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\n <\/div>\n \n Get a Home Value Estimate Before You Sell Your Home<\/h3>\n
How much is your home already worth? HomeLight can provide you with a preliminary estimate in preparation of selling.<\/p>\n \n
So who was right? Let\u2019s find out as we answer the top seven questions when it comes to counting the bedrooms in your home, taking into consideration the legal definition of a bedroom.<\/span><\/p>\n The legal definition of a bedroom depends on where you live. This is because <\/span>building codes vary state by state<\/span><\/a>, and it\u2019s these building codes that determine what elements a room must have in order to be legally called a bedroom.<\/span><\/p>\n Some states have square footage requirements. In Texas, there is no single definition of a bedroom. In 2021, they adopted <\/span>the <\/span>International Residential Code (IRC) published by the International Code Council, which <\/span>defines a bedroom<\/span><\/a> to have the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Colder northern states, like Connecticut, <\/span>require bedrooms to have a heat source<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Other states have requirements that you\u2019d probably never even think to ask when settling on the bedroom count for your MLS listing. Take Massachusetts, which says that <\/span>you cannot claim to have more bedrooms than your septic system is designed to handle<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In some areas, bedroom requirements differ depending on where the room is located in the house. For example, Robin\u2019s sellers were out of luck with their basement \u201cbedroom,\u201d because according to Wisconsin\u2019s Department of Commerce, <\/span>basement bedrooms must have at least 2 means of exiting<\/span><\/a> that provide unobstructed egress to the outside or grade level. Windows in the basement shall not be considered exits.<\/span><\/p>\n Stil, other states are much less stringent on a room\u2019s must-haves in order to qualify as a bedroom:<\/p>\n \u201cIn Alabama, all it has to have is a closet and a window,\u201d says Huntsville, Alabama agent Susan Chipman<\/a>.<\/p>\n The best place to find the bedroom zoning codes is by taking a look through the <\/span>building codes for your state<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is the legal definition of a bedroom for real estate listings?<\/h2>\n
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Where can you find local bedroom zoning codes?<\/h2>\n