Means of egress: exit access, exit, exit discharge

One-line orientation

A means of egress is the code-defined route out of a building. It has three parts: exit access, exit, and exit discharge. The middle part is the protected exit, and protection increases along the route to the street.

Key points

• A means of egress has three parts, in sequence:
  • Exit access — the travel from any point in the building to an exit. Rooms and corridors fall here; it is the least-protected leg.
  • Exit — the protected, fire-rated portion: an enclosed (rated) stair or an exterior exit door. This leg is separated from the rest of the building by rated construction.
  • Exit discharge — from the exit to the public way (street / public right-of-way). The final leg.
• Safety increases along the path: each part must be as safe or safer than the previous part — never a step down in protection as you head toward the street.
• Fire ratings step up as you move from unit → corridor → stairwell.
• Egress-path door rules support the route. Doors must be openable from the egress side without a key or special knowledge. A door must swing in the direction of egress travel when it serves 50 or more occupants or a Group H occupancy.

Means of egress — one continuous path, three code-defined parts

Exit access → protected exit → exit discharge to the public way

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Protection increases toward the street: each part as safe or safer than the one before, unit → corridor → stair.

Confusions / comparison

Part	Where it is	Protection	Common confusion
Exit access	Any point in the building → the exit	Least protected (rooms, corridors)	People call the whole route the “exit” — this is only the access
Exit	The protected/rated portion only	Rated: enclosed stair or exterior door	The exit is just this leg, not the path from your desk to the street
Exit discharge	Exit → public way	Leads to a safe place outside	Confused with the exit itself; it is the leg after the exit

Related

→ Number of exits and exit separation (this topic): how many of these routes are required and how far apart · Common path vs travel distance vs dead-end (this topic): how the exit-access leg is measured · Corridors (this topic): the rated exit-access corridor.