Bedroom Window Egress Requirements Georgia

Bedroom Window Egress Requirements in Georgia

Bedroom window egress requirements in Georgia come down to four numbers: at least 5.7 square feet of net clear opening, at least 24 inches of clear height, at least 20 inches of clear width, and a sill no more than 44 inches above the floor. Here is what each number means, how to measure yours, and the Georgia-specific change that took effect in 2026.

5.7 sq ft

24 in by 20 in

44 in sill

Window wells

Bedroom window egress requirements, number by number

An escape opening has to satisfy all four at once. Hitting three of them is not compliance, and the one most often missed is the area, because it is the only one you cannot judge by eye.

Escape and rescue opening minimums

Requirement	Minimum	Measured how
Net clear opening area	5.7 sq ft (5.0 sq ft at a grade floor or below grade)	The clear hole with the sash fully open, inside the frame
Net clear opening height	24 in	Top to bottom of that same clear hole
Net clear opening width	20 in	Side to side of that same clear hole
Sill height above the floor	44 in maximum	Finished floor up to the bottom of the clear opening

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

From the escape and rescue opening section of the residential code Georgia adopts statewide. We quote the dimensions rather than a section number on purpose: Georgia's 2024 edition renumbers that chapter, and the dimensions are what an inspector measures.

Diagram of bedroom window egress requirements in Georgia with the clear opening, sill height and window well dimensions — The clear opening is the hole, not the window. The well on the right is what a below-grade opening needs. Our own diagram, not to scale.

Why the area number catches people out

5.7 square feet is 820.8 square inches, and the minimum height and width do not multiply to it. An opening exactly 24 inches high and 20 inches wide gives 480 square inches, barely more than half of what is needed. So once you fix one dimension, the other has to stretch. This table does that arithmetic.

If the clear height is this, the clear width has to be at least this

Clear height	Minimum clear width	Where you see it
24 in (the minimum height)	34.2 in	Common on a double-hung with a tall lower sash
26 in	31.6 in
28 in	29.3 in
30 in	27.4 in	A fairly typical casement opening
32 in	25.7 in
36 in	22.8 in
41 in	20 in (the minimum width)	Tall and narrow, usually a casement

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

Our own arithmetic: 5.7 sq ft is 820.8 sq in, divided by the clear height, with the 20 in minimum width and 24 in minimum height applied on top. Rounded to one decimal. Grade-floor and below-grade openings may use 5.0 sq ft, which is 720 sq in, and the divisions change accordingly.

Window styles compared: a casement swings the whole sash clear while a double hung opens only half the height — Style decides how much of the opening you actually get. Our own diagram.

How to measure your own

Open the sash as far as it will go, the way someone escaping would.
Measure the clear width inside the frame at the narrowest point, in inches.
Measure the clear height the same way, top of the opening to the bottom.
Multiply the two and divide by 144. That is your clear opening in square feet.
Measure from the finished floor to the bottom of the clear opening for sill height.
If the opening is below grade, measure the well: floor area, projection and width, and depth.

Do this before ordering replacements for any bedroom, and tell whoever is quoting what the numbers are. If the room is being converted into a bedroom, the opening has to be cut to suit, which is framing work and a clear case for a call to the permit office that covers your address.

A below-grade opening cut and framed to meet bedroom window egress requirements in Georgia — Where a room is being converted, the opening is cut and framed to the numbers rather than the other way round. Photo: AshleyHodge1, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.

Window wells, for basement openings

A below-grade opening needs a well in front of it, and the well has its own minimums: at least 9 square feet of floor area, with a projection and a width of at least 36 inches. If the well is more than 44 inches deep, it needs a permanently fixed ladder or steps, and that ladder has to be usable with the window fully open.

Drainage is the detail nobody writes on the plan. A well is a hole beside a foundation in a state NOAA describes as receiving abundant precipitation throughout the year, with summer rainfall averaging around 15 inches. Gravel in the bottom and a drain path are what stop it filling. Basement egress window installation covers the dig and the cut.

What changed in Georgia in 2026

Georgia's amendments to the residential code delete the window fall protection section without substitution, effective January 1, 2026. In plain terms: window opening control devices are not a Georgia code requirement, and no inspector is going to ask for one.

Where the numbers differ by room

Sleeping rooms, basements and habitable attics are the three places an escape opening is required. A basement that is finished but has no sleeping room still needs one. A storage crawl does not. If you are not sure which side of the line your space falls on, that is also a phone call to the permit office rather than an internet answer.

Bedroom window egress in Georgia: frequently asked questions

A window well built below a basement bedroom window, the structure Georgia egress requirements size

Below grade, the well has minimums of its own: 9 square feet, 36 inches of projection and width. Photo: AshleyHodge1, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.

What size does a bedroom window have to be in Georgia?

Big enough to give a net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, with at least 24 inches of clear height and at least 20 inches of clear width, and a sill no more than 44 inches above the finished floor. A grade-floor or below-grade opening may drop to 5.0 square feet. Those four numbers come from the residential code Georgia adopts statewide.

Is net clear opening the same as the window size?

No, and this is where people get caught. Net clear opening is the hole you could actually climb through with the sash fully open, measured inside the frame. On a double-hung window only the lower half opens, so a window that looks generous can give barely half its area as clear opening. Frame, sash and hardware all eat into it.

Does every bedroom need an egress window?

Every sleeping room needs one escape opening, and so does a basement and a habitable attic, unless there is a door directly to the outside. The opening has to be operable from inside the room without a key, a tool or any special knowledge, which is why bars, screws and permanent security devices across a bedroom window are a problem.

What are the window well requirements?

A well serving an escape opening needs at least 9 square feet of floor area with a projection and width of at least 36 inches, and a permanently fixed ladder or steps if the well is more than 44 inches deep. The ladder may encroach a limited amount into the required area, and it has to be usable with the window fully open.

Do Georgia windows need opening control devices?

Not as a Georgia code requirement. Georgia's amendments delete the window fall protection section outright, without substitution, effective January 1, 2026. That is a factual statement about the code, not advice: if young children live or stay in the house, opening control devices and guards are still worth fitting on upper-floor windows.

Can a replacement window make a bedroom non-compliant?

Yes, and it is the most common way it happens. An insert replacement sets a new frame inside the old one, so the clear opening shrinks a little in both directions. On a bedroom window that was already close to the minimum, that shrink is enough to take it under. Measure the clear opening before ordering, not after.