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New York City building door standards

NYC Door Standards — What You Need to Comply

Post by on March 29th, 2023

When designing or constructing a building, your doors must have some essential features to comply with NYC building codes. Meeting the right standards will help you maintain a safe environment while avoiding any fines or legal repercussions.

Without building codes and other regulations and standards, buildings could have designs and constructions that lead to severe consequences and injuries. Door regulations on standard size, height, security and fire capabilities play a vital role in maintaining a safe, comfortable and accessible environment.

NYC Door Standards You Should Follow

In New York City, the standard door size comprises a width of 32 inches and a height of at least 80 inches while free from any obstructions. These interior doors should also be mounted with pivoted or side-hinged swinging capabilities and open with no more than five pounds of force without tight grasping, pinching or twisting the wrist. When open, standard interior doors should not reduce the required width of egress by more than seven inches.

You can install night latches, deadbolts or security chains on interior doors in apartments or rooms where less than ten occupants are residing, to be used with one action and without having to use a key. Any door hardware installed should be between 34 and 48 inches from the ground.

Fire Doors in NYC

All fire doors in New York City should be appropriately labeled and must have a fire protection rating of anywhere from 45 minutes to more than three hours. These fire doors can be constructed out of any materials that meet the testing set forth by the NFPA 80 and Chapter 715.4 of the New York City Construction Codes. You can also use fire-protection glazing in certain situations, which should be tested by NFPA 257 or UL 9.

These doors should have self-closing or automatic closing features and utilize an active latch bolt to secure the door when closed. However, the door locks should disable themselves when a specific temperature is reached. The number of fire exit doors required is determined by the occupant capacity of each floor, starting at two for everything up to 500 occupants and increasing to four when there are more than 1,000 occupants on one story.

manhattan door new york city door standards

 

Manhattan Door Corporation Will Help You Meet New York City Building Code & Door Standards

With more than 80 years of experience, our team at Manhattan Door can help you design and manufacture doors that meet the building codes in New York City. We pride ourselves on our fast turnaround times and superior craftsmanship that help us do it right. The first time. On-time. Every time.

You can count on our family-owned and operated company to provide trustworthy and reliable interior door manufacturing services. Request your free quote when you give us a call at (718) 963-1111 or contact us online today!

6 responses to “NYC Door Standards — What You Need to Comply”

  • peter
    Location: Brooklyn, NY
    04 Jul, 2022 2 years ago

    I need 4 interior apt doors, one panel with a mortise lock and installed and old ones removed and disposed of for a 4 family house. Could you please quote me a price.
    Thanks

  • michael claeys
    Location: Bayside, NY
    25 Sep, 2022 2 years ago

    Hi there,
    The main door of the building I live in is an old 2 piece door (has a top half that can also open) and is in pretty rickety shape. The closer installed on the top also causes the door to close very hard… disturbing me in my apartment which is right next to it.
    I have asked my super to take care of this, and he tells me a slower closer can not be installed according to NYC law. I don’t see this law anywhere, and was wondering if you guys could weigh in on this?

    Much thanks in advance.
    -Mike

  • james ami
    Location: Nyc
    28 Sep, 2022 2 years ago

    Manhattan Door Corporation will help you meet NYC standards. I have used their service once.

  • Luz
    Location: NYC
    03 Mar, 2023 1 year ago

    Hello,
    In NYC, must a bedroom in an apartment have a door in it’s doorway for it to be a legal bedroom (in addition to a window of course)? Some people actually have a curtain versus a door.

    Thank you!

  • Kieter Chan
    Location: BROOKLYN
    21 Apr, 2023 12 months ago

    What is the cost approx for an entry door for a newly renovated 4 unit brownstone? 36” wide 94” tall…. What’s the required fire rating?

  • ariel gabbaizadeh
    Location: NY
    14 Jun, 2023 10 months ago

    Building door. Front door and frame needs to be replaced.

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