# Residential Aircraft Hangar: Building Code Definition > How the IBC 2009 define residential aircraft hangar, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/residential-aircraft-hangar/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IBC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IBC 2009 Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 4 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Residential aircraft hangar is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy. The code's own words are: “An accessory building less than 2,000 square feet (186 m2) and 20 feet (6096 mm) in building height constructed on a one- or two-family property where aircraft are stored. Such use will be considered as a residential accessory use incidental to the dwelling.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IBC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 4 chapters of this corpus, most often in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy (IBC 2009), Fire Protection Systems (IFC 2009), Fire Protection Systems (IBC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. *Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Residential Aircraft Hangar** — IBC 2009, Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy: > An accessory building less than 2,000 square feet (186 m2) and 20 feet (6096 mm) in building height constructed on a one- or two-family property where aircraft are stored. Such use will be considered as a residential accessory use incidental to the dwelling. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Residential Aircraft Hangar: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/residential-aircraft-hangar/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IBC 2009 define residential aircraft hangar, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Residential Aircraft Hangar** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/special-detailed-requirements-based-on-use-and-occupancy.md) chapter of the International Building Code (IBC) 2009: > An accessory building less than 2,000 square feet (186 m2) and 20 feet (6096 mm) in building height constructed on a one- or two-family property where aircraft are stored. Such use will be considered as a residential accessory use incidental to the dwelling. ## Where residential aircraft hangar is used in the code The term appears in 4 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/special-detailed-requirements-based-on-use-and-occupancy.md) | IBC 2009 | 8 | | [Fire Protection Systems](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/fire-protection-systems.md) | IFC 2009 | 8 | | [Fire Protection Systems](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/fire-protection-systems.md) | IBC 2009 | 4 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/definitions.md) | IBC 2009 | 1 | ### The term in use How the code actually writes about residential aircraft hangar, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here: > A minimum of one single-station smoke alarm shall be installed within a residential aircraft hangar as defined in the International Building Code and shall be interconnected into the residential smoke alarm or other sounding device to provide an alarm that will be audible in all sleeping areas of the dwelling. — [IFC 2009 §907.2.21](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/fire-protection-systems.md) > A minimum of one single-station smoke alarm shall be installed within a residential aircraft hangar as defined in Section 412.3.1 and shall be interconnected into the residential smoke alarm or other sounding device to provide an alarm which will be audible in all sleeping areas of the dwelling. — [IBC 2009, Fire Protection Systems](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/fire-protection-systems.md) ## The terms residential aircraft hangar is built out of The definition above leans on 2 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what residential aircraft hangar covers: - **[Building](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/building.md)** — IBC 2009: Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy. - **[Dwelling](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/dwelling.md)** — IBC 2009: A building that contains one or two dwelling units used, intended or designed to be used, rented, leased, let or hired out to be occupied for living purposes. ## Residential Aircraft Hangar: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IBC | Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Fire Protection Systems (IFC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Fire Protection Systems (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IBC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Building | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Dwelling | | | Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | | **A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply. ## Where can you explore related guidance? - [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Dwelling: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/dwelling.md) - [Building: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/building.md) ## Sources and method Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of residential aircraft hangar? The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy as: “An accessory building less than 2,000 square feet (186 m2) and 20 feet (6096 mm) in building height constructed on a one- or two-family property where aircraft are stored. Such use will be considered as a residential accessory use incidental to the dwelling.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally. ### Which parts of the code depend on residential aircraft hangar? In this corpus the term is used across 4 chapters, led by Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy in the IBC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fresidential-aircraft-hangar%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/residential-aircraft-hangar/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt