suspended ceiling / fire code

[William.Deans]

Greetings,

Is a suspended ceiling allowed below the joists with no drywall or other fire protection in a single family residential home? Are bare joists allowed with no drywall or suspended ceiling tiles?

Thanks, William

[RBM]

William, these are questions only your local building inspector can answer

[gfretwell]

If this is dwelling space over dwellng space, same residence, it is OK. Not OK over a garage or in multifamily dwellings

[William.Deans]

Thank you very much for your reply. If you didn't "just know" it would be helpful to me to know where you derived this information so that I can read up on it myself.

Thanks again, William

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I've been in literally hundreds of homes that have one or both of those scenarios, including my own. That does not mean there is some local code that does not permit it.

[mm]

I can't answer your question, but the situation you describe was the prime reason for suspended ceilings. At least in basements, and in office buildings where there was a cement ceiling but cluttered with ugly things underneath.

That doesn't mean it's legal in all states and towns in all situations. That's still for you to find out.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

In commercial buildings, there is a restriction about sprinklers. The sprinkler heads must be below hte ceiling, or the ceiling tiles must be "drop out" tiles that will melt from the heat of a fire. Most often, the are made from foam board that has a fire retardant in it.

[gfretwell]

International Residential Code. That is the basis for the Florida Building Code that I deal with. You are looking at fire rated walls/ceilings. In R3 construction you need a 1 hour fire rated ceiling above a garage.