§ 144. Egress from dwellings. 1. A dwelling three or more stories in
height shall have at least two means of egress extending to the roof
from an entrance story, street, court or yard. The entrances to such
means of egress at every story shall be at least fifteen feet distant
from each other unless they are on opposite sides of a public hall. One
means of egress shall be a stair constructed as provided in section one
hundred forty-eight. The other means of egress shall be either another
such stair or a fire-escape constructed as provided in section
fifty-three.

2. If the number of living rooms on any story, or in any section of
any story, above the entrance story exceeds twenty, there shall be an
additional stair, or fire-stair, extending from the entrance story to
the roof for each twenty rooms or fraction thereof on such story or
section thereof in excess of twenty, except that no additional stair, or
fire-stair, shall be required for such excess on any story or section
thereof if the number of living rooms thereon does not exceed thirty and
if in addition one stair serving such story or section and every
entrance hall or other public hall connected therewith are everywhere
four feet six inchs or more in clear width.

3. There shall be accessible from every apartment two means of egress
from the dwelling, one of which shall be a stair within fifty feet from
a means of egress from such apartment. For such dwellings erected under
plans filed in the department after September first, nineteen hundred
fifty-one, such stair shall also be enclosed and comply with the
provisions of section one hundred forty-eight.

4. Whenever more than two stairs are required, one or more of such
stairs may be fire-stairs or fire-towers, provided that there shall
never be more than one such fire-stair or fire-tower for each two other
required stairs.