What are the key changes in Chapter 7 Fire & Smoke Protection Features of CBC 2025

Chapter 7 of the 2025 CBC is one of the most technically significant updates in the entire code cycle. While no single “headline” change dominates the chapter, collectively these revisions reshape how architects and engineers design compliant, constructible, and verifiable fire-resistance-rated systems.

Major takeaways:

1. Structural Member Protection Significantly Clarified or Expanded

• Requirements for supporting construction and column encasement have been rewritten for continuity and transparency.
• Columns must now maintain continuous fire protection through ceilings, with only specific exceptions.
• Protection of secondary structural members is reorganized for clarity.

2. Exterior Wall Fire-Resistance Continuity Strengthened

• Exterior walls must extend full height to the underside of roof sheathing or rated assemblies depending on fire separation distance.
• Parapet language tightened with required parapet clarifications.

3. Penetrations, Openings, and Joints Undergo Major Revision

• Multiple new exceptions for penetrations, shaft enclosures, and curtain wall intersections.
• Firestop and joint system installation rules expanded to distinguish listed system installation vs. approved material installation.

4. Special Occupancies Get Important Changes

Particularly I-2 and I-3:

• New exceptions for fire barrier continuity.
• Updated security glazing standards in I-3.
• Revised rules for care suites and other healthcare separations (ties into Ch. 4 but affects Chapter 7’s continuity rules).

5. New and Updated Exceptions that Change Real-World Construction Detailing

Including:

• Exceptions for penetrations in parking garages.
• Exceptions for elevator hoistway door protection.
• Updated rules for where latching devices are required.

Given the nature of fire and smoke protection, even small text changes create major real-world consequences, making this chapter one of the most important for designers to read deeply.

Below is every change, line by line, in organized table format.

Structural Member Protection & Fire-Resistance Requirements

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Exterior Wall Continuity & Parapets

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Fire Walls, Fire Barriers, Smoke Barriers

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Smoke Partitions & Smoke Barriers

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Curtain Walls, Floor Intersections & Joints

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Firestop, Penetrations & Through-Penetrations

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Joint Systems, Curtain Wall Intersections

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Opening Protectives & Fire Doors

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Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Intersections

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Fireblocking & FR Assembly Tables

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Expert Commentary  -  Why Chapter 7 Matters So Much

Chapter 7 rarely gets headlines  -  but it is one of the highest-liability chapters for architects and engineers. It dictates the fire-resistance backbone of the building:

• How far fire can spread
• How rated assemblies behave under structural load
• How shafts and openings behave
• How mass timber interacts with compartmentation
• How exterior walls and curtain walls must be detailed
• How exits, lobbies, and high-rise systems contain smoke

For architects

This chapter influences:

• Wall section details
• Podium slab and transfer slab detailing
• Curtain wall anchors
• Parapet and coping details
• Corridors and separation layouts
• Healthcare floor planning

For structural engineers

It clarifies:

• Column protection
• FR continuity through mezzanines and multiple levels
• Protection of secondary framing
• Mass timber protections

For MEP engineers

New penetrations and control restrictions directly impact:

• Riser strategies
• Shaft design
• Mechanical rooms
• Electrical room construction methods

This chapter is one of the “silent killers” of budgets if misunderstood  -  because the detailing costs (firestopping, joint systems, slab edge protection) can balloon quickly.

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FAQs

1. What are the most significant fire and smoke protection changes in CBC 2025?

CBC 2025 Chapter 7 introduces major updates to structural fire protection, exterior wall continuity, penetrations, fire barriers, smoke barriers, parapets, joint systems, and curtain wall intersections. These revisions significantly affect detailing, constructibility, and enforcement.

2. How did the CBC change requirements for protecting structural members?

Columns must now maintain continuous fire protection through ceilings, except for clearly defined exceptions. The rules for primary and secondary structural members are consolidated and clarified, reducing ambiguity about when encasement or membrane protection is required.

3. What changed for exterior wall fire-resistance continuity?

Exterior walls must now extend all the way to the underside of the roof or rated assembly. Parapet requirements are tightened, and new provisions address Type IV-HT balconies, exterior wall stability, and open-parking garage allowances.

4. Are parapet requirements different under CBC 2025?

Yes. New language clarifies that required parapets shall be provided—removing ambiguity that previously let some designers interpret parapets as optional. Several detailing exceptions are also clarified.

5. How did penetrations and firestopping rules change?

CBC 2025 adds new exceptions for penetrations—especially in parking garages and elevator hoistways—and creates sharper distinctions between:

• Listed firestop systems
  
• Approved materials allowed without full listings
  
  

This distinction directly affects submittals and inspections.

6. What’s new for joint systems and curtain wall intersections?

Joint and void installation rules are reorganized into two pathways:

1. listed systems and
   
2. approved materials.
   

Curtain wall–floor intersections also gain new exceptions for conditions where fire-containment systems aren’t required.

7. Did Chapter 7 change fire barrier or smoke barrier continuity rules?

Yes. Multiple continuity exceptions were modified or added—especially for:

• Healthcare facilities (I-2)
  
• Detention facilities (I-3)
  
• Areas of refuge
  
• Elevator lobbies
  

These directly impact corridor layouts, care suites, and protected lobby configurations.

8. What changed for I-2 and I-3 occupancies?

Healthcare and detention occupancies receive new flexibility:

• Updated glazing standards in I-3
  
• New exceptions for fire barrier continuity
  
• New smoke partition relief in I-2 elevator lobbies
  
• Revised rules supporting care-suite designs
  

These changes align with modern practice and reduce over-prescription.

9. How are elevator lobby requirements different in CBC 2025?

Two major updates:

• Smoke partitions in elevator lobbies must now terminate into a rated assembly (no “floating” partitions).
  
• Smoke/draft control doors at hoistways are no longer required when a compliant protected lobby is present.
  

10. Are there new rules for shafts and risers?

Yes. Several shaft enclosure changes are added:

• A new high-rise exception in §713.4
  
• Clarified rules for penetrations in shaft walls
  
• Updated chute discharge room requirements
  
  

These affect multi-story risers and high-rise mechanical strategies.

11. Did CBC 2025 update requirements for fire doors or opening protectives?

Yes. Notable changes include:

• New exceptions for elevator hoistway opening protection
  
• Updated rules for latching requirements
  
• Additional clarity in smoke & draft control door standards
  
  

12. How do the new rules impact MEP coordination?

CBC 2025 explicitly prohibits certain controls or equipment from being installed inside duct systems, revises penetration exceptions for garage slabs, and clarifies firestopping for MEP sleeves—meaning MEP engineers must coordinate earlier with architects and fire consultants.

13. What changed in the fire-resistance tables?

Several major updates:

• New assemblies for 2×6 wood studs at 24" o.c.
  
• Updated I-joist rated assemblies
  
• Clarified multiplying factors for concrete/CMU walls
  
• New siding materials added for exterior wall membranes
  

These updates influence wall sections, pricing, and UL-equivalent designs.

14. Why is Chapter 7 considered a “high-liability” chapter?

Because errors in fire-resistance design can cause:

• Failed inspections
  
• Costly field fixes
  
• Change orders
  
• Rejected submittals
  
• Post-occupancy liability
  

Chapter 7 determines how fire spreads through assemblies, shafts, facades, roofs, floors, and structural systems.

15. What should architects and engineers review first when applying CBC 2025 Chapter 7?

Start with:

1. Structural fire-resistance continuity
   
2. Exterior wall and parapet continuity
   
3. Penetration and firestop exceptions
   
4. Curtain wall–slab edge details
   
5. Barrier continuity exceptions in I-2/I-3
   
6. Updated FR tables for assemblies
   

These areas drive the biggest design and cost implications.

References

1. ‍2022 California Building Code, Title 24, Part 2 (Volumes 1 & 2) with July 2024 Supplement updated

2. 2025 California Building Code Volumes 1 and 2, Title 24, Part 2

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