Ames, IA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Sec. 13.407(17), Building Security, sits inside the Exterior Structure section of the Rental Housing Code's Minimum Property Maintenance Standards and covers doors, windows, and basement hatchways together. For doors, subsection (a) requires a keyed lock on every door that provides access to a rented dwelling unit, rooming unit, or housekeeping unit; the lock must be readily openable from the egress side without a key, special knowledge, or effort, and it must have a lock throw of not less than 1 inch (25 mm). The section specifically disqualifies a sliding bolt as an acceptable keyed lock, and it requires the lock to be installed to the manufacturer's specifications and kept in good working order, not merely present.

The same numbered subsection also sets companion standards for windows and hatchways: openable windows within 6 feet of grade or a walking surface that access a rented unit need a window sash locking device, and basement hatchways serving a rented unit need a device that secures them against unauthorized entry. Because Sec. 13.407 falls under the Minimum Property Maintenance Standards that the Inspection Division checks before issuing or renewing a Letter of Compliance under Sec. 13.302, a missing or undersized door lock is a cited deficiency that must be corrected before that Letter issues.