Basement bedroom code help
Whether you're finishing a basement, renting rooms or buying a house, here's how to tell if a basement room meets egress rules, and what to do if it doesn't.
Calling a room a "bedroom" carries weight. It affects how a house is listed and appraised, whether a landlord can rent it for sleeping, and whether someone has a safe way out at night. In Wisconsin, the egress rules for basements come from the Uniform Dwelling Code, chapter SPS 321.
Does my basement room count as a bedroom?
For egress purposes, the basic test in Wisconsin is whether the basement is used for sleeping. If it is, it needs two exits. One is usually the stairway. The second can be an egress window, but only if there is one in each bedroom. A window in the rec room down the hall doesn't cover a bedroom with no window of its own.
Common situations
- Finishing a basement. Plan the bedroom around the window, not the other way around. Getting the window in before framing and drywall is usually simpler.
- Renting near the universities. If you rent to students in La Crosse, a basement room used for sleeping needs a legal exit. Check the city's rental rules as well.
- Buying a house. A listing may count a basement room as a bedroom when it has no egress window. Ask before you close.
- Selling. Adding an egress window before listing can settle the question for buyers and appraisers.
Quick self-check
- Can you open the window fully from inside without tools?
- Is the open space at least 20 inches by 24 inches?
- Is the bottom of the opening 60 inches or less above the floor, with a platform if it's over 46?
- If the window is below ground, is the well at least 36 inches out from the wall?
- Is there a ladder or step if the well is more than 46 inches deep?
If you answer no to any of these in Wisconsin, the room probably doesn't meet egress. In La Crescent, Minnesota's numbers are stricter, including a larger opening area and a lower 44-inch sill.
Do older homes have to meet today's code?
That depends on your municipality and the project. Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code applies to one- and two-family homes, and many local ordinances, including West Salem's, also apply it to additions and alterations on homes built before June 1, 1980. Finishing a basement into a bedroom is the kind of alteration that usually brings egress into play. Your permit office has the final word.
The installer prices the job after measuring the room, looking at the wall from both sides and checking what's buried along the foundation. We don't quote prices, and any number you hear over the phone before someone sees the basement is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Is a basement bedroom without an egress window illegal in Wisconsin?
A basement used for sleeping needs two exits under the Uniform Dwelling Code, and an egress window in each bedroom is the usual way to provide the second. How that's enforced on an existing home depends on your municipality.
Can I use a door instead of a window?
Yes. A door to the outside from the basement, such as a walkout, can serve as an exit. On hillside lots up the coulees, a walkout may already be part of the design.
Related services
- Egress window installation
- Foundation cutting and enlarging openings
- Egress window wells
- Window well covers
More background: La Crosse egress window guide.
Finishing a basement bedroom, or told your basement window won't pass?
Call now and a local egress window installer will talk through your basement with you.