what is an egress

Egress refers to a means or place of going out, an exit. It is a term used in building codes to refer to the means by which somebody can exit a building. Egress can refer to both the act of exiting or to an exit itself. There are different types of egress, including egress windows and egress doors. An egress window is a window large enough, as defined by local business codes, for entry or exit in case of an emergency. Egress doors are designed to allow easy escape from a building in the case of an emergency or during an evacuation. Egress windows and wells are required by the International Residential Code (IRC) under certain circumstances, such as when adding a bedroom to a basement or creating a habitable space in a basement.