Dating back to the 1800’s, there have been live load surveys and analyses, particularly of area-dependent loads in office buildings. As will be shown, however, while some occupancy loads have received careful examination, assembly has almost been an afterthought. Indeed, there has been no systematic review and consideration of reliability-based scenarios for assembly requirements. The driving rationale for the present study, therefore, is a modem determination of these loads. Prioritization on safety, which is appropriate, has led to a tendency of overdesign in some cases, of which assembly floor loading is one. Without a reliability- and performance-based approach, these loads have continued essentially unchanged since their first pre-code promotion in 1893. This research is an innovative, modern approach to reliability-based design live loads for assembly areas in buildings to promote improved safety, enhanced consistency and reduction of carbon footprints.