Inna Shapiro Homes - Compass

Most people get this one wrong! A room does not need to have a closet in it to be considered a bedroom on the North Carolina MLS. What does it need?

1) Size and dimensions: A room must be at least 7 feet in any horizontal direction. This is the reason a hallway can’t be called a bedroom.

2) An exit to the outside: a bedroom must have direct access to the exterior, typically through a window or an exterior door. The IRC sets minimum opening area requirements at 5.7 square feet, with a minimum height of 24 inches and a width of 20 inches. The bottom of the opening can’t be more than 44 inches from the floor.

3) Square Footage: There are no legal minimum square footage requirements for a bedroom in North Carolina, although the current building code is 100 square feet

4) Permitting: According to an update from the NCREC in November 2023, unpermitted space, like an unpermitted addition, must be calculated separately from the living area and therefore cannot be legally considered a bedroom.

5) It can be below grade, such as a basemen: As long as a room meets all the legal criteria of a bedroom, there is no restriction against it being located below grade.