How to check a hook against the reach range
Coat hooks have no height of their own in the Standards. Sections 603.4 and 604.8.3 point to the reach ranges in 308, and meeting any one range is enough. With nothing in the way, forward reach under 308.2.1 and side reach under 308.3.1 both run from 15 to 48 in. above the finish floor.
The Standards do not name a measuring point on the hook. Keeping the whole hook inside the range avoids an argument over which part counts. Measure from the finish floor, not from a bench seat or the bottom edge of a partition.
Obstructions change the top of the range. Over an obstruction with clear floor space extending beneath it, 308.2.2 keeps the forward limit at 48 in. for a reach depth of 20 in. or less. Deeper reaches, up to 25 in., drop it to 44 in. For a side reach, 308.3.2 lowers it to 46 in. once the reach depth passes 10 in.
Stalls, toilet rooms, and locker rooms
Section 213.3.7 applies only where coat hooks are provided. In a toilet room without compartments, at least one hook meets 603.4. Once hooks go into toilet compartments, at least one meeting 604.8.3 belongs in the compartments required to comply with 213.3.1.
Bathing facilities follow a similar pattern: at least one hook meeting 603.4 serves the fixtures required by 213.3.6. In dressing, fitting, and locker rooms, 222.2 requires at least one provided hook to meet 803.5, which uses the same reach ranges in 308.
At the water closet, 604.3.2 lets hooks overlap the required clearance, while no other fixtures or obstructions may sit there. Along a circulation path, 307.2 covers a hook with its leading edge more than 27 in. and not more than 80 in. above the floor. That hook may project 4 in. maximum.
Common mistakes with coat hooks
Mounting the hook above 48 in., such as high on the compartment door, puts it outside every reach range. Fitting hooks in the standard stalls while leaving the accessible compartment without one also runs against 213.3.7.
Another is ignoring an obstruction. A hook above a bench or counter may need the lower 44 in. or 46 in. limit instead of 48 in. The last is a long hook on a circulation path that sticks out more than 4 in. at a height 307.2 covers.
Choosing coat hooks
Start with projection. If the hook will sit on a circulation path, compare its listed projection with the 4 in. limit in 307.2.
Count before you order. Once hooks go into any toilet compartment, plan a hook within reach for the compartments that 213.3.1 requires. In a toilet room without compartments that has hooks, at least one must be within reach.
