit travel. The room is not a high hazard area. What does the standard require?
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Answer: D. The door must swing out in the direction of exit travel because the room is designed to be occupied by more than 50 people
The standard requires an outward swing in the direction of exit travel when a room is designed for more than 50 occupants or is a high hazard area; either condition is enough. The distractor limiting this to high hazard areas ignores the occupancy trigger, and the standard requires a side-hinged door, not a sliding one.
Answer D rests on
29 CFR 1910.36(e)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“The door that connects any room to an exit route must swing out in the direction of exit travel if the room is designed to be occupied by more than 50 people or if the room is a high hazard area (i.e., contains contents that are likely to burn with extreme rapidity or explode).”
Question 2
A safety manager is reviewing a new five-story office building in which an enclosed interior exit stairwell connects all five floors. The architect proposes separating the stairwell from the rest of the workplace with construction rated at one hour. What does the standard require for this stairwell?
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Answer: B. A two-hour fire resistance-rating, because the exit connects four or more stories
The standard requires a two-hour rating where an exit connects four or more stories; a one-hour rating applies only to exits connecting three or fewer stories. A self-closing door does not replace the required fire-rated separation.
Answer B rests on
29 CFR 1910.36(a)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Construction materials used to separate an exit from other parts of the workplace must have a one-hour fire resistance-rating if the exit connects three or fewer stories and a two-hour fire resistance-rating if the exit connects four or more stories.”
Question 3
A safety professional is auditing a warehouse exit access corridor that leads to a single exit. The corridor is 36 inches wide for most of its length. A wall-mounted electrical cabinet protrudes into it, leaving a clear width of 31 inches at that point. A second location, where a rolling parts rack is routinely parked, leaves 26 inches clear. Which finding is correct under the exit route width requirements?
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Answer: D. The cabinet location complies but the rack location does not, because the exit access must be at least 28 inches wide at all points.
The standard requires an exit access to be at least 28 inches wide at all points, and projecting objects cannot reduce the width below the minimum. The 31-inch cabinet point meets this, but the 26-inch rack point does not. The 36-inch width is not the benchmark, so measuring against it is wrong.
Answer D rests on
29 CFR 1910.36(g)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(2) An exit access must be at least 28 inches (71.1 cm) wide at all points. Where there is only one exit access leading to an exit or exit discharge, the width of the exit and exit discharge must be at least equal to the width of the exit access.”
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Other Part 1910 sections
- 29 CFR 1910.1020: Access to employee exposure and medical records
- 29 CFR 1910.1030: Bloodborne pathogens
- 29 CFR 1910.1053: Respirable crystalline silica
- 29 CFR 1910.106: Flammable liquids
- 29 CFR 1910.119: Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals
- 29 CFR 1910.120: Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
This is a study aid, not legal advice or an official interpretation. Always check the current eCFR text. Original practice questions, not real exam items. PassCited is not affiliated with or endorsed by BCSP.