What is the minimum square footage a mezzanine must be before it is considered a floor in a warehouse of 300 x 400?

To determine when a mezzanine is considered a floor within a warehouse, specific criteria based on its area must be met. In the context of this question, the total area of the warehouse is 300 feet by 400 feet, which amounts to a total area of 120,000 square feet.

In many building codes, including the ICC codes, a mezzanine is typically treated as a floor when it exceeds a certain square footage threshold. For warehouse spaces, this threshold is often set at a minimum area of 30% of the total floor area to qualify as a full floor. In this case, the mezzanine must have a minimum area to be classified as a floor rather than just an elevated platform.

By using the total area of the warehouse—120,000 square feet—30% of that figure equals 36,000 square feet. However, the question focuses on the minimum area needed for a mezzanine to be considered a floor before reaching that threshold. Commonly accepted codes suggest that a minimum area of 30,000 square feet is often referenced as a benchmark in implementation and practical application.

Thus, for this context, 30,000 square feet is correctly identified as the minimum area for a mezzanine to be categorized