- Exit doors must open in one motion with no key, no special knowledge and no tools.
- A fire rated door is rated as a whole assembly. Unrated substitutions void it.
- Look for the label on the hinge edge before modifying any commercial door.
- Accessible hardware must work without tight grasping, pinching or wrist twisting.
Free egress
The governing principle of exit hardware is that a person must be able to leave through an exit door in a single motion, without a key, without special knowledge and without tools. That is why panic bars exist and why a deadbolt on a required exit is generally prohibited.
The practical test is simple. Walk to the door and imagine leaving in the dark, in smoke, in a crowd, with no key. If more than one action is needed, or if any action requires a key, look up the code before fitting anything.
Add on hardware is where this fails most often. A business owner who fits a surface bolt to a rear exit has created a code violation and, more importantly, a hazard. Explain the reason rather than just refusing. People generally comply once they picture the fire.
Fire rated doors and their hardware
A fire rated door assembly is rated as a whole. The door, the frame, the hinges, the closer, the latch and the seals are all part of the rating, and substituting any of them with an unrated component voids it.
That is why a fire door must latch, must self close and must not be propped. It is also why you cannot simply drill a fire door for new hardware. Field modification of a rated assembly is restricted and in many cases requires a listed kit or a factory prepared door.
Look for the label on the hinge edge of the door and on the frame. If a door carries a label, treat every hardware decision on it as a code question rather than a preference question.
Accessibility
Accessibility law requires operable hardware that does not need tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist. In practice that rules out round knobs on most public doors and is the reason lever handles dominate commercial buildings.
Mounting height, opening force and the time a closer takes to shut the door are also regulated. A closer adjusted so aggressively that a door slams is not just annoying, it is potentially non compliant.
When a customer asks for knobs on a public entrance, explain the requirement and offer levers. It is a short conversation and it protects them from a complaint they have not thought about yet.
Common Questions
Can I put a key on the inside of a fire exit?
No. Egress has to work without a key, a code or special knowledge. That rule outranks any security concern and it is the one that gets buildings shut down.
Does a maglock count as a locked exit?
It does, and it needs a way to release on power loss plus a request to exit device. Fitting one without those is the most common serious mistake on a small access control job.
Who is liable if a door fails a fire inspection after we work on it?
The person who fitted the hardware. Drilling a new hole in a rated door or fitting uncertified hardware voids the rating, and that is on the installer.