Building occupancy classifications

Building occupancy classifications refer to categorizing structures based on their usage and are primarily used for building and fire code enforcement.

They are usually defined by model building codes, and vary, somewhat, among them.

These are referred to as "mixed occupancies" and the different parts will be required to meet the codes for those specific areas.

In places where more than one occupancy may apply, the stricter code is usually enforced.

An example of this is a restaurant with seating under 50 which is not addressed in the code as either mercantile or business (this is a technical issue, but could be viewed as either or neither).