When is Safety Glass Required for Home Windows?

When replacing glass windows, there are building codes and standards that must be met. One of those codes is when the use of tempered or safety glass is required.

Tempered glass is glass that has been specially processed to increase its strength. The process changes the molecular composition of the glass, and if it breaks, it breaks into small pieces that are less likely to cause injury. That is why tempered glass is also called safety glass.

The areas requiring tempered safety glass are:

1. Glass in any door.

2. Glass in any kind of shower, bathtub area, hot tub, steam room, sauna or whirlpool area.

3. Glass in fixed or operable panels adjacent to a door.

4. Glass in fixed or operable panels that meets all of the following conditions:

     Bottom edge is less than 18” above floor.

     Top edge is greater than 36” above floor.

     Total area of glass is greater than 9 sq. ft. (1296 sq.in.).

     One or more walking surfaces within 36” horizontally of the glazing.

5. Glass in walls used as a barrier for indoor or outdoor swimming pools or spas when both of the following exist:

     The bottom edge of the glazing is less than 60” above a pool side of the glazing.

     The glazing is within 5 feet of a swimming pool or spa deck area.

6. Glass in walls enclosing stairway landings or within 5 feet of the bottom and top of stairways where the bottom edge of the glass is less than 60” above a walking surface.

You can always count on NU-VIEW Glass Inc. to be your Home Glass Specialists in the metro Phoenix West Valley. Call us at 623-215-7125 or visit http://www.nu-viewglass.biz