(a) Where a total of more than four lights is required, exit lighting shall be connected to an emergency power source or to storage battery equipment meeting the requirements of the commissioner, provided, however, that in existing buildings, the exit lighting may be on circuits that are separate from the general lighting and power circuits, taken off ahead of the main switch.
(b) Existing high rise buildings classified in occupancy group C, D or H and existing buildings classified in occupancy group E, G or J-1 (except for "residential hotels," as such term is defined by the commissioner pursuant to rules and regulations) shall comply with the requirements of this section on or before April first, nineteen hundred eighty-seven.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1996/059.