The stained glass panel at foot level at a stair landing shown below is an example of a window that really should be safety glass but is acceptable by code because it is considered decorative glazing.
Safety glass requirements in doors.
Bathrooms for all areas up to 2 metres high door side panels if less than 300mm away from the door and positioned 1200mm or less above the floor around stairs for a distance of 1000mm from either side of the stairs and 2000mm from the bottom of the stairs.
Safety glass should be fitted in all doors and other windows or glazed areas that are lower than 800mm from the floor level.
Commercial refrigerated cabinet glazed doors safety glazing 7 adjacent to doors safety glazing 8 within 24 in.
As a general guide you must use safety glass in.
Critical locations are considered to be.
Glass panels less than 250mm wide can be fitted with 6mm glass or laminated glass instead of toughened glass.
Horizontally of door in closed position 60 in.
Glazing in unframed swinging doors.
A federal law mandates safety glass for areas that have the possibility of impact by a person such as sliding glass doors and low windows in walking areas.
Glass in doors must be grade a safety glazing material in accordance with open link in same page table 3 6 5 and open link in same page figure 3 6 1 except that a unframed doors other than those incorporated in shower screens or bath enclosures must be glazed with toughened safety glass with a minimum nominal thickness of 10 mm or laminated toughened safety glass with a minimum total thickness of 10 mm.
Glazing in storm doors.
Above floor adjacent to doors glazing installed perpendicular to a door 24 inches from door safety glazing if on hinge side of an in swinging door 9.
There are exceptions allowed for decorative glass in windows also along with the addition of a sturdy rail in front of the glass and outboard panes of insulating glass in a high location.
In addition any glass located adjacent to a door within a 24 inch arc of the door must be constructed from safety glass if the bottom edge of the glass is less than 60 inches above the walking.
Also glass on a perpendicular wall to a door and opposite the swing must be safety tempered as illustrated below.
None of this should be interpreted to exclude using safety tempered glass for in a location that you decide warrants it.
The international code council icc is a non profit organization dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design build and compliance process.
Glazing in fixed and sliding panels of sliding door assemblies and panels in sliding and bifold closet door assemblies.