Canada · Means of egress

What exit travel distance applies to office or retail occupancies in Canada?

Exit travel distance for office and retail occupancies is not one national number. The allowed path depends on the adopted code, whether the use is business/personal services or mercantile, whether the building or suite is sprinklered, and how the exit-access layout is arranged.

This page stays deliberately narrow: office and retail only. It is built to help you frame the travel-distance check before a permit comment or layout revision forces rework, while making it clear that travel distance, common path, dead-end limits, and exit arrangement are related but not interchangeable code questions.

What to check first

  • Split office and retail use cases early because the travel-distance path can change with occupancy grouping and project context.
  • Check sprinkler status explicitly. Searchers often assume the sprinklered allowance applies when the project or suite does not actually qualify.
  • Do not confuse exit travel distance with common path of travel or dead-end corridor length. They are related checks, not the same limit.

Jurisdiction notes

National baseline

Start with the travel-distance provisions for business and personal services or mercantile occupancies, then verify whether the floor plan is being checked as a suite, tenant improvement, or larger building condition.

Province and edition check

Confirm provincial adoption and amendment differences before using a distance limit in design coordination, especially if the project sits in a mixed-use building or a province with a different adopted edition.

Common layout traps

Dead ends, common path, remote exit arrangement, and mixed-use building constraints can all complicate what looks like a simple office or retail travel-distance check.

Not professional advice

CodeCan reports what the published building code says. It is not legal, engineering, or architectural advice, and it does not certify compliance. Building codes are adopted and amended provincially and enforced locally — always verify with your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) before you build.

Work through it in this order

  1. Confirm whether the space is being reviewed as office, business and personal services, or mercantile use before selecting the travel-distance path.
  2. Check whether the relevant condition is sprinklered and whether that sprinkler assumption is actually supported by the project facts.
  3. Measure the exit-access route and separately identify any common-path or dead-end issues so the checks are not collapsed into one number.
  4. Keep the cited distance limit, occupancy assumption, and layout notes together before finalizing the plan or answering reviewer comments.

Common questions

Is exit travel distance the same as common path of travel?

No. They are separate but related egress checks. A layout can appear acceptable on one measure and still fail on the other.

Why does sprinkler status matter so much?

Because the adopted code may allow different travel-distance limits for sprinklered conditions. Assuming the sprinklered path without confirming the project condition can create a false sense of compliance.

Can I use this page for industrial, residential, or assembly occupancies too?

No. This page is intentionally limited to office and retail style occupancies. Other occupancies often follow a different travel-distance path and should be checked separately.