How Deep Does an Egress Window Well Need to Be?

The window well has to be sized so the window still meets egress code — the sill can be no more than 44 inches above the basement floor inside — and the well itself must give at least 9 square feet of floor area with a minimum 36-inch projection out from the foundation wall.

If the well is deeper than 44 inches from the outside grade, code requires a permanently attached ladder or steps so someone can climb out. We size and build every well to these numbers and add the drainage that keeps it from turning into a bathtub.