Create Evacuation Maps for Your Apartment Building
Built for garden-style walk-ups, mid-rise, high-rise, mixed-use ground floors, student housing, and condo/HOA communities. Upload your floor plan and our AI produces posting-ready evacuation maps for corridors, stairwells, and common areas — with dwelling-unit egress doors, an "elevators do not use in a fire" note, areas of refuge, accessible routes, and a per-posting-point "YOU ARE HERE" anchor. Free, no credit card. OSHA-aligned draft; final local/employer review may be required.
No credit card. Snap a photo of the leasing floor plan — that works too.
Turn your building floor plan into posted-ready evacuation maps
Upload a floor plan for any apartment, condo, or multifamily building and OSHAMap drafts a clean corridor and in-unit evacuation map in under 60 seconds.
Built for landlords, HOA & condo boards, and multifamily property managers.
From Leasing Floor Plan to Posted Corridor Map
Same building, two outcomes. The leasing plan markets square footage; the evacuation map answers one question for a resident standing at the elevator lobby at 2 a.m. — which way to the nearest stair.
- Units labeled by number and bedroom count for marketing
- Stairwells drawn but not identified as Stair A / Stair B
- No directional routes; no "YOU ARE HERE"
- Elevator shown as an amenity, no fire warning
- Standpipe, riser, and refuge areas unlabeled
- One generic sheet reused on every floor
- Building + floor ID stamped in the title block
- Both stairwells identified with route to the public way
- "YOU ARE HERE" oriented to this exact posting point
- "Elevators — do not use in a fire" called out clearly
- Extinguishers, pull stations, standpipe, riser, refuge marked
- Accessible route highlighted for residents who avoid stairs
Three Steps from Upload to Posted Map
No CAD license, no draftsperson. Property managers do this between work orders.
Upload the floor plan
JPG, PNG, PDF, CAD export, or a phone photo of a posted diagram. One floor at a time — garden walk-up, mid-rise corridor, or high-rise core.
AI reads corridors & cores
The model finds unit doors, corridors, protected stairwells, the elevator lobby, and amenity rooms, then routes each unit to the nearest stair and the public way.
Export per posting point
Detailed corridor version for lobbies and stair entries, plus a simplified in-unit version. Each carries the building/floor ID and its own "YOU ARE HERE".
Ten Multifamily Elements Your Map Must Get Right
Tap any card to jump to the generator and start with that element in mind.
Generate Your Apartment Building Map Now
Upload a floor plan or snap a photo of the leasing diagram — get a posting-ready map draft in minutes.
If This Sounds Like Your Property…
Six multifamily building types, six different egress stories. Generate the version that matches yours.
Garden-Style Walk-Up
Two- and three-story buildings with exterior stairs and direct-to-grade exits. Maps emphasize the nearest exterior stair and an assembly point clear of the building. Often one map per stair core.
Mid-Rise (4–7 floors)
Interior double-loaded corridors with two protected stairwells. Maps identify Stair A / Stair B, the elevator lobby do-not-use note, and the route to the public way per floor.
High-Rise (8+ floors)
Standpipes, areas of refuge, a firefighter elevator residents must not use, and possibly a phased or defend-in-place strategy set by the fire department. Floor ID and refuge marking are essential.
Mixed-Use Ground Floor
Retail or restaurant tenants below residential units. The residential egress must stay separated from commercial exits; ground-floor maps show both the resident path and the tenant exits.
Student Housing
High occupant turnover, frequent drills, and dense corridors. Clear in-unit maps plus corridor maps at every stair landing help residents who just moved in last week.
Condo / HOA Community
Board-governed buildings where the association posts and maintains maps. Brand-consistent, dated maps across buildings simplify the annual review and owner communications.
What the Rules Actually Say (and Who Enforces Them)
Honest framing: there is no single federal rule that forces a posted map in every apartment. Several standards combine, and your local jurisdiction decides what is enforced. Treat every generated map as an OSHA-aligned draft; final local/employer review may be required.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 (your on-site staff)
- §1910.38 — Covered employers must keep a written Emergency Action Plan that includes evacuation procedures and route assignments. Applies to your leasing, maintenance, and management employees.
- §1910.36 — Exit-route design: capacity, width, arrangement, and unobstructed travel.
- §1910.37 — Exit routes kept free, lit, and properly signed; doors openable from the inside without a key.
- §Guidance — OSHA recommends clear floor plans / workplace maps to support the EAP. It does not, by itself, mandate a posted map in every residential corridor.
NFPA · IFC · ADA · local AHJ
- 🏢NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code residential / apartment occupancy chapters govern means of egress and arrangement.
- 📜IFC — International Fire Code covers maintenance, signage, and — in many jurisdictions — posted floor diagrams. Adoption varies by city.
- ♿ADA — Accessible means of egress and areas of refuge for residents who cannot use stairs.
- 🏛️Local AHJ — Your fire marshal adopts specific code editions and amendments and enforces them. Local adoption controls enforcement — always confirm posting and content rules locally.
Why Property Teams Use OSHAMap
Minutes, not weeks
Skip the draftsperson queue. Upload a floor plan and get a posting-ready draft for each floor — then regenerate after a renovation for free.
One version per posting point
Elevator lobby, stair entry, mailroom, laundry, parking — each gets its own "YOU ARE HERE" orientation instead of one disorienting reused sheet.
Reviewed by a CSP
Page content reviewed by a Certified Safety Professional. We point you to the right standards and tell you plainly when local review is required.
Portfolio-friendly
Garden-style to high-rise, single building or a 40-property HOA portfolio — consistent legend, dated maps, easy annual review.
Get your apartment evacuation map draft — free
Upload a floor plan, book a free expert map review, or grab the free template pack. No credit card required.
Multifamily Evacuation Map: The Full Implementation Playbook
Garden walk-up, podium mid-rise, point-tower high-rise, mixed-use, student housing, condo association. The egress story is dominated by getting residents to a protected stair, keeping them off the elevator, and giving people who cannot use stairs a defensible refuge — all while a single building may need a dozen posting-point versions.
Map both stairs on every floor
Most multifamily corridors are double-loaded with a protected stair at each end. Identify Stair A and Stair B consistently across floors and show the closest stair from every unit door.
Kill the elevator instinct
Residents reflexively head for the elevator. The lobby map must carry a clear "elevators — do not use in a fire" note next to the call buttons so the default becomes the stair.
Show standpipes & the riser for responders
High-rise and many mid-rise buildings have standpipe connections in stairwells and a sprinkler riser room. Mark them so arriving firefighters and your maintenance team can locate them fast.
Place areas of refuge honestly
Refuge areas are typically at stair landings with two-way communication. Only mark a refuge where one actually exists and is maintained — never invent one to fill the legend.
Highlight the accessible route
For accessible buildings, show the accessible means of egress that avoids stairs and the path to a refuge. Coordinate with your design professional on what qualifies.
Generate per posting point
A map oriented for the north stair lobby is wrong at the south mailroom. Produce a unique "YOU ARE HERE" version for each posting point rather than one generic sheet.
Separate residential from commercial
In mixed-use buildings, the residential egress and the ground-floor tenant exits are different systems. Keep them visually distinct so residents do not route through a closed shop.
Confirm with the AHJ before posting
Local code dictates whether in-unit maps are required, what must appear, and where to mount. Treat the generated map as a draft and get sign-off from your fire marshal.
Standards Deep-Dive: Multifamily
High-Rise-Specific Considerations
High-rise residential (generally buildings with an occupied floor more than 75 ft above the lowest fire-department access) introduces standpipes, fire-command considerations, smokeproof or pressurized stair enclosures, and a firefighter service elevator that residents must never use during a fire. Many fire departments specify a phased or defend-in-place strategy for sprinklered high-rises: residents on non-fire floors may be instructed to shelter while the fire floor and floors above/below evacuate. Resident instructions on the map should reflect the strategy your AHJ has approved — never improvise it.
Mark areas of refuge at stair landings with their two-way communication, the standpipe connection in each stair, and the floor ID large enough to read under emergency lighting. Generate a distinct map for each floor; reusing one floor's map building-wide is a common inspection finding.
Garden-Style & Walk-Up Considerations
Garden-style communities trade interior cores for exterior stairs and breezeways. Egress is usually short and direct-to-grade, so the map's job is to point residents to the nearest exterior stair and an assembly point clear of the building and the fire lane. Because each small building or stair core is largely independent, you often post one map per entry/stair rather than one per floor. Keep the assembly point out of the apparatus access route so it does not block arriving engines.
Mixed-Use & Podium Buildings
When retail, a restaurant, or a parking podium sits beneath the residential floors, two egress systems coexist. Residential corridors and stairs typically discharge separately from tenant exits, and the ground-floor map must make that separation obvious so a fleeing resident does not end up at a locked storefront. Coordinate the assembly point with the commercial tenants so residents and customers are not funneled into the same chokepoint.
Condo / HOA Governance Notes
In condo and HOA buildings the association — not a single employer — owns the common-area life-safety program. Boards benefit from brand-consistent, dated maps across every building so the annual review is a quick visual audit and owner communications stay clear. A SaaS-generated map set replaces per-building CAD vendors and makes it trivial to reissue maps after a corridor renovation or a change in the managing agent.
Multifamily ROI Snapshot
Typical draftsperson cost per unique floor plan. A building with several floor types and posting points adds up fast.
Of posting-point versions a single mid-rise can need across corridors, lobbies, and amenities — each oriented differently.
Marginal cost to regenerate every map after a renovation when the floor plan is already stored.
Review cadence many local codes expect — far easier with dated, consistent maps you can reissue on demand.
From upload to a posting-ready draft, versus the weeks a CAD vendor round-trip can take.
Of buildings managed from one consistent legend and revision-date stamp instead of a folder of mismatched PDFs.
Glossary: Multifamily Terms
- Dwelling Unit
- An individual apartment or condo — the resident's starting point on the map.
- Double-Loaded Corridor
- A corridor with units on both sides, usually served by a stair at each end.
- Area of Refuge
- A protected space, often at a stair landing, with two-way communication where residents await assisted evacuation.
- Standpipe
- A piping system with hose connections (commonly in stairwells) that firefighters use to fight upper-floor fires.
- Sprinkler Riser
- The vertical supply pipe and control valves feeding the sprinkler system; its room is marked for responders and maintenance.
- Defend-in-Place
- A strategy in some sprinklered high-rises where occupants on unaffected floors shelter rather than fully evacuate, per AHJ direction.
- Means of Egress
- The continuous path from any point in the building to the public way: exit access, exit, and exit discharge.
- AHJ
- Authority Having Jurisdiction — the local official (often the fire marshal) who adopts and enforces the applicable codes.
- Podium
- A concrete lower structure (often parking or retail) supporting wood-framed residential floors above.
- Posting Point
- A specific location where a map is mounted; each needs its own "YOU ARE HERE" orientation.
Multifamily Inspector Casebook
Common findings from fire-marshal inspections of apartment and condo buildings. Use as a pre-audit.
One generic map reused on every floor
Each floor and posting point needs its own oriented map.
Stair door propped or blocked
Protected stairs must self-close and stay clear.
No "do not use elevator" note at lobby
Add the call-button warning.
Area of refuge comms inoperative
Two-way communication must be tested and working.
Map missing floor ID
Stamp building and floor in the title block.
Storage blocking corridor egress
Resident items left in corridors narrow the path.
Standpipe connection obstructed
Keep stair landings clear and the connection accessible.
Accessible route not shown
Mark the accessible means of egress and refuge.
Extinguisher tag expired
NFPA 10 annual inspection finding.
In-unit map missing where required
Confirm local in-unit posting rule and add it.
Assembly point in the fire lane
Relocate clear of apparatus access.
Map orientation upside-down to viewer
"YOU ARE HERE" must match the posting point.
Multifamily Drill & Communication Notes
- Coordinate any building-wide drill with your local fire department and follow the AHJ-approved evacuation strategy.
- Brief on-site staff (leasing, maintenance, security) on their EAP route assignments before residents are involved.
- Post the corridor map at every stair entry and elevator lobby; post the in-unit version where local code requires.
- For student housing and high-turnover buildings, refresh resident orientation each leasing cycle.
- Log map revisions with a date stamp so the annual review is a quick visual audit.
- After any renovation, regenerate the affected floors and reissue every impacted posting-point version.
Portfolio & Management-Company Notes
A management company running dozens of buildings cannot hand-draft a map for every floor of every property. Generating from stored floor plans gives you a consistent legend, a shared revision-date convention, and the ability to reissue an entire building's posting set the moment a corridor changes. New acquisitions get a complete map set on day one, and turnover of a managing agent no longer means hunting for someone's old CAD files.
Apartment Building Evacuation Map — FAQ
Are apartment buildings legally required to post evacuation maps?
It depends on your local fire code, not a single federal rule. There is no universal OSHA mandate that every apartment must post a map. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 applies to your employees (leasing office, maintenance, on-site staff) and requires a written Emergency Action Plan once you have more than 10 employees — that plan must describe evacuation procedures and route assignments. The posting of resident-facing corridor maps is generally driven by NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) residential occupancy provisions and the International Fire Code (IFC) as adopted and enforced by your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Many cities require posted floor diagrams in multifamily corridors and in each dwelling unit; others recommend them. Always confirm with your local fire marshal — local adoption controls enforcement.
What should an apartment building evacuation map include?
A useful multifamily map shows the unit and corridor layout for that floor, each dwelling-unit egress door, both protected stairwells (with their identifier such as Stair A / Stair B), a clear "elevators — do not use in a fire" note, the closest path to a stair and to the public way, the building and floor identifier, and a "YOU ARE HERE" marker oriented to the posting point. Add fire safety equipment that residents and responders rely on: fire extinguisher cabinets, manual pull stations, standpipe and sprinkler riser locations, and any areas of refuge with two-way communication. Accessible routes that avoid stairs should be marked for residents who cannot use them. Our generator places these from your uploaded floor plan and lets you regenerate a separate version per posting point.
Where should evacuation maps be posted in a multifamily building?
Posting points are typically the elevator lobby on each floor, near each stairwell entrance, in the main lobby and mailroom, in shared amenity rooms (laundry, gym, community room, parking levels), and — where your local code requires — on the inside of each dwelling-unit entry door. Each posting point needs its own "YOU ARE HERE" orientation so the map matches what the viewer sees when standing there. A single generic map reused everywhere disorients residents during a real alarm, so generate a posting-point-specific version for each location and confirm placement expectations with your AHJ.
Do garden-style apartments need the same maps as a high-rise?
No — the egress story changes with building type. Garden-style walk-ups usually have exterior stairs and direct-to-grade exits, so maps emphasize the nearest exterior stair and the assembly point away from the building. Mid-rise and high-rise buildings rely on interior protected stairwells, standpipes, areas of refuge, and a firefighter elevator that residents must not use during a fire; their maps need stair identifiers, floor IDs, and refuge locations. High-rises may also follow a defend-in-place or phased-evacuation strategy set by the fire department, which should be reflected in resident instructions. Generate the version that matches your specific building and have it reviewed locally.
What is the difference between a corridor map and an in-unit map?
A corridor (common-area) map shows the full floor: every unit door, both stairwells, the elevator lobby, equipment, and refuge areas — it is posted at elevator lobbies and stair entries for general orientation. An in-unit map is a simplified diagram, often posted inside the apartment entry door, that highlights that unit and the two closest stair routes without the full equipment detail. Both should carry the building/floor ID and a "YOU ARE HERE" marker. Our tool can output a detailed corridor version and a clean in-unit version from the same floor plan upload.
How do areas of refuge and accessible routes work on apartment maps?
Areas of refuge are protected locations — frequently inside or adjacent to a stairwell — where residents who cannot use stairs can wait for assisted evacuation, usually equipped with two-way communication. Under the ADA and many building codes, accessible buildings must provide accessible means of egress, and your map should mark refuge locations and any accessible route that avoids stairs. For residents with mobility, hearing, or vision needs, note the accessible exit path and refuge clearly. Requirements vary by building age, sprinkler status, and local adoption, so verify the specifics with your design professional and AHJ.
How often should apartment evacuation maps be updated?
Update maps whenever the layout or life-safety systems change: unit reconfiguration or combination, corridor or amenity renovation, a relocated stairwell or new exit, changes to fire equipment or the sprinkler/standpipe layout, a new assembly point, or any correction notice from a fire-marshal inspection. Many local codes also expect periodic review (often annual). Because each generated map is stored, you can upload the revised floor plan and regenerate every posting-point version after a renovation without redrawing from scratch.
Which codes apply to multifamily evacuation maps — NFPA 101, IFC, ADA?
The common references are NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) residential/apartment occupancy chapters for means of egress and arrangement, the International Fire Code (IFC) for maintenance, signage, and — in many jurisdictions — posted floor diagrams, the ADA for accessible means of egress and areas of refuge, and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.36/1910.37 (exit-route design and maintenance) plus 1910.38 (written EAP) for your on-site employees. None of these is self-enforcing nationwide: your local jurisdiction adopts specific editions and amendments, and the AHJ enforces them. Treat any generated map as an OSHA-aligned draft and confirm the exact posting and content rules with your local fire marshal.
Post a Clear Map in Every Corridor — Today
Upload your floor plan, generate a posting-point version for each location, and have your fire marshal confirm. Free, no credit card.
OSHA-aligned draft; final local/employer review may be required.
Important Legal Disclaimer
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not approve, endorse, recommend, or certify any commercial products or software. This platform is a compliance assistance tool only and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA or any government agency.
All AI-generated evacuation maps, safety plans, and compliance documents must be reviewed, verified, and approved by a qualified safety professional, fire marshal, licensed engineer, or appropriate authority before being posted, distributed, or used for emergency planning purposes.
Employers retain full legal responsibility for workplace safety under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act). Users are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations. This software does not guarantee OSHA compliance.
This software does not constitute legal, safety consulting, engineering, or professional advice. Content is for informational purposes only. Users should consult qualified safety professionals and legal counsel for compliance guidance specific to their operations.
While we strive for accuracy, workplace safety regulations change frequently. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or current validity of any information. Users must independently verify all regulatory requirements applicable to their specific circumstances.
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