Self Closing Garage Door Code

This means that in the event of a fire all of these doors will close and latch without a person s help.

Self closing garage door code.

We recommend that the door between garage and residence should be equipped with a self closing device although no longer required by the irc and fbc. It s code in most areas that the entry door to an attached garage be fire rated and have self closing hinges. The purpose is to keep a garage fire from spreading to the house. This is accomplished through the use of a closer or spring hinge and a fire rated lockset or exit device.

All fire doors have an additional safety feature they must be self closing and self latching. Here is the applicable section from the 2018 irc. Doors between garages and houses or dwelling units 1 a door between an attached or built in garage and a dwelling unit shall be tight fitting and weatherstripped to provide an effective barrier against the passage of gases and exhaust fumes and shall be fitted with a self closing device. Building owners have until july 31 2021 to comply with this requirement and failure to maintain self closing doors results in a class c immediately hazardous violation which must be corrected within 21 days.

Installing an automatic closing device on a garage door or a bedroom door would allow the door to be opened and closed manually but would help to ensure that the door is closed if there is a fire.