Mineola, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 300 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 300-17

A. General. (1) Safe, continuous, and unobstructed exit shall be provided from the interior of a building or structure to the exterior at a street or to a yard, court, or passageway leading to a public open area. (2) Exits shall be arranged, constructed, proportioned, and maintained so that occupants may escape safely from the building or structure in case of emergency. Width of exits shall conform to generally accepted standards. (3) Exits from dwelling units, hotel units, lodging units, and dormitory units shall not lead through other such units or through toilet rooms or bathrooms. (4) Nothing shall be placed, accumulated, or stored on residential premises which obstructs egress from stairways, passageways, doors, windows, fire escapes, or other means of exit. (5) In multiple dwellings, exits, including vestibules, stairways, passageways, corridors and hallways, but excluding fire escapes, shall be lighted with natural or electric light at all times, so as to afford safe passage. (6) Stairways shall have handrails on at least one side. (7) Fire escapes shall be maintained free of encumbrances. (8) Vending machines and other equipment or materials shall not be located in lobbies, corridors, or passageways if it constitutes a fire hazard or interferes with the exit facilities. B. One- and two-family dwellings. (1) A fixed stairway shall be provided between stories and between the first story and a basement or cellar. (2) In one- and two-family dwellings, in addition to the primary exit, there shall be provided an emergency exit from each story. Such emergency exit may be similar to the primary exit or a fire escape or an opening, such as a window or door, having at least four square feet of openable area with a minimum dimension of 18 inches and with the bottom of the opening not more than three feet six inches above the floor. All new construction or renovation shall comply with the Uniform Code. (3) In two-family dwellings more than three stories in height, exits shall comply with any of the following: (a) One interior stairway enclosed in construction having at least a three-fourths-hour fire-resistance rating, with openings in such enclosure protected by self-closing doors; or (b) Two interior stairways, with all doors opening upon such stairways equipped with a self-closing device; or (c) One interior stairway, with all doors opening upon such stairway equipped with a self-closing device, and one exterior stairway or fire escape providing exit from each dwelling unit on any story; or (d) One interior stairway equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, with all doors opening upon such stairway equipped with a self-closing device. C. Multiple dwellings. (1) In multiple dwellings two stories or less in height, in addition to the primary exit from each dwelling unit, hotel unit, lodging unit, or dormitory unit, there shall be provided an emergency exit from each such unit, conforming with the requirements of Subsection B(2) of this section. (2) In multiple dwellings three stories or more in height, there shall be provided from each story at least two exits accessible to each dwelling unit, hotel unit, lodging unit, or dormitory unit. The primary exit shall be an interior public hall, stairway, lobby, vestibule, or any combination thereof. The secondary exit shall be another interior public hall, stairway, lobby, or vestibule, or any combination thereof, or a fire escape. Where the secondary exit is through the same public hall which provides access to the primary exit, the primary exit shall be separated from such public hall by construction having a fire-resistance rating of at least 3/4 hour. (3) Public halls, stairways, lobbies, and vestibules serving as exits shall be enclosed with construction having a fire-resistance rating of at least 3/4 hour. Wood wainscotting in exits is prohibited. Combustible interior trim in exits is permitted only in buildings three stories or less in height. Openings, other than doors, in interior walls or partitions of exits shall be sealed, so as to maintain the required fire-resistance rating of the wall or partition. (4) Doors from dwelling units, hotel units, lodging units, or dormitory units opening upon a public hall and doors in stairway enclosures shall be self-closing. Doors from units opening upon public halls and doors in stairway enclosures shall have a fire-resistance rating of at least 3/4 hour. (5) Basement and cellar stairways shall be separated from stairways leading to or from upper stories, at the grade level story, by construction having a fire-resistance rating of at least 3/4 hour, with doors that are self-closing and have a fire-resistance rating of at least 3/4 hour. D. Height. In multiple dwellings, passageways, corridors, hallways, and vestibules shall have a minimum height of seven feet six inches, measured from floor to ceiling. In stairways, headroom over landing floors and tread nosings shall have a minimum height of seven feet. E. Light and ventilation. (1) In multiple dwellings, exits, including vestibules, stairways, passageways, corridors, and hallways, but excluding fire escapes, shall be lighted with natural or electric light at all times, so as to afford safe passage. Electric light shall conform to the following: (a) A sufficient number of fixtures shall be provided so that the distance between fixtures is not more than 30 feet and so that no wall is more than 15 feet from a fixture. (b) Incandescent lighting: not less than 1/10 watt per square foot of floor area, except that each fixture shall have a lamp or lamps with a total of not less than 25 watts. (c) Fluorescent lighting: not less than 1/10 watt per square foot of floor area, except that each fixture shall have a lamp or lamps of a total of not less than 15 watts. (d) Where, under these formulas, the calculated wattage does not correspond to that of a standard lamp, the next larger size shall be used. (2) In multiple dwellings, stairways, passageways, corridors, and hallways shall be provided with ventilation in accordance with either of the following: (a) Natural ventilation obtained by means of openings to the outer air or by means of ducts connected to wind- or gravity-operated ventilators; or (b) Mechanical ventilation conforming to the requirements of Table II. F. Stairways. (1) Stairway treads, risers, and landings shall be arranged, constructed, proportioned, and maintained to provide safe ascent and descent. (2) Guardrails or balustrades, at least 33 inches in height above nosings and 36 inches in height above landings, shall be provided at open portions of stairways. (3) Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of stairways. (4) Where stairways provide access to roofs by means of scuttles or bulkhead doors, such scuttles or doors shall be readily openable from the interior without the use of tools or keys. G. Fire escapes. (1) Fire escapes which serve as a secondary means of egress shall be of material having the properties of ferrous metal, other than cast iron, and conform to generally accepted standards. Fire escapes shall be maintained free of encumbrances. (2) Access to fire escapes shall be through openable unobstructed doors or windows conforming to the requirements of windows for emergency exit in Subsection B(2) of this section. (3) In buildings more than three stories in height, fire escapes shall continue to the roof, except when the slope of the roof exceeds 15°. (4) The lowest balcony shall be provided with a drop ladder or counterbalanced stair, if it is more than five feet above the ground.