Minimum Crawl Space Height
In order to ensure ease of access to the crawl space any access door must be at least 18x24 inches source.
Minimum crawl space height. Access shall be provided to all under floor spaces openings through a perimeter wall shall be 16 inches by 24 inches 407mm x 610mm. Where it is necessary to pro vide access for maintenance and repair of me chanical equipment located in the under floor. The entire crawl space should be free of debris.
Access to the crawl space must be provided through openings that are no smaller than 18 x 24 inches if they are in the floor or 16 x 24 inches if they are the perimeter walls of the crawlspace. Access door to the crawl space must conform to specifications. Your local building department might permit construction over an inaccessible crawl space but i d not do it.
Wood joists or the bottom of a wood structural floor when closer than 18 inches 457 mm or wood girders when closer than 12 inches 305 mm to the exposed ground in crawl spaces or unexcavated area located within the periphery of the building foundation. Preservatives shall be listed in section 4 of awpa u1. This seems to me to indicate that the minimum floor to underside of joist minimum height must also be at least 24 high.
Minimum height debris wood rot the crawl space must be free of debris. Access openings to a crawl space through the floor shall be a minimum of 18 inches by 24 inches. Crawl space openings through a perimeter wall shall be not less than 16 inches by 24 inches.
For unvented crawl spaces it is best to place the openings in the floor to preserve the integrity of the insulated perimeter wall. Although the 18 and 12 minimum clearances are exempted for preservative treated and naturally durable wood they are also the minimum heights that make a crawl space reasonably accessible for inspection or repair. Ground level must be at least 18 inches below bottom of wood floor joists and 12 inches below bottom of chassis beam.