Doors in Boulder commercial, multifamily, and assembly buildings must comply with International Building Code egress and hardware rules, including single-action unlatching, panic hardware where required, and accessibility under ADA and Colorado law.
BRC Title 10 adopts the IBC and IFC governing door hardware. Means-of-egress doors must open with a single action, without keys or special knowledge, and may not be chained or padlocked while occupied. Assembly and high-occupancy spaces require panic or fire-exit hardware. Schools (including CU-Boulder facilities) must balance lockdown capability with egress, generally using listed classroom security devices that retain single-action egress. Accessibility provisions require lever hardware and proper opening force. Boulder Fire Rescue inspects during operational visits; building officials review during permit issuance.
Stop-use orders for blocked or chained egress; fire-code citations; permit denial when locking hardware does not meet egress, accessibility, or rated-assembly standards.
See how Boulder's door locking hardware rules stack up against other locations.
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