How is occupant load determined for a space?

• A. By counting the number of exits.
• B. By measuring ceiling height.
• C. By time of day.
• D. By applying the occupant load factor to the floor area to estimate the maximum number of occupants.

Answer: (D)

Occupant load is determined by converting the space’s size into a maximum safe number of people using a standard factor that represents how much floor area is allocated per person for that space type. In practice, you take the floor area and divide it by the occupant load factor (the area per person) for that use. The result is the maximum number of occupants the space is allowed to contain by code, and that figure then informs egress design—like how many exits and how wide they must be, and how far people may have to travel to reach an exit. The other options don’t set this maximum: the number of exits, ceiling height, or time of day don’t determine the regulatory occupant load, though they can influence how occupancy varies or how the space is used.