Occupancy load limits are an important factor in most commercial building regulations. Perhaps never has the legal number of occupants in a building been such a factor as it has in the past year or so, due to COVID-19 mandates. However, occupancy load limits have been important for a long time due to other reasons.
Safety is the primary consideration when it comes to an occupancy load limit. If there are too many people in the building during an emergency like a fire, weather event, or active shooting situation, and there are not enough exits to accommodate everyone, lives can be lost. An additional problem could arise from a structural standpoint. The age of a building, the materials used in its construction, or its location can all contribute to its structural stability, and how much weight it can hold, which directly relates to how many people can be in the building at one time.
