Albany, NY Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum dead-bolt throw
- 1 inch, dwelling unit doors
- Common entrance latch throw
- 1/2 inch, self-locking
- Strike plate
- minimum 2 screws
- Applies to
- buildings with 1+ rental unit
- Enforced by
- Dept. of Fire and Emergency Services
Summary
Albany requires every rental dwelling unit to have a single-cylinder dead-bolt lock with at least a one-inch throw, plus specific hardware on shared building entrances.
Dwelling units. Each entry door to a dwelling unit shall be equipped with an operating single-cylinder dead-bolt lock with a minimum one-inch throw. The strike plate for said lock shall be firmly attached with a minimum of two screws.
(2) Building entrances. For the purpose of this section, where a building entrance consists of two doors or sets of doors, the requirements shall be applicable to the door or doors closest to the interior of the building.
(a) In buildings of one and two units, all common entrances, including main, rear and service, shall have doors which are capable of self-locking, equipped with a latch with at least a one-half-inch throw and equipped with a dead-bolt as provided for in § 133-60A. In buildings of three or more units, common entrance doors shall be equipped with a dead-latch with at least one-half-inch throw. Such latch shall remain fully operational from the interior in accordance with the Uniform Code and shall be capable of self-locking. Buildings with three units, in which two units share common entrance doors and the third unit maintains separate entrance doors, shall be subject to the requirements of one- and two-unit buildings.
(3)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4873446; v61 updated 2026-03-18; through 03-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code § 133-60A, each entry door to a dwelling unit in a building with at least one rental unit needs an operating single-cylinder dead-bolt lock with a minimum one-inch throw, its strike plate fastened with at least two screws. Common entrances in one- and two-unit buildings must self-lock with a half-inch throw latch plus that dead-bolt; buildings of three or more units need a self-locking dead-latch with the same half-inch throw. Hollow-core doors are barred from any exterior egress door. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services inspects compliance before a residential occupancy permit issues.
Violations & Fines
Enforced through the residential occupancy permit inspection process administered by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services under Chapter 133, Article X.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do owner-occupied units in Albany have to meet this door lock rule?
What size dead-bolt does an Albany rental unit door need?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
New York rules heatmap·Compare Albany to another location·View the New York building safety overview
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