2006 New York Code - Doors.

 
    §  27-371  Doors. Exit doors and doors providing access to exits shall
  comply with the following:
    (a) Exit  doors.  Doors  for  required  exits  shall  be  self-closing
  swinging  doors  with  a  one  and one-half hour fire protection rating,
  except in occupancy group J-3 buildings and except that:
    (1) Exterior street floor exit doors having an exterior separation  of
  more than fifteen feet need not have a fire-protection rating.
    (2)  Doors  into  stairs  and  exit  passageways shall have at least a
  three-quarter hour fire protection rating.
    (b) Corridor doors. Doors that provide access  to  interior  corridors
  required to have a one hour fire-resistance rating shall be self-closing
  swinging  fire  doors  with a three-quarter hour fire-protection rating,
  except that in buildings classified in occupancy group G,  in  which  an
  acceptable  interior fire alarm system is installed and in which regular
  supervised fire drills are held, the doors to rooms  or  spaces  devoted
  exclusively  to  nonhazardous  uses  in  occupancy  group  G need not be
  fire-rated,  provided  they   are   swinging,   self-closing   one   and
  three-quarter  inch  solid  core  wood, and have a maximum area of seven
  hundred twenty square inches  of  one-quarter  inch  thick  wired  glass
  vision  panels.  Other  corridor  doors  except  those  provided  for in
  subdivision  (d)  of  section  27-369  of   this   article,   shall   be
  self-closing,  swinging,  noncombustible  or  one and three-quarter inch
  solid core wood doors, except that in buildings classified in  occupancy
  group  H-2 the doors need not be self-closing. Noncombustible mail slots
  having an area not exceeding forty square  inches  may  be  provided  in
  corridor  doors  when the opening is protected by a closure activated by
  gravity or a spring device so as to keep it  closed  when  not  in  use.
  Noncombustible  louvers  may be installed in corridor doors opening into
  toilets, service sink closets, and electric closets. Notwithstanding the
  foregoing restrictions in this  subdivision,  doors  not  prohibited  by
  subdivision (d) of this section may open from spaces into corridors when
  in  compliance  with  all  of  the  provisions  of  paragraph  three  of
  subdivision (h) of section 27-370 of this article.
    (c) Smoke stop doors. Smoke stop doors shall be self-closing, swinging
  doors of metal, metal covered, or one and three-quarter inch solid  core
  wood  with  clear wire glass panels having a minimum area of six hundred
  square inches per door and a maximum area of twelve  hundred  ninety-six
  square  inches  per  door, except that in buildings not over two stories
  high, smoke stop doors may be of one and three-eighths inch  solid  core
  wood  with  clear  wire  glass panels, unless the doors are also used as
  horizontal exits in which case they shall comply with the provisions  of
  subdivision  (b)  of  section 27-373 of this article. In addition, smoke
  stop doors may be constructed of tempered glazing or the equivalent  and
  be   protected   by  sprinkler  heads  constructed  in  accordance  with
  subchapter seventeen of this chapter and installed a maximum of six feet
  (6'-0") on centers on each side of the opening. Smoke stop doors may  be
  double-acting  but  shall  close  the  opening completely with only such
  clearance as is reasonably necessary for proper  operation.  Smoke  stop
  doors  shall normally be in the closed position, except that they may be
  left open if they are arranged to close  automatically  by  an  approved
  device  which  is  actuated by an interior fire alarm system meeting the
  requirements of subchapter seventeen  of  this  chapter  or  upon  smoke
  detection.  Tempered  glass  smoke  stop  doors  shall  be  marked where
  required in accordance with the rules of  the  board  of  standards  and
  appeals.
    (d)  Prohibited doors. Vertically sliding doors, rolling shutters, and
  folding doors shall not be used as exit  doors  or  as  corridor  doors,
  except  that  overhead  garage  doors  may serve as exits from buildings


  classified in occupancy group J-3, and except that  sliding  or  rolling
  doors  or  gates may be used in F-2 places of assembly provided they are
  kept open when the place of assembly is occupied. Revolving doors may be
  used  only  to the extent permitted by subdivision (m) of section 27-371
  of this article. Automatic horizontally  sliding  fire  doors  shall  be
  permitted  only in horizontal exits in fire divisions required to have a
  four hour fire-resistance rating as specified in table 5-3.
    (e) Door opening widths.  The  capacity  of  exit  and  corridor  door
  openings  shall  be  as listed in table 6-1. Door jambs or stops and the
  door thickness when open shall not reduce the  required  width  by  more
  than three inches for each twenty-two inches of width. The maximum width
  of  any  swinging  door  leaf  shall  be forty-eight inches. The minimum
  nominal width of corridor and exit door  openings  shall  be  thirty-six
  inches, except that where a door opening is divided by mullions into two
  or  more  door  openings, the minimum nominal width of each such opening
  shall be thirty-two inches. The minimum  nominal  width  of  other  door
  openings shall be as follows:
    (1)  Door  openings  to all habitable and occupiable rooms--thirty-two
  inches.
    (2) Door swinging in pairs (no mullion), opening--forty-eight inches.
    (3) Door openings to rooms used by bedridden patients and  all  single
  door  openings  used by patients in buildings classified occupancy group
  H-2--forty-four inches.
    (4) Door openings to toilet rooms in buildings to which the public has
  free access shall be thirty-two inches.
    (5) Door openings giving access to at least one toilet,  lavatory  and
  bathtub  or  shower  in  each  dwelling  unit,  in  buildings  or spaces
  classified in occupancy group J-1 or J-2, when  such  dwelling  unit  is
  accessible to individuals in wheel chairs--thirty-two inches.
    (6)  Door  openings  giving  access  to  all  toilets,  lavatories and
  bathtubs or showers serving single room occupancies which are accessible
  to individuals in wheelchairs--thirty-two inches.
    (7) Door  openings  for  people  having  physical  disabilities  shall
  additionally comply with the requirements of reference standard RS 4-6.
    (f) Door heights. The minimum nominal door opening height for exit and
  corridor doors shall be six feet eight inches. Door jambs, stops, sills,
  and closers shall not reduce the clear opening to less than six feet six
  inches.
    (g)  Door  swing.  Exit  doors,  corridor  doors  from rooms or spaces
  classified in high hazard  occupancy  group  A,  or  from  factories  as
  defined in the labor law, and corridor doors from rooms required to have
  more  than  one  door  under the provisions of section 27-365 of article
  four of this subchapter, shall swing in the direction  of  exit  travel,
  except:
    (1)  Doors  from  rooms  of  instruction  in  buildings  classified in
  occupancy group G, having an occupant load  of  less  than  seventy-five
  persons.
    (2)  Exterior  street  floor  exit  doors  from  lobbies  in buildings
  classified in occupancy groups J-2 and J-3.
    (3) Exterior street floor exit doors from spaces in occupancy group  C
  or  E  not  exceeding  two thousand square feet in area, and occupied by
  less than fifty persons, where the maximum travel  distance  to  a  door
  does not exceed fifty feet.
    (h)  Floor  level.  The  floor  on both sides of all exit and corridor
  doors shall be essentially  level  and  at  the  same  elevation  for  a
  distance, perpendicular to the door opening, at least equal to the width
  of  the  door  leaf,  except that where doors lead out of a building the


  floor level inside may be seven and  one-half  inches  higher  than  the
  level outside.
    (i) Closed doors. Exit doors and corridor doors shall normally be kept
  in  the  closed  position,  except  that  corridor  doors  in  buildings
  classified in occupancy group H-2 shall be exempt from this requirement.
    (j) Door and window hardware. Doors and windows shall be equipped with
  hardware as follows:
    (1) Fire protection requirements.
    a. Exit doors and corridors shall be readily  openable  at  all  times
  from  the  side  from which egress is to be made and shall not require a
  key to operate from that side, except that:
    1. Locks may be used in penal and mental institutions and areas, where
  required for security.
    2. Locks may be used in  banks,  museums,  jewelry  stores  and  other
  places  where  extra safeguards are required, subject to the approval of
  the commissioner, and provided the locks are  equipped  with  electrical
  release devices for remote control in case of emergency.
    3. Stairways leading from the top floor to a roof may be provided with
  locked  wire  mesh  gates  openable  by  key  in buildings classified in
  occupancy group G. The use of a hook  and  eye  closing  device  on  the
  inside of all doors to roofs shall be permitted.
    b.  Doors  opening  into interior stair enclosures shall not be locked
  from either side with the following exceptions:
    1. Doors may be locked to prevent access to the stair  at  the  street
  floor.
    2. In buildings classified in occupancy group E, less than one hundred
  feet  in height, the doors may be locked on the stair side on each floor
  above the street floor.
    3. In buildings classified in occupancy group E, one hundred  feet  or
  more  in  height, and existing office buildings one hundred feet or more
  in height, the doors may be locked on the stair side  above  the  street
  floor  except  that at intervals of four stories or less, doors shall be
  openable from the stair side without the use of a key to permit  reentry
  at  such  floors.  In  addition,  the  door on every floor where a keyed
  switch is required by the provisions  of  subchapter  eighteen  of  this
  chapter  shall  be openable from the stair side without the use of a key
  to permit reentry at such floors.
    4. When a locked door is provided with an automatic fail  safe  system
  for  opening  such  door in the event of the activation of any automatic
  fire detecting device or when any elevator in readiness as  provided  in
  section 27-989 of subchapter eighteen of this chapter is activated, such
  door  shall  be deemed as openable from the stair side. The installation
  of such automatic fail safe system shall comply with the requirements of
  reference standards RS17-3A and RS17-3B, whichever is applicable.  Stair
  reentry  signs  required  under  section  27-394 of article nine of this
  subchapter shall specify that  reentry  is  provided  only  during  fire
  emergencies.
    c.  Latch bolts shall be provided on all exit doors and corridor doors
  to hold them in a closed position  against  the  pressure  of  expanding
  gases  except  that  this  requirement shall not apply to doors in stair
  enclosures in buildings classified in occupancy group G.
    (2) Security requirements. The following provisions shall apply to all
  buildings erected or altered  after  December  sixth,  nineteen  hundred
  sixty-eight  that  may be classified in residential occupancy group J-2.
  Existing buildings in such group shall comply with the  requirements  of
  article eleven of subchapter two.
    a.  Building  entrance  doors  and  other exterior exit doors shall be
  equipped with heavy duty lock sets with auxiliary latch bolts to prevent


  the latch from being manipulated by means other than a key.  Latch  sets
  shall  have  stopwork  in the inside cylinder controlled by a master key
  only. Outside cylinders of main entrance door locks shall be operated by
  the  tenants'  key,  which  shall not be keyed to also open the tenant's
  apartment door. A light or lights shall  be  provided  at  or  near  the
  outside of the front entranceway of the building providing not less than
  five  foot  candles  intensity  measured at the floor level for the full
  width of the entranceway.
    b. Doors to dwelling units shall be equipped with a heavy  duty  latch
  set  and a heavy duty dead bolt operable by a key from the outside and a
  thumb-turn from the inside. Those doors shall also be  equipped  with  a
  chain  guard  so as to permit partial opening of the door. Dwelling unit
  entrance doors shall also be equipped with a viewing device  located  so
  as  to  enable  a  person  on  the inside of the entrance door to view a
  person immediately outside.
    c. All openable windows shall be equipped with sash locks designed  to
  be  openable from the inside only. Grilles lockable from the inside only
  may be placed on the inside or outside of windows  that  are  accessible
  from grade but that do not serve to provide access to exits.
    d.  Buildings  classified  in  occupancy group J-2 containing eight or
  more dwelling units shall be provided with an intercommunication  system
  located  at  the  door giving access to the main entrance hall or lobby,
  consisting of a device or devices for voice  communication  between  the
  occupant  of  each  dwelling  unit and a person outside said door to the
  main entrance hall or lobby and permitting such dwelling  unit  occupant
  to release the locking mechanism of said door from the dwelling unit.
    (k)  Panic  hardware.  (1) Exit doors shall be equipped with fire exit
  bolts when providing an exit from:
    a. Buildings classified  in  occupancy  group  G,  except  exit  doors
  opening directly outdoors at grade from rooms having an occupant load of
  less than seventy-five persons,
    b. F-1 places of assembly,
    c.  F-2,  F-3  and  F-4  places  of  assembly  having an occupant load
  exceeding three hundred persons, except places of assembly having  doors
  that are not equipped with locks and are openable at all times.
    (2)  Fire  exit  bolts shall be of an approved type, and shall release
  when a pressure exceeding fifteen pounds is  applied  to  the  releasing
  device  in the direction of exit travel. The bars or panels shall extend
  at least two-thirds of the width of the door  and  shall  be  placed  at
  least  thirty  inches,  but  not  more  than forty-four inches above the
  floor.
    (1) Power operated doors.  Power  operated  doors  or  power  assisted
  manually  operated doors, may be used as exit or corridor doors provided
  they remain closed in case  of  power  failure  but  shall  be  manually
  operable.  No  power  operated door shall be credited as a required exit
  unless it swings in the direction of exit travel.
    (m) Revolving doors. Revolving doors shall not be  used  as  exits  in
  buildings  classified  in occupancy group F-1 or F-2, G, or H; nor shall
  revolving doors be used in any occupancy  as  interior  doors  providing
  access  to  exits,  at  the  foot  of stairs, or at the head of basement
  stairs. Where revolving doors are used as exits, they shall comply  with
  the following:
    (1)  They  may  provide  not more than one unit or exit width for each
  revolving door and not more than fifty per cent  of  the  required  exit
  capacity  at any location, provided that the revolving doors are located
  adjacent to, or within twenty feet, of swinging doors that  provide  the
  remaining required exit capacity at that location.


    (2)  They  shall be collapsible, and designed and constructed so that:
  a.  Each wing is independently supported by a hanger  with  a  corrosion
  resistant safety release which, when pressure of between sixty to eighty
  pounds  is  exerted simultaneously on the wings on opposite sides of the
  door pivot, the door wings will fold back on themselves in the direction
  of egress.
    b. Each wing is provided with at least one push bar and glazed with at
  least 7/32 in. plate or tempered glass.
    c.  The  inside  diameter  of  the  enclosure is at least six feet six
  inches.
    d. The freely operable maximum rate of revolving speed  is  controlled
  so that it is not greater than fifteen rpm.
    e.  The upper surface of the floor finish within the door enclosure is
  flush with the adjacent floor area, and permanently secured in place.
    (3) The owner shall be responsible at all times for the operation  and
  maintenance  of  revolving  doors, and shall have the doors inspected at
  intervals not to exceed six months. All parts of  the  doors,  including
  the  safety releases and speed control mechanism, shall be maintained in
  good working order. Inspection reports shall be made in writing and kept
  on file at the premises for at least two years.
    (n) Turnstiles. No turnstile or  other  device  designed  to  restrict
  travel  shall be placed so as to obstruct any required exit, except that
  approved turnstiles that turn freely in the direction of exit travel may
  be used in any occupancy where revolving doors are permitted. Turnstiles
  shall be not more than thirty-six inches nor  less  than  thirty  inches
  high  and  shall be of such design as to provide twenty-two inches clear
  width as the turnstile rotates. Each turnstile may be  credited  with  a
  capacity  of one unit of exit width. Not more than fifty per cent of the
  required exit capacity may be provided by turnstiles  at  any  location.
  The  balance of the required exit capacity shall be provided by swinging
  doors located within twenty feet  of  the  turnstiles.  Turnstiles  over
  thirty-six  inches  high  shall meet the applicable requirements of this
  code for revolving doors.