Fire door assemblies have to be inspected at least annually, and the inspection has to be documented. The International Fire Code requires opening protectives in fire-resistance-rated assemblies to be inspected and maintained in accordance with NFPA 80, and since the 2013 edition NFPA 80 has required inspection after installation, after any maintenance work, and annually thereafter. There is no occupancy carve-out. If your Houston building has rated corridors, stairwells or shafts, this applies to you, and almost every failure we find is a hardware problem rather than a door problem. Most property managers we work with across the Energy Corridor, Westchase, Greenspoint and the Woodlands Town Center know fire doors matter. Far fewer know the inspection is annual and documented, and fewer still know what actually gets a door written up.
Who is required to inspect, and how often?
NFPA 80 calls for a qualified person: someone with the knowledge, training and experience to conduct the inspection, demonstrable through a degree, certification, professional standing or skill. Certification is not strictly mandated by the standard, but it is the cleanest way to establish qualification when an inspector from the authority having jurisdiction asks.
Frequency, per NFPA 80 since the 2013 edition:
- On completion of installation
- After any maintenance work on the assembly
- Annually thereafter
The documentation is the part that gets skipped. An inspection nobody wrote down is, for practical purposes, an inspection that did not happen, because the record is what the AHJ reviews.
What is on the inspection checklist?
The criteria that get checked on a swinging fire door assembly with builders hardware:
- Labels are present and legible
- No holes in the door or frame
- Glazing and glass kit are secure
- Door, frame and hardware are in proper working order
- No missing or broken door and hardware parts
- Door clearances are within allowable limits
- Door closer is operational and the door is self-closing
- Coordinator ensures leaves close in proper sequence
- Door is self-latching in the closed position
- Opening is not equipped with auxiliary hardware that interferes with operation
- No field modifications that would void the fire label
- Required gasketing and edge seals are present, continuous and the proper type
- Signage covers less than 5 percent of the door face
Read items 9 and 10 together, because that pairing is where most buildings fail.
The five failures we actually find
The door does not latch. A fire door that closes but does not positively latch is not a fire door, it is a panel resting in an opening. The causes are mundane: a closer that has lost its latch speed, a strike that has drifted, a warped frame, or a worn latch bolt.
Something is holding it open. A wooden wedge, a kick-down holder screwed to the door, a fire extinguisher propped against it, a trash can. Item 10 covers this. It is the most common write-up in the country and the easiest thing on the list to fix.
The panic device is dogged. Mechanical dogging holds the latches retracted so the door works as a push-pull. On a fire door that is a hard failure. Fire exit hardware, which is what belongs on a fire door, does not incorporate mechanical dogging because fire doors require positive latching.
Holes and clearances. Removed locks, card readers or pulls can leave unapproved holes that void a label. For hollow-metal doors and wood doors in hollow-metal frames, clearance at the head, jambs and meeting stiles is 1/8 inch plus or minus 1/16 inch maximum; bottom clearance is generally 3/4 inch to finished floor or threshold unless the label says otherwise.
- Deficiency: Door will not self-latch; Typical fix: Closer adjustment, strike alignment, or latch replacement
- Deficiency: Wedge, holder, or obstruction; Typical fix: Remove it or install a listed hold-open device
- Deficiency: Dogged fire exit device; Typical fix: Correct device, usually a replacement
- Deficiency: Unfilled holes or missing label; Typical fix: Approved field labeling or replacement
The expensive surprise: the label
A fire door that does not positively latch is not performing its protective function.
Everything else on that list is a repair. A missing or illegible label is different because the assembly's rating cannot be verified at all.
Labels disappear when they are painted over, removed during refinishing, or lost when a contractor swaps a door without recognizing a rated opening. Field labeling by an authorized service can sometimes restore the rating. Sometimes it cannot, and then a physically sound door and frame may need replacement.
When this is not our job
A new rated door and frame is a door-contractor scope. We do hardware. If a structural frame is racked from building movement, hardware is not the permanent answer. If field labeling is refused, the opening needs direction from the authority having jurisdiction, not another hardware quote.
Frequently asked questions
How often do fire doors have to be inspected? NFPA 80 requires inspection on completion of installation, after maintenance work, and annually after that.
Who can perform a fire door inspection? NFPA 80 calls for a qualified person with appropriate knowledge, training and experience; certification is not strictly required, but it is an easy way to document qualifications.
Can I prop a fire door open? Not with a wedge or improvised holder. If an opening needs to stay open, it needs a listed hold-open device tied to the alarm so it releases and latches.
What happens if a fire-door label is painted over? The rating cannot be verified. Field labeling may be possible; otherwise the opening may need a new rated door and frame.
Get the openings surveyed
Precision Lock & Key of Texas works on commercial fire-door hardware across Houston, Spring, The Woodlands and surrounding areas. We survey rated openings, document what we find, and correct hardware deficiencies.
Call (346) 670-2818 or reach us through plktexas.com.
Precision. Security. Peace of Mind.
Code and standard references are general information. Confirm requirements for your specific building and openings with the authority having jurisdiction.
Related reading
Related services
Sources
NFPA: Frequently Asked Questions About Fire Doors and NFPA 80 and Houston Fire Department Life Safety Bureau Standard 02. Code and standard information is general guidance; confirm requirements for a specific opening with the authority having jurisdiction.
