# Residential Door Locks 06 IRC Section R311.4.4



## Lynn (Oct 25, 2012)

Looking for some clarification or understanding of this section.

This section states: "All egress doors shall be readily openable from the side from which egress is to be made without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort"

The IRC doesn't define an "egress door" and the language doesn't say "required egress doors". To me, all doors that allow passage from an occupiable space through the path of exit acccess to the exterior exit discharge are considered egress doors.

I've got a house with a bedroom and an office at ground level that both have doors opening out to the exterior.

Can you put a keyed deadbolt lock the bedroom and office door that opens to the exterior, as long as you have an interior bedroom door and an interior offfice door to the corridor and an emergency egress and rescue window from the bedroom?

Commentary doesn' clarify the issue. It makes reference to the exit door being openable without a key, but turns around and say the section applies to all egress doors.

Section R311.4.1 requires at least one exit door from the dwelling. I would like to apply the requirement prohibiting a keyed deadbolt to the one required exit door but that's not really what the code says.

How do you guys and gals apply the keyed lock on single family residential structures?


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## mark handler (Oct 25, 2012)

All doors that allow passage from an occupiable space to the exit are egress doors.

Yes


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## globe trekker (Oct 25, 2012)

Lynn,

Here, we require only the one 3'-0"  x  6'-8" dimensioned door as the egress door

from the habitable areas of a singe family dwelling.  That one door must not have

a keyed deadbolt on it when we do our final inspection.   If the structure has one

compliant sized door, with no keyed locks, ..we consider the dwelling to be

compliant with a minimum of one egress door.

.


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## Rio (Oct 25, 2012)

No double deadbolt on the egress door.


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## ICE (Oct 25, 2012)

> "All egress doors shall be readily openable from the side from which egress is to be made without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort."


All doors that lead directly from the inside of a dwelling to the exterior are egress doors.  Only one egress door is required. There are rules that apply to that required egress door and only that door.  The quoted rule applies to all egress doors.  So if you need a key to get out and you're not in jail, it's a code violation.


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## LGreene (Oct 25, 2012)

We've had this discussion before and I'm pretty sure we still haven't gotten everyone to agree.

http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/residential-building-codes/8065-egress-door-locks-keyed-not.html

http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/residential-building-codes/3640-double-key-dead-bolt-security-doors.html


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## ICE (Oct 25, 2012)

LGreene said:
			
		

> We've had this discussion before and I'm pretty sure we still haven't gotten everyone to agree.http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/residential-building-codes/8065-egress-door-locks-keyed-not.html
> 
> http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/residential-building-codes/3640-double-key-dead-bolt-security-doors.html


We could have a poll


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## 97catintenn (Oct 25, 2012)

In my area it applies to all door that exit too.  A home inspector hit on it, so I asked my lic locksmith about it and he said it carries a fine for him to install them.


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## steveray (Oct 26, 2012)

Brudgers has not gotten here yet so I will play devil's advocate.....It is not a door, it is a side hinged window......


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## tmurray (Oct 26, 2012)

steveray said:
			
		

> Brudgers has not gotten here yet so I will play devil's advocate.....It is not a door, it is a side hinged window......


I keep looking for window knobs at the hardware store but all they have are these stupid door knobs.


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## globe trekker (Oct 26, 2012)

> The IRC doesn't define an "egress door"


An egress door, in the IRC, is defined by the 3'-0" x 6'-8" dimension (Section R311.4.2).

Only one in each SFD is required. Other doors that lead directly to the exterior and

are not the 3'-0" x 6'-8" dimension, would not be considered a true egress door.

Egress in nature yes, but not by the letter of the IRC.

.


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## cda (Oct 26, 2012)

You are the king/ queen of your house

If the door was not there the rooms/ house would still be legal

Why do you not want a thumb turn on the inside???

Have the locksmith drill the holes needed and leave the hardware there for you to install

You than are assuming the risk and if you call the police they like keyed deadbolts on the inside anyway

Not telling you to go against code just advising that you are accepting the liability if you do


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## LGreene (Oct 26, 2012)

globe trekker said:
			
		

> An egress door, in the IRC, is defined by the 3'-0" x 6'-8" dimension (Section R311.4.2).Only one in each SFD is required. Other doors that lead directly to the exterior and
> 
> are not the 3'-0" x 6'-8" dimension, would not be considered a true egress door.
> 
> Egress in nature yes, but not by the letter of the IRC.


I went back and read the IRC (2009) and I would lean toward allowing (if I had any power, which I don't) the double cylinder locks on doors that are not the ONE required egress door.  With that said, I have read too many stories about people who died trying to find the key or get through the security bars, and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had double cylinder locks.  The last 2 sentences below are confusing, and I have definitely heard of jurisdictions where these locks are not allowed.  On the other hand, I've heard of situations where the police department recommended them.  I'd love to get a final answer on this.

R311.1 Means of egress. All dwellings shall be provided with

a means of egress as provided in this section. The means of

egress shall provide a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical

and horizontal egress travel from all portions of the dwelling

to the exterior of the dwelling at the required egress door

without requiring travel through a garage.

R311.2 Egress door. At least one egress door shall be provided

for each dwelling unit. The egress door shall be side-hinged,

and shall provide a minimum clear width of 32 inches (813

mm) when measured between the face of the door and the stop,

with the door open 90 degrees (1.57 rad). The minimum clear

height of the door opening shall not be less than 78 inches

(1981 mm) in height measured from the top of the threshold to

the bottom of the stop. Other doors shall not be required to

comply with these minimum dimensions. Egress doors shall be

readily openable from inside the dwelling without the use of a

key or special knowledge or effort.


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## cda (Oct 26, 2012)

Bathroom doors and the like

Just a matter of what the ahj decides are the egress are in a home and applies the no key dead bolt requirement to.

Me if I am inspecting a home for foster care approval no exterior door will be allowed a key deadbolt

If plain old homeowner I would tell them at least the front door is not allowed a key deadbolt and would advise them any other door should not have them but would not push to far


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## Inspector Gift (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks,  Lori for posting the actual 2009 code section!

Note the door width can be a 34" -- or any other odd dimension that allows 32 inches clear opening width.    And 6'-6" inches is the minimum clear opening height, not the 6'-8" that we have been quoting for years.    Only one side-hinged door is required.


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## ICE (Oct 27, 2012)

R311.1 Means of egress.

All dwellings shall be provided with a means of egress as provided in this section. The means of

egress shall provide a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from all portions of the dwelling to the exterior of the dwelling at the required egress door without requiring travel through a garage.

R311.2 Egress door.

At least one egress door shall be provided for each dwelling unit. ("At least one egress door shall be provided for each dwelling unit."  This indicates that there can be more than one egress door.) The egress door shall be side-hinged, and shall provide a minimum clear width of 32 inches when measured between the face of the door and the stop, with the door open 90 degrees.  The minimum clear height of the door opening shall not be less than 78 inches in height measured from the top of the threshold to the bottom of the stop.

Other doors shall not be required to comply with these minimum dimensions. (What other doors are being referenced?  Are they doors that do not fit the description of an egress door or are they egress doors that are in addition to the required egress doors.  Take note that they are still required to be side hinged. I guess that now would be a good time to provide a definition of an egress door.  Look at R311.1 Means of egress.  and think backwards from the door.  If the entire dwelling has access to the door and the door opens directly to the exterior, the door is an egress door.)

Egress doors shall be readily openable from inside the dwelling without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort. ("Egress doors shall be readily openable".  Note that the statement doesn't reference required egress doors but simply egress doors.)

R311.3 Floors and landings at exterior doors.

There shall be a landing or floor on each side of each exterior door. The width of each landing shall not be less than the door served.

Every landing shall have a minimum dimension of 36 inches measured in the direction of travel.

Exterior landings shall be permitted to have a slope not to exceed 1/4 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent).

Exception: Exterior balconies less than 60 square feet and only accessible from a door are permitted to have a landing less than 36 inches measured in the direction of travel.

R311.3.1 Floor elevations at the required egress doors. (If doors that are not the required egress door are not egress doors, there would be no need to differentiate between doors.  The word "required" would not be there.) 

Landings or floors at the required egress door shall not be more than 11/2 inches lower than the top of the threshold.

Exception: The exterior landing or floor shall not be more than 73/4 inches below the top of the threshold provided the door does not swing over the landing or floor.

When exterior landings or floors serving the required egress door are not at grade, they shall be provided with access to grade by means of a ramp in accordance with Section R311.8 or a stairway in accordance with Section R311.7.

R311.3.2 Floor elevations for other exterior doors. Doors other than the required egress door shall be provided with landings or floors not more than 73/4 inches below the top of the threshold.

Exception:A landing is not required where a stairway of two or fewer risers is located on the exterior side of the door, provided the door does not swing over the stairway.

I think that all exterior doors that communicate with the entire dwelling are egress doors.  While only one egress door is required, all egress doors are required to have certain features whereas the required egress door has special requirements as well as the features that are required of all egress doors.


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## cda (Oct 27, 2012)

Ice man good commentary

Kind of what you said.   Where Would a sliding patio door fit in to all this


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## ICE (Oct 27, 2012)

cda said:
			
		

> Ice man good commentaryKind of what you said.   Where Would a sliding patio door fit in to all this


Next to the door from the kitchen to the garage.  It's not an egress door.


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## lunatick (Oct 28, 2012)

Is the "office" a den, or part of the house?

or

Is the "office" used as a live/work portion of the house?

Key difference here being likely familiarity of the occupants couple with likely access of those same.

Most peoples first thought towards and exit is where they arrived from.

Second, if it is an at home business, and the clientele is arriving by this direct to exterior door. Furthermore their access to the rest of the house is limited/prohibited. Then it would make sense this door be treated as an egress door.

Of course we could apply a Target solution to this. If the door is not longer desired to be an exit, but your don't want to remove it. Weld it shut. sheetrock over it. Paint a nice sign on the exterior stating, this is not an exit.


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## ICE (Oct 28, 2012)

lunatick said:
			
		

> Is the "office" a den, or part of the house? (Sure, why not?)or
> 
> Is the "office" used as a live/work portion of the house? (That wouldn't matter.)
> 
> ...


You are a clever spammer.


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## LGreene (Oct 30, 2012)

I happened to see this today:  88-Year-Old Pulled From Burning Home; Woman Couldn't Get Out Back Door - Fire Engineering

Just one of many incidents like this.  Usually the resident isn't so lucky.

_"A neighbor reported smoke coming from the roof of the one-story, white  house on the 600 block of Solano Drive SE, at around 8 a.m., according  to the Albuquerque Fire Department. Tipped off that there may be someone  in the house, firefighters found the woman in a back room, said Captain  David Mowery. __*She told them she tried to leave through a back door but  couldn't because she didn't have a key.*__ She was also unable to open a  window, he said."_


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## globe trekker (Oct 31, 2012)

> And 6'-6" inches is the minimum clear opening height, not the 6'-8" that we have been quoting for years.


From the 2006 IRC, Section R311.4.2=Door type and size:

The required exit door shall be a side-hinged door not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in

width and 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) in height. Other doors shall not be required to

comply with these minimum dimensions.

We still require the 6' - 8" dimensioned egress door here.

.


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## Lynn (Oct 31, 2012)

Thanks for all the responses and the link to the previous responses on this issue.

Looks like it's a pretty even split on how to interpret and apply this section of the code.

Seems to me like a bedroom that has a door to the corridor and an emergency egress window sets a minimum standard for egress from the bedroom.

If someone chooses to add a door, or doors from the bedroom to the exterior, then does the fact that there is now a door there create a hazard due to persons wanting to choose the door over the window egress?

Other rooms are considered safe if they have a corridor egress door and a main exit from the house that cannot be key locked. Does adding an exterior door from the den or study or laundry room make that room more unsafe if it doesn't have a thumb turn on the lock?

It is almost as if the door to the exterior is considered an attractive nuisance by being there and creating an expectation on part of the occupants to be able to utilize that door even though that door would not be required for egress from the dwelling.

I would like to stand on the corridor door (and the egress window if it is a bedroom) being the minimum standard for egress from these rooms, but then again the code says "all egress doors", so if you add that exterior door, the minimum egress standard expands to prohibit the keyed deadbolt on that door.

I hate it, but that is what it says to me.

Anybody experienced with submitting for a code change?

Again, thanks to all for all of the input


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## globe trekker (Oct 31, 2012)

> If someone chooses to add a door, or doors from the bedroom to the exterior, then does thefact that there is now a door there create a hazard due to persons wanting to choose the door
> 
> over the window egress?


As long as the minimum code requirements are met, it does not create a hazard for

the AHJ (i.e. = protection from litigation). Whether a hazard is created after the

C. of O. is obtained from the AHJ, is not something we can enforce or regulate.



> Does adding an exterior door from the den or study or laundry room make that roommore unsafe if it doesn't have a thumb turn on the lock?


That is left up to the owner, not the AHJ, ...unless that door is new construction and

decided that it will be the one minimum [ egress door ], such as in property

maintenance issues. Remember, only one true (by the letter of the code adopted)

egress door is required in a Single Family Dwelling. Other doors that meet the

minimum requirements are not required, but can be installed. Others can go above

the code if desired!



> I would like to stand on the corridor door (and the egress window if it is a bedroom)being the minimum standard for egress from these rooms, but then again the code says "all
> 
> egress doors", so if you add that exterior door, the minimum egress standard expands to
> 
> prohibit the keyed deadbolt on that door.


There is only one egress door required (again, by the letter of the adopted code,

..not the intent). See Section R311.4.1 in the 2006 IRC.

Lynn,

Question to you. What do you do if the builder or owner wants two sets of doors and

no windows in a sleeping room. Can they do that?  

.


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## Lynn (Nov 2, 2012)

Globe Trekker

When I mentioned adding a door or doors, I was not refering to after the CO. I was speaking of adding doors in the design.

I disagree that only one egress door is required. The number of egress doors is not addressed. Their is only one exit door required.

In answer to your question about two sets of doors and no window:

I don't see aproblem with that as long as one of the doors are openable to the outside without use of key, tools, special knowledge or effort.

After reviewing all of the responses and input provided (thanks for everybody's thoughts) I have arrived at the following position on the matter.

Only one exit door is required.

The doors an occupant must pass thru to reach the (one) required exit door are considered egress doors which must comply with the locking provisions.

All other exterior doors are ancilary passageway doors, which by virtue of not being required for exit do not have to comply with the locking provisions.

Just like in a assembly space that has two dozen doors from the space to the exterior, the only exit doors are the ones with an exit sign that are designated as an exit due to occupant load, remote location and travel distance requirements. I would only require the panic hardward and exit signs over the required exit doors and any egress doors you have to pass through to get to an exit door.


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## ICE (Nov 2, 2012)

When intelligent, reasonable people fail to reach a consensus on a life/safety issue, we are left with utilizing common sense.  Getting out of a building is the pinnacle of life/safety issues so an abundance of common sense is called for.  If I can't get the *^&%$#@ door open it's a wall.


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