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Ceiling Height

Ceiling height is the vertical distance from the finished floor to the finished ceiling of a room. In newer American homes, 8 to 9 feet is typical for main floors.

Building codes set minimum ceiling heights for habitable rooms. Rooms under a sloped roof, such as attic bedrooms and rooms with dormers, have ceilings that change height across the room, so part of the floor may sit under a much lower ceiling than the rest.

Under ANSI Z765, finished space needs a ceiling of at least 7 feet to count toward gross living area. With sloped ceilings, at least half the finished area must reach 7 feet, and any part below 5 feet is excluded. See ceiling height requirements for GLA.