Blocking a window on the 4th floor is a deficiency?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only on higher floors
• D. Only for certain buildings

Answer: (B)

Blocking a window isn’t automatically a deficiency; it matters whether that window is a required emergency escape and rescue opening (EERO) and whether the blocking would actually hinder safe egress. The floor level by itself doesn’t determine deficiency status. If the window is not a required escape route for that unit, or if there is an alternative compliant means of egress that remains unobstructed, then blocking it would not automatically count as a deficiency.

In practice, assess if the window serves as an required escape path (for example, in a sleeping room) and whether the path to any exit is clear. If the window is a mandated EERO and it is blocked, then it would be a deficiency. But simply having a blocked window on the fourth floor does not, by itself, prove a deficiency without that context.