What Size Egress Window Do I Need in Ohio?
Ohio follows the International Residential Code (IRC R310): an egress window needs a minimum 5.7 square feet of clear opening area, at least 20 inches wide, at least 24 inches tall, with the sill no more than 44 inches above the floor. The window must open fully without tools, keys, or special knowledge.
Those are minimums — a window that's exactly 20 inches wide has to be unusually tall to hit 5.7 sq ft, so in practice we size windows a little larger for easier escape and more natural light. Summit County inspectors measure the clear opening with the sash fully open, not the rough opening, so the glass size and the way the window operates both matter.
Here is where people get tripped up. The 20-inch width and 24-inch height are minimums, but you can't just hit both at once and call it done. A 20-inch by 24-inch opening is only about 3.3 square feet — well short of the 5.7 square feet the code wants. To reach 5.7 square feet, one of those numbers has to grow.
That is why the window style matters. A casement window swings fully open, so almost the whole frame counts as clear opening — it often hits 5.7 square feet in a smaller unit. A sliding window only opens halfway, so it has to be wider to pass. We measure your wall and your well and size the exact window so it meets code the first time, without cutting a bigger hole than you need.
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