Legal Basement Bedroom Windows
If someone sleeps in the basement, the window is not a detail. It is the way out. Ontario code puts numbers on that: an opening big enough to climb through, low enough to reach, with room outside to escape. The numbers are below, along with why most existing basement windows fail them and what it takes to fix.
What Ontario Code Requires
The Ontario Building Code sets four conditions for a bedroom egress window. All of them are measured on the clear opening, the space you can climb through with the window fully open, not on the glass.
- An opening of at least 0.35 square metresAbout 3.8 square feet of clear, unobstructed opening, with no dimension smaller than 380 mm.
- Openable from inside without toolsNo keys, tools, or special knowledge. If it is painted shut or a bar has to come off first, it fails.
- A sill within 1.5 metres of the floorLow enough that a person can reach the window and climb out.
- 760 mm of clearance in the window wellRoom outside the window to escape. A cover has to open from inside without tools, and a sash that swings into the well cannot cut into the clearance.
Code requires at least one egress window on any floor level that contains a bedroom. Most building departments want it in the bedroom itself, and basement apartments carry additional requirements of their own. We size to the strictest reading, which is why our installs are guaranteed to pass inspection.
Why Most Basement Windows Fail
Most basements were not built for sleeping. The windows are the proof.
- The glass is bigger than the openingA slider or hopper only opens half its frame. Measured on the clear opening, most fall short of 0.35 square metres.
- The well is too tightOlder steel wells sit closer than 760 mm to the window. The window can pass while the well fails.
- Bars and covers that do not releaseFixed security bars and screwed-down covers fail the no-tools rule. A quick release from inside keeps them legal.
- Painted shut, swollen shut, storm windowsIf it does not open without a fight, it does not count as a way out.
What It Takes to Fix
Making a window legal usually means making the opening bigger, and that is concrete work, not window work. We cut the foundation, dig by hand beside gas lines, patios and gardens, set the window, build the well with the full 760 mm of clearance, and run drainage down to the weeping tile, tested with a running hose before we backfill.
One detail that matters in a well: a sash that swings outward can eat the clearance the code requires. The European tilt and turn we install opens inward, so the well stays clear.
Complete installation starts at $3,999.99, one team, no subcontractors. The cost page shows exactly what that covers, including the well and the drainage.
Guaranteed to Pass Inspection
1000+ egress installs across Southern Ontario since 2021. Three year water free warranty, five years on parts and the window. The same crew cuts, digs, builds and cleans up.
“Steve and crew did a great job installing two large egress windows on a older home in St Catharines. Due to the size, one window required a custom concrete wall well with stone capping that looked awesome and is highly recommended.”
Asked on Almost Every Job
- Does every bedroom need its own egress window?Code requires one per floor level that contains a bedroom. In practice most building departments want it in the bedroom, and basement apartments have rules of their own. Send photos of your layout and we will tell you what it needs.
- Can my existing window count?Sometimes. Open it fully and measure the clear opening. Under 0.35 square metres, a sill above 1.5 metres, or a well tighter than 760 mm means it does not count.
- Do security bars fail inspection?Fixed bars fail. Bars with a quick release that opens from inside without tools can pass.
- Is the window enough to make the bedroom legal?It is the biggest piece, but ceiling height, smoke alarms and ventilation matter too, and basement apartments carry more. The window and everything outside it is the part we do.
Get a Free Estimate From Photos
Send photos of your basement wall, inside and out. You get a written estimate without booking a site visit. If the bedroom you are planning needs a bigger opening, you will know the number before anyone digs.