Egress, formally "means of egress," is the IBC term for the continuous path of travel from any point in a building to a public way. It has three parts: exit access (the path within the occupied space to the exit), the exit itself (typically the stair or directly to outside), and exit discharge (from the exit to a public way). Egress requirements drive corridor widths, door swings, exit sign locations, emergency lighting, exit stair separation, travel distances, and occupant load calculations.
Egress code violations are among the most common reasons commercial TI projects fail final inspection. Common issues: doors swing the wrong way under occupant load, corridor narrows below code minimum due to a stored item, exit signs lack emergency battery backup, travel distance from the deepest occupied point exceeds the code maximum for the occupancy type. Verify egress compliance early in design and re-verify after every scope change.