Condominium Suite Entry Door Locks – Fire Regulations

ADH Fine Hardware supplies and installs secure, durable and attractive suite entry door locksets for condominium buildings in Ontario and Quebec.

A suite entry door for an individual high-rise condominium apartment usually separates the apartment unit from a corridor. The door and all associated hardware is a ‘fire assembly’; a barrier against the spread of fire.

A condominium suite entry lockset in a high-rise apartment building must be tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratory (UL) in the United States and Underwriters Laboratory Canada (ULC) in Canada.

A high-rise apartment suite entry lockset must prevent the spread of fire for a minimum of 20 minutes.

The fire safety importance of the door lock cannot be ignored. Consequently, fire codes in the United States and Canada stipulate that no part of the lockset can be altered or changed other than a key cylinder replacement with a UL or ULC approved cylinder. The one exception is the 9000/9100 series mortise lock body mechanism manufactured by Accurate Lock & Hardware of Stamford, CT that can be used within an UL/ULC approved solid brass, solid bronze or stainless steel door lockset trim with approved cylinder.

As the lockset is an integral part of the fire assembly (including the door), the door lockset is owned by the condominium corporation; not the condo unit owner. The exterior and interior door lever handle/knob and/or backplate can never be replaced without the permission of the Fire Marshall and only in very rare circumstances where the new lever or door knob was specifically designed as a substitute in the existing lockset trim by the original manufacturer.

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