East St. Louis — Ch. 26 Art. XX Roominghouses § 26-1209
Exits
Operative Text
(a) Number and location. (1) Each and every roominghouse housing persons on the third floor or higher shall be provided with at least two inside enclosed stairways, leading from the ground to each floor providing habitable rooms. (2) Each and every roominghouse where less than three stories are occupied shall be provided with two inside stairways in all cases when occupied by more than five persons on the second floor, including members of the family, or in all cases where the total number of persons housed in the building exceeds eight, including members of the family. (b) Access. Access to all interior and outside stairways of a roominghouse shall be unobstructed and shall not be through a room used as a bedroom or bathroom or for any other purpose that obstructs free passage, nor shall such access be veiled from open view by ornamentation, curtains or other appurtenances. (c) Posting directions. In every roominghouse notices shall be posted and maintained, giving directions of how to reach the fire escapes.
East St. Louis Ch. 26 Art. XX § 26-1209 establishes exit and stairway requirements for roominghouses based on occupancy levels and building height. Roominghouses with occupied floors at the third story or higher must have at least two enclosed interior stairways running from the ground to each habitable floor, while lower-occupancy two-story buildings trigger the same requirement once more than five persons occupy the second floor or the total building population exceeds eight. All stairway access must remain clear and visible — not routed through bedrooms, bathrooms, or obscured by curtains or decorations — and posted notices must direct occupants to fire escapes.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators of roominghouses subject to § 26-1209 generally maintain a clear count of occupants per floor and per building to determine which stairway configuration applies to their property. Compliant operators ensure that pathways to all interior and exterior stairways are kept free of obstructions and are never routed through private-use rooms, and that no decorative elements block sightlines to those access points. Permanently posted, legible fire-escape direction notices are a baseline expectation under this section and should be checked regularly to confirm they remain in place and visible.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 26-1209 of East St. Louis Ch. 26 Art. XX gives roominghouse residents a right to unobstructed, clearly visible access to stairways and fire escapes, as well as posted directions explaining how to reach those escapes. If stairways are blocked, routed through private rooms, hidden by curtains or ornamentation, or if fire-escape notices are missing, these conditions may constitute violations of this provision. Tenants who observe such conditions can document them and report concerns to the local code enforcement or housing authority, or reach out to a tenant-rights organization for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation