Does a Replacement Bedroom Window Have to Be Egress? Sizes Explained
You are replacing the windows in a bedroom and want to know whether the new ones have to meet egress, and which style gets you there without cutting the wall.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Does a replacement bedroom window have to be egress? Often not to full new-construction size, but the code has rules for replacements: the new window should open at least as much as the old one and, in many cases, be the largest standard size of a style that fits the opening. JMB Builders measures the clear opening and sill height before ordering, across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per window.
- Clear opening measured before ordering
- Casement vs double-hung compared per room
- Permit pulled when the job needs one
Every bedroom needs an emergency escape opening: a window big enough to climb out of and low enough to reach. New houses are built that way. Many older Twin Cities houses are not, especially upstairs bedrooms with small double-hungs or sliders. When those windows are replaced, the question is whether the new one has to meet full egress size.
The building code has a provision for replacement windows in existing houses. In general terms, a replacement does not have to meet full new-window egress size if it is the largest standard size that fits the existing opening and its style opens at least as much as the old window did. The sill cannot go higher than it was. How a city applies that is up to its building department, so we check before anything is ordered, and JMB pulls the permit when the job needs one.
Style is the biggest lever. A double-hung only opens half its height and a slider half its width. A casement swings its whole sash clear, so the same rough opening often gives much more clear opening with a casement. That swap is usually how an upstairs bedroom gets close to or reaches egress without cutting the wall. Cutting new basement openings is a different job, on the egress window installation page.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Which rooms are used as bedrooms now, or will be
- Photos of each bedroom window inside and outside
- The width and height of the opening when the sash is fully open, if you can measure it
- Your style preference: keep double-hungs, or switch to casements
What JMB supplies
- A measure of each bedroom window: rough opening, clear opening and sill height
- A side-by-side of what a double-hung, slider and casement would give in that opening
- A check with the city where needed, and the permit when the job needs one
- The windows, ordered to the measured size
- Removal of the old windows, sill pan, flashing, foam and sealant
- Interior jamb extensions and casing, or drywall returns
- Photos of the finished windows in your job folder
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Same style as before vs. switching to casements
- Insert into the old frame vs. full-frame replacement
- Enlarging the rough opening, which adds framing, siding and drywall work
- Second-floor access: ladders, staging or interior work only
- Interior trim: reuse, new casing or drywall returns
- Permit fees where the city requires one
Send a photo of each bedroom window, open as far as it goes, with a tape measure across the opening.
How long it takes
Most bedroom window swaps: two to four windows a day. Enlarging an opening adds a day or more for framing, siding and drywall.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Same opening, casement instead of double-hung
The most common way to gain clear opening. The rough opening stays, the casement swings fully clear, and the outside and inside trim stay close to what was there.
Same style, largest size that fits
Keeping double-hungs or sliders is possible under the replacement provision in many cases. We size the largest standard unit that fits and check it opens at least as much as the old one.
Enlarge the opening
When the room needs full egress, for example a new bedroom, the opening is cut wider or lower with a new header where needed, and the siding and drywall are patched around it.
Upstairs windows with low sills
A low sill upstairs can need a window opening control device for fall protection that still releases for escape. We cover that on the opening control device page.
Does a Replacement Bedroom Window Have to Be Egress? Sizes Explained: questions, answered
Does a replacement bedroom window have to meet egress in Minnesota?
Not always to full new-construction size. The code has a provision for replacement windows: in general, the new window should be the largest standard size that fits the opening and open at least as much as the old one, without raising the sill. Cities apply it through their building departments, so we check before ordering and pull the permit when the job needs one.
Is a casement better than a double-hung for bedroom egress?
Usually, yes. A double-hung opens only half its height, and a slider only half its width. A casement swings its whole sash out of the way, so the same rough opening gives a much larger clear opening. Switching to casements is often how an older bedroom gets close to or reaches egress without cutting the wall.
Can a replacement window make my bedroom's egress worse?
It can if the wrong unit is ordered. A smaller insert, a thicker frame or a style that opens less can shrink the clear opening. We measure the old window's clear opening and compare it against the new unit before ordering so the room does not lose ground.
Do upstairs bedroom windows have to be egress?
Every sleeping room needs an emergency escape opening, upstairs or down. The same clear opening and sill height rules apply on the second floor. Firefighters use those windows too, so the opening size matters even when the drop outside is long.
Do I need a permit to replace bedroom windows?
It depends on the city and the work. Many cities treat an insert in the same frame differently than a full-frame replacement or a change in the opening size, which usually needs one. JMB pulls the permit when a job needs one and the fee is listed on the quote.
How do I measure the egress opening on my bedroom window?
Open the window as far as it goes and measure the clear width and clear height of the open space, not the glass. Then measure from the floor to the bottom of that opening. Send those numbers with a photo and we compare them against the code range and against what a new unit would give.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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