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Door Locks for Emergency Exits: Selecting the Proper Level of Protection

Emergency exit door locks have two main functions: prevent unauthorized entry into or exit from a building, and allow fast exit from the building. International and local building codes, as well as fire safety laws, require them.

Directors of businesses, and private or public institutions who wish to make changes to the locks on buildings subject to these codes must do so within regulatory guidelines. There are various factors to keep in mind when making such changes or installing new locks on existing doors.

General Regulations for Emergency Exit Door Hardware

Local building codes dictate the type of locks that can be used on any type of emergency door or fire exit. Most building codes do not allow for additional locks to be placed on doors with a panic bar or emergency exit device. Placing a chain or latch on the door in order to lock it is a violation of most building codes.

For emergency exits, there are three general types of hardware and locks which can be installed in compliance with building and fire safety codes. These are free egress, delayed egress and controlled egress.

Free Egress

Unless the emergency exit doors fall into a special category – two of which are outlined below – they should comply with the requirements for free egress. Locking devices for most commercial doors designated emergency exits must meet the following requirements.

Regulations for Controlled Egress Doors

  • Free egress exits are required in buildings used for business, assembly (such as restaurants and movie theaters) and education.
  • Even in low occupancy settings, emergency exit door locks must open to the outside in one simple motion without pinching or twisting the wrist.
  • Emergency exit door locks meet Federal Accessibility Laws. They need to be easy to open for individuals with limited mobility and children. (Though the age and height requirements differ based on local building codes.)
  • Emergency exit doors must allow people to leave the space quickly without using a key, tool, extra force or special knowledge to unlock the door. This ensures that, even in dark, smoke-filled or otherwise frightening situations, people can exit safely without looking for a key or using a complicated locking device.
  • Hardware and locks installed on the door must be 3 to 4 feet from the floor.

There are multiple kinds of electric locks which work with panic bars or touch pads and meet the free egress regulations. These include electrified mortise locks, electrified cylindrical locks, electric strikes and electric panic hardware.

These types of locks function in similar ways. When someone presses the bar, it causes the deadbolt to retract. For most emergency exit systems, when the lock releases, it will trigger an alarm to alert others of danger. At the same moment, the door can be pushed open and the person can safely walk out.

Delayed Egress

Certain types of institutional buildings, including healthcare facilities, can use special locking arrangements. Delayed egress doors have hardware that activates a timer when someone pushes on the panic bar of the exit door. Codes require most delayed egress locks to sound an alarm immediately alerting other occupants of the emergency or lets the staff know that there has been an unauthorized exit. After a delay of 15 or 30 seconds, the locking mechanism will release and occupants will be able to exit from the doorway.

Regulations for Delayed Egress Doors

  • Delayed egress doors cannot be used on buildings used for assembly, education or highly hazardous activities.
  • The building must be equipped with a fire alarm or sprinkler system.
  • Locks must be fail-safe, immediately releasing (without delay) when fire safety systems are activated or when the power goes out.
  • There must be a remote release for the delayed egress door which permits immediate exit.
  • Proper signage, alarms and lighting must be present.
  • Emergency lighting must be installed on the egress side of a door with a delayed egress lock.
  • Building occupants must not be required to pass through more than one door with a controlled egress lock before entering an exit

Controlled Egress

Some institutional buildings can be permitted to use controlled egress systems. These include nursing, psychiatric, detoxification, memory care and other medical facilities where the clinical needs of occupants require more secure exit door locks. They often apply to facilities where patients require 24-hour care and would need assistance exiting the building. Electromagnetic locks or delayed egress devices programmed to have an infinite delay are used with remote lock releases. The remote release can be installed at a nurses’ station or safety command desk. This is how the Locksmith Ledger explains it:

“Beginning with the 2009 editions of the model code requirements for delayed egress locks, new sections were added to give certain types of health care facilities a more secure option for their egress doors.  There were a few changes to these code sections over subsequent editions, and the term “controlled egress lock” has since become the commonly-used term for this application.  These locks are allowed by the model codes in health care facilities where patients require containment for their safety or for security.  During normal operation, the doors do not allow free egress; if evacuation is needed, the doors will be unlocked by one of the required emergency overrides or by facility staff.  The release methods required by the model codes are intended to help ensure a balance of life safety and security…

“The purpose of this system is to prevent elopement, for example, to prevent a patient with dementia from leaving a facility unaccompanied.  The typical locations for controlled egress locking systems are memory care units, behavioral health treatment areas, maternity wards and newborn nurseries, and possibly emergency departments or pediatric areas.

“With controlled egress locks, pushing on the doors or attempting to use the hardware does not trigger a timer or signal, and the lock is not required to release after 15 seconds. The doors remain locked in the direction of egress until released by staff or an automatic release method.”

Both the I-Codes and NFPA codes state that some automatic release features can be omitted on doors in health care settings where specialized security measures are needed, including behavioral health units and maternity areas where listed child abduction systems are in use.

Regulations for Controlled Egress Doors

  • The use of controlled egress doors only applies to certain types of health care use groups and occupancy classifications where the clinical needs of patients require their containment. Controlled egress doors cannot be used on buildings used for assembly, education or highly hazardous activities.
  • There should be no more than one controlled egress lock per door and, generally, occupants should not need to pass through more than one door with a controlled egress lock in their emergency exit path.
  • Controlled egress locks are not required to be fail-safe, immediately releasing (without delay) when fire safety systems are activated or when the power goes out, in this special health care application where containment is necessary.
  • NFPA compliance requires a remote release for controlled egress door which permits immediate exit, with the exception of psychiatric and cognitive treatment areas. It must be possible to remotely unlock doors from an approved, constantly attended location within the locked space.
  • Facility staff must be able to unlock the controlled exit doors at any time. According to I-Codes, staff members must carry the keys, codes, or other credentials to unlock the doors, and these procedures have to be part of the emergency plan for the facility.
  • The doors are allowed to automatically relock after they are released for egress.
  • The building must be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system or approved automatic smoke or heat detection system throughout the locked space.
  • Emergency lighting must be installed on the egress side of a door with a controlled egress lock.
  • “Controlled egress locking systems must be listed to UL 294 – Standard for Access Control System Units.  If a controlled egress lock is installed on a fire door assembly, it must also be listed to UL 10C – Positive Pressure Fire Tests of Door Assemblies or NFPA 252 – Standard Methods of Fire Tests of Door Assemblies.  In addition to the other listings, panic hardware with the controlled egress feature must be listed to UL 305 – Standard for Panic Hardware and in some cases BHMA A156.3 – Exit Devices,” explains iDigHardware.

Professional Assistance with Emergency Exit Lock Selection & Installation

Buildings and fire safety regulations are serious business. Guidelines must be followed strictly for liability reasons, but also as a public safety measure. Because these codes are specific and can be complex, we recommend consulting with licensed locksmiths. Get help from professionals with experience in hardware installation for businesses, educational buildings, as well as institutions. It’s also important that technicians fully understand the local codes applicable to security regulations.

Great Valley Lockshop is your local expert in emergency exit door locks. Ask our team for an estimate on the best lock solutions for your building. Contact us at 610-644-5334 request a free estimate using our online form.

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