Evacuation rules and safety aisles

Minimum safety requirements in rooms open to the public

Safety element	Minimum	The rule	Common breach
Evacuation aisle width	1.2 m clear (under 100 people) / 1.5 m (over 100)	A straight line, no obstacles	A table or high chair encroaching
Door swing area	100% clear of the door's arc	Opening outwards with a panic bar	Decorations or plants in the way
Extinguishers and hose reels	1 metre clear all round	Luminescent signage visible at 10 m	Hidden behind drapes or backdrops
Between rows in theatre style	45 cm clear, seat to seat back	Maximum 14 seats per row with 2 exits	Rows of 20 chairs with no central aisle

1. Working out exit width from the occupancy

The technical rule allows 0.6 metres of exit width for every 100 people of expected capacity. A room for 250 people therefore needs at least two separate exits of 1.2 m each.

2. Why tables can never stand in front of an emergency door

In an alarm, the room has to empty in under 3 minutes. If guests run into tables or spare chairs placed within the arc of the door, people fall and the exit blocks — with consequences that can be fatal.

3. Where liability sits, for the venue and the organiser

Being able to hand the fire service or a council inspector a scale plan showing that the evacuation routes were respected is what protects the venue's management from penalties, and what keeps the insurance cover intact.

Frequently asked questions

Can a mobile bar stand in front of a secondary exit?

No. No exit carrying evacuation signage may be obstructed, wholly or partly, under any circumstances.

What is the maximum distance from the furthest point of the room to an exit?

In rooms open to the public the travel distance should not exceed 25 metres where there is only one exit, or 50 metres where alternative exits exist.

This, in MisePlan

Floor plan

In MisePlan you draw the room’s real outline on a grid — whatever shape it is, L-shaped or with a cut corner — place the columns and set the doors. The usable floor area is worked out with the voids taken out, not from the rectangle around it, and that plan is reused for every event that passes through the room.

Evacuation rules and safety aisles in event and wedding venues

Minimum safety requirements in rooms open to the public

1. Working out exit width from the occupancy

2. Why tables can never stand in front of an emergency door

3. Where liability sits, for the venue and the organiser

Frequently asked questions

Can a mobile bar stand in front of a secondary exit?

What is the maximum distance from the furthest point of the room to an exit?

Check your room's evacuation routes at scale

This, in MisePlan

Floor plan

Estates and farmhouses

Keep reading

How to calculate a room's capacity

Show the client the plan, not twelve emails

What wedding venue software has to do

Shall we talk?