Tempered Glass Requirement for Residential Use

Tempered Glass

• Tempering glass heats it to create a stronger piece that completely shatters into nuggets instead of shards. Builders consider tempered glass to be a safety glass. It is the type of glass used on automobile windows. The problem with tempered glass is that it must be made to order because once the glass has been tempered, it cannot be cut without the entire pane shattering.

Uses of Tempered Glass

• Tempered glass is used where a type of safety glass is required in a structure. Code requires some type of safety glass to be installed in hazardous locations where the window is most likely to be broken, according to "Residential Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2009 International Residential Code."

Windows

• Windows built under a railing close to the ground must be constructed with tempered glass. These windows are subject to kicking from people walking near the windows. Exterior windows near walking paths must also use safety glass like tempered glass. According to "Residential Building Codes Illustrated," windows greater than 9 square feet, with a bottom part of the pane lower than 18 inches from the floor, a top pane edge higher than 36 inches from the floor and a walking path either inside or out within three feet of the window need safety glass.

Skylights

• Skylights also need safety glass. Fully tempered glass is needed in skylights less than 16 square feet and lower than 12 feet from the floor. The glass must be at least 3/16 inches thick. If these requirements are not fulfilled, you will need to add a screen on the inside of the glass to catch broken pieces.

Doors

• Doors are a dangerous location for glass. Tempered glass has many applications in and around doors. Windows built into doors or doors made of glass must use a safety glass such as tempered glass. The windows on either side of some entry doors, called sidelights, must be made of tempered glass, according to "Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance." Any window within 24 inches of a door with the base of the window less than 60 inches from the floor must have tempered glass, as noted in "Residential Building Codes Illustrated." This is due to the hazard of a door swinging too wide and breaking the glass in the nearby window.