Berwyn, IL Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Section 1480.10 of the Berwyn Code of Ordinances sets the maintenance standards for vacant buildings, and division (C)(4) covers exit doors. Every exit door must carry an internal deadbolt lock. The Director, defined in § 1480.02 as the Building Director or his or her duly appointed designee, can accept a locking mechanism that he or she deems equivalent or better. Whatever hardware is used, every exit door must open from the inside easily, with no key and no special knowledge. The section names no lock grade or brand, so the Director's judgment decides whether a substitute qualifies.

The standard belongs to Chapter 1480, Vacant Buildings and Property. Under § 1480.02 a vacant building includes an unoccupied building that is unsecured, one that is unoccupied and secured by boarding or similar means, one that is unoccupied and unsecured for five days or more, and one that is unoccupied with more than one code violation existing for 30 days or more. For that definition, unsecured means the doors or windows have not been locked or are broken permitting entry. A building under diligent construction, renovation or rehabilitation that otherwise complies with all codes is excluded.

The interior deadbolt rule sits beside the exterior standard in § 1480.10(B)(1), which requires doors, windows and other openings to be weather tight and secured against entry by birds, vermin and trespassers. Interior standards are checked through an interior inspection. If the exterior inspection turns up a suspected nuisance, safety hazard or interior violation, the Director can order an interior inspection. The owner then pays a $300 interior inspection fee within 30 days, and an owner who does not provide access within 30 days of the interior inspection notice faces an additional $100 fine. If the owner refuses consent, the Director can seek an administrative warrant from the Circuit Court of Cook County (§ 1480.04(B)).