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

Bloomington City Code § 45-314 lists the minimum maintenance and security standards every vacant commercial building must meet for as long as it stays vacant. Under the exterior maintenance standards in Subsection B(4), exterior windows and doors have to be equipped with hardware for locking, and that locking mechanism has to be kept in properly functioning condition, alongside the broader requirement in B(5) that every point of possible ingress and egress be secured against unauthorized entry.

The interior maintenance standards in Subsection C(4) add a specific rule for exit doors: any exit door the owner maintains as an exit under Subsection D(3) has to be secured with an internal deadbolt lock, or with a locking mechanism the Department of Economic and Community Development finds equivalent or better, and it still has to be capable of being opened from the inside easily, without a key or any special knowledge, so the door protects against outside intrusion without turning into a life-safety hazard for anyone using it to get out. The building security standards in Subsection D layer on top of this: every opening has to be closed and secured with a secure door, glazed window, or commercial-quality steel security panel, and any plywood boarding has to be weathertight, painted to match the exterior, and cut to the exact dimension of the opening, with a more secure panel required if rodents or people have already breached it.