Unless you are Bruce Wayne and need fast midnight access to the Batmobile for Gotham City emergencies, we are not sure what purpose a direct door from a bedroom to the garage would serve. But we do occasionally see them, and they are usually part of a misguided homeowner attempt to carve an extra bedroom out of an existing adjacent room. The International Building Code (IRC 302.5.1) does not allow it, and states that “openings from a private garage directly into a room used for sleeping purposes shall not be permitted.”

    The reason for the rule is simple: garages have more than their share of fires due to flammable liquids stored there and possible gasoline leaks from a parked car. Then there is the potential seepage of carbon monoxide gas if a car is left running in a closed garage. So sleeping in a room that opens directly onto a garage would be high-risk. 

    Also, see our blog posts What are the code requirements for fire separation between an attached garage and the house? and Does an attached garage that is only used for storage or as a workshop, and not for parking a car, still have to comply with building code requirements for a garage?

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  To learn more about doors and windows, see these other blog posts:

• Do I need a permit enclose a carport into a garage?

• What causes sweating (condensation) on the inside of windows in the winter? 

• Is every exterior door of a house required to have a landing outside? 

• What are the small slots at the bottom of the outside of my window? 

• Why does condensation form on the outside of some windows and not others in the morning? 

• Why is the garage door track a white tube? 

• What is the raised metal plate on the floor under the garage door?

• Why do I have to hold down the button to close the garage door? 

• How can I tell if a window or glass door is safety glass? 

• What are the code requirements for safety tempered glass for doors?• 

• Should a front door swing in or out? 

• How many exit doors are required for a house?

• How many exit doors are required for a mobile/manufactured home? 

• Are openable windows required to have window screens? Will windows with no screens pass a home inspection? 

• Can a bedroom door open into the garage?

• What is "low-E" window glass? 

• What does ANSI 297.1 on glass mean?

• Why is a double cylinder deadbolt lock on an exterior door a safety hazard?

   Visit our DOORS AND WINDOWS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.