§ 52. Public halls and stairs. The walls and ceiling of every entrance
hall, stair hall or other public hall, every hall or passage not within
an apartment or suite of rooms, every dumbwaiter, elevator, and, every
other shaft, including stairs, connecting more than two successive
stories, shall be sealed off from every other portion of the dwelling
with fire-retarded materials, or, in lieu thereof, except in the case of
elevator shafts, shall be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system.
Except as provided in subdivision five of section fifty-five, nothing
contained in this article shall be deemed to exempt an interior required
means of egress from the enclosure requirements or the equipment
provided for in this section. A fire-detecting system shall not be
acceptable for any of the requirements of this section.