Auburn, AL Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

1, Locks, to require every occupancy in the city with an automatic fire alarm system or fire sprinkler system to install an Underwriters Laboratory-listed key lock box compatible with the master key assigned exclusively to the Auburn Fire Division. The Inspection Services Department must approve the lock box's exact location before installation, and the box must be mounted no lower than 6 feet and no higher than 7 feet above final grade, near the recognized main entrance, with nothing such as steps, signage or other fixtures placed beneath it that would let an intruder reach it without help.

The building owner or manager installs the box where Inspection Services directs and must notify the division once installation is complete. Where a fire alarm control panel is present, the box connects to it and is wired so that tampering or opening the box produces a supervisory signal on Supervisory Zone 1, transmitted through the NFPA 71 panel; buildings using an NFPA 71 panel alone follow the same tamper-signal rule. The box must contain labeled keys to the main entrance, any alarm room, mechanical rooms, sprinkler control and fire pump rooms, the fire alarm control panel, electrical rooms, special keys for pull-stations or other fire protection devices, elevator and elevator room keys, and any other room the fire plans reviewer specifies. The only exception is a building or site staffed with 24-hour, seven-day guard service, which does not need a lock box at all.