Construction Requirements

C.R.S. tit. 9, art. 1

in effect

C.R.S. § 9-1-101 Doors - passages

9-1-101. Doors - passages. Every room or building intended to be used as a theater, opera house, music hall, concert hall, church, or other like place of public assemblage shall be provided with at least one doorway of not less than five feet in width for each two hundred fifty persons who may be seated within such building in the part thereof intended for public assemblage and with proper and sufficient ways and passages leading to and from every such doorway, so that in case of fire or other sudden alarm those who may be within such building may speedily and safely escape therefrom.

C.R.S. § 9-1-102 Penalty

9-1-102. Penalty. Every proprietor who builds or procures to be built or leases, procures, or permits to be used as a theater, opera house, concert hall, music hall, public school, church, or for any other like public assemblage any building not in conformity to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.

C.R.S. § 9-1-103 No action for rent

9-1-103. No action for rent. No action shall lie to recover the rent on any lease or contract for the use or occupation of any room or building used as a theater, opera house, concert hall, music hall, public school, church, or other like place of public assemblage unless such room or building at the time of such renting, use, or occupation has doorways, passages, and means of safe escape therefrom in case of fire, in conformity with this article.

C.R.S. § 9-1-104 Doors open outward

9-1-104. Doors open outward. All doors provided for the doorways of every such room or building shall open outwards, and every person using or occupying any such room or building as a theater, opera house, concert hall, music hall, public school, church, or for other like public assemblage during the whole of every exhibition, performance, or assemblage therein shall cause all the doors thereof to be left unfastened or latched or barred upon the inner side only so that any person may readily and speedily open the same from the inner side of such room or building and shall cause all the stairways and other ways and passages leading to every such door to be kept open and free from persons seated or standing therein or other obstructions. Any person failing to observe this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars.

C.R.S. § 9-1-105 Fireproof stairways

9-1-105. Fireproof stairways. Whenever any building is erected for the purpose of accommodating public assemblages and the rooms intended for such purpose are not on the first floor of such building, it is the duty of the persons erecting the same to provide and erect at least two fireproof stairways of ample dimensions sufficient for the sudden egress of such assemblages.

C.R.S. § 9-1-106 Loss of life - penalty

9-1-106. Loss of life - penalty. If any lives are lost by reason of the willful negligence and failure to observe the provisions of this article, the person through whose default such loss of life was occasioned commits a class 6 felony and shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-401, C.R.S.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-09.docxFetched: 10/6/2026