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Building Code Reference

Got a CRC R324.4 correction?

Safety glazing hazardous locations

For builders in California, Greater Seattle, the Las Vegas area, the Denver area and Kansas City · CrossBeam Permits

What this code requires, how to fix it, and how cities and counties review it

What this code requires

CRC R324.4 is the 2025 California Residential Code section that defines seven specific hazardous locations where safety glazing — tempered or laminated glass — is required in residential construction. Plan checkers use this list to flag any glazed opening that falls into one of the seven categories but is not specified as safety glass on the window or door schedule.

How to fix it

  1. Map every glazed opening against the seven hazardous locations

    Before touching the drawings, mark every glazed opening on the floor plan against these seven locations: 1. All glazing in doors (any panel in a swinging, sliding, or bifold door) 2. Glazing within 24 in. of either side of a door in the plane of the closed door (or of the hinge side of an in-swinging door on an adjacent wall) with the bottom edge below 60 in. above the floor 3. Individual glazing panels larger than 9 sq ft with a bottom edge within 18 in. of the floor and a top edge more than 36 in. above the floor, with a walking surface within 36 in. 4. All glazing in guards, railings, and balustrades 5. Glazing within 60 in. horizontally of a tub, shower, sauna, steam room, hot tub, or similar wet surface, with the bottom edge less than 60 in. above the standing surface 6. Glazing adjacent to a stairway or landing where the bottom edge is within 36 in. of the walking surface and the glazing is within 36 in. horizontally of that walking surface 7. Glazing less than 36 in. above the bottom landing and within a 60-in.-radius arc of the bottom tread nosing of a stairway This marked print becomes the control list for the schedule update.

  2. Update the window and door schedule with glazing type

    Add a ‘Glazing Type’ column to the schedule if one doesn’t exist. For every mark that falls into a hazardous location, change the entry to ‘Tempered’ or ‘Laminated — Safety Glazing per R324.4.’ Don’t use a generic note like ‘safety glass where required’ — plan checkers want the requirement called out by mark number. If the unit has multiple panes (for example, a divided-lite door with a sidelight), list each separately if they have different glazing specs.

  3. Add a railing detail for glass guard panels

    If the project has glass railing panels, add a railing detail sheet that identifies the glass type as tempered or laminated and references R324.4. Cross-reference the detail sheet number on the floor plan and in the window/door schedule. Plan checkers expect railing glazing to appear both on the schedule and on a detail — one without the other still gets flagged.

  4. Draw and annotate the 60-inch wet-area zone

    On the bathroom floor plan, draw a 60-inch horizontal zone from the edge of each tub, shower, spa, or similar fixture. Any window or glazed panel inside that zone with its bottom edge less than 60 inches above the standing or walking surface must be safety glazing. Add a dimension string showing the distance from the wet surface edge to the nearest edge of the glazed unit. If the window is at 58 inches, that’s still a flag — safety glass required and the dimension should say so on the plan.

  5. Apply the 60-inch stair arc rule at the base of every run

    The R324.4 stair hazard has two triggers. First, any glazing within 36 inches horizontally of a stair, ramp or landing walking surface with a bottom edge below 36 inches above that surface. Second, any glazing less than 36 inches above the bottom landing and within a 60-inch arc measured from the bottom tread nosing. Draw the arc on the plan. Windows at the base of a stair run that look far enough away often fall inside the arc, especially in split-level homes with tight landings.

  6. Add a safety glazing general note to the plans

    On the general notes sheet or the window schedule header, add: ‘All safety glazing per CRC R324.4. Tempered or laminated safety glass at all hazardous locations as defined in R324.4. See window and door schedule for locations.’ This note alone won’t clear the correction, but it tells the plan checker the submittal addresses the section and directs them to the schedule, reducing the chance of a missed-mark callback.

  7. Confirm product specs: tempered vs. laminated

    Both tempered and laminated glass satisfy R324.4. Tempered is standard for most residential windows, doors, and tub enclosures. Laminated is worth specifying when the opening also serves as fall protection (overhead glazing or a glass floor panel) because laminated holds together on breakage rather than shattering. If you have overhead skylights or glass floor panels, verify both R324.4 and CRC R324.6 (skylights and sloped glazing), as both may apply.

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Why you got flagged

Corrections citing R324.4 usually trace back to an incomplete window and door schedule. The schedule lists every unit by mark number, but the glazing type column either says “standard” or is left blank for locations that actually require tempered or laminated glass. When the plan checker walks the schedule against the floor plan, the mismatch gets flagged immediately.

The second common scenario involves glazed sidelights and transoms beside entry doors. A glazed panel within 24 inches of the door’s latch edge, with its bottom edge below 60 inches above the floor, falls squarely in Hazardous Location 2. Architects sometimes call out the front door correctly but omit the adjacent sidelight. That single omission generates a correction.

Guards and railings with glass infill panels are a repeat offender. R324.4 requires all glazing in guards and railings — regardless of panel size or height — to be safety glazing. Projects that specify frameless glass guardrails with standard annealed glass get flagged without exception.

Bathroom and wet-area glazing near tubs and showers is the fourth trigger. Any glazing within 60 inches horizontally of the wet surface of a bathtub, shower, or spa must be safety glass. Plans that show a window centered 55 inches from the tub edge still fall within the 60-inch zone, and plan checkers measure from the nearest edge of the wet area, not the centerline of the tub.

The official code

2025 California Residential Code — California Building Standards Commission

Read the source →

Common questions

Does every window next to a shower need to be tempered?
Yes, if the window’s nearest edge is within 60 inches measured horizontally from the wet surface of the shower, tub, spa, or similar fixture. The 60-inch zone is measured from the edge of the wet area — not the centerline of the tub and not the drain. A window that looks far away on a small bathroom plan will often still fall inside the zone. If you’re unsure, measure on your floor plan with a scale. Any glazing inside that zone must be tempered or laminated safety glass per R324.4.
Do sidelights next to a front door need safety glazing?
Yes, if the sidelight panel has its bottom edge below 60 inches above the floor and its nearest edge is within 24 inches of the door’s latch edge. This is Hazardous Location 2 under R324.4. It catches almost every narrow sidelight on an entry door because they’re typically 10–14 inches wide and placed right next to the jamb. The fix is simple — spec the sidelight as tempered in the door schedule — but the correction is common because the sidelight gets its own mark number and the glazing type is often left blank.
What are the seven hazardous locations for safety glazing under California code?
R324.4 in the 2025 California Residential Code lists seven: (1) all glazing in doors, (2) glazing within 24 inches of a door with the bottom edge below 60 inches, (3) large panes over 9 square feet near the floor, (4) all glazing in guards and railings, (5) glazing within 60 inches of wet surfaces like tubs and showers, (6) glazing adjacent to stairs with the bottom edge within 36 inches of the walking surface, and (7) glazing within a 60-inch arc from the bottom stair tread nosing. Any glazed opening meeting one of these seven triggers must be safety glass.
Can you use laminated glass instead of tempered to pass R324.4?
Yes. R324.4 accepts both tempered and laminated glass. Tempered is standard for most door, window, and wet-area applications because it’s widely available and cost-effective. Laminated is worth considering when the opening also serves as fall protection — overhead glazing or glass floors — because laminated stays in place on breakage rather than shattering. For standard sidelights, tub windows, and stair-adjacent panes, either type clears the correction.
Does a glass railing always need safety glazing?
Yes, without exception. All glazing in guards and railings falls under Hazardous Location 4, and there is no minimum size or height threshold. If the panel is in a guard or railing, it must be safety glass. This includes frameless glass deck railings, glass balustrade panels on interior stairs, and glass infill panels in cable-and-glass hybrid systems. The plan checker will flag annealed glass in any railing application regardless of panel size.
Do R324.4 safety glazing requirements apply to ADUs?
Yes. CRC R324.4 applies to all residential occupancies covered by the California Residential Code, including detached ADUs, garage conversions, and junior ADUs. ADU projects get corrections on R324.4 frequently because the floor plans are compact — bathrooms are close to doors, glazed panels are near stairs, and wet-area zones overlap living spaces. The window schedule on an ADU submittal needs the same glazing-type column and the same mark-by-mark callouts as a full single-family home.

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