Gilroy, CA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Gilroy Municipal Code Article IV, Building Security, sections 6.13 through 6.26, sets construction-stage security hardware standards enforced by the chief building inspector alongside the enforcing authority, the chief of police or an authorized representative. Section 6.20, Keying requirements, requires that once an owner or proprietor occupies a unit in a residential project or commercial development built under one development plan, that unit's locks use key combinations that are interchange-free from every other separate dwelling, proprietorship or occupancy in the same project, so one duplicate key cannot open a neighboring unit.

Section 6.21, Frames, jambs, strikes and hinges, then details how every exterior swinging door on a residential building or attached garage, including the door from the garage into the dwelling, must be built: the door jamb needs solid backing with no voids for six inches on each side of the strike, wood framing needs horizontal blocking between studs for three stud spaces on each side of the opening, in-swinging wood door stops must be one piece with the jamb, and the deadbolt strike plate must be at least 16-gauge steel, bronze or brass, fastened with two screws that penetrate at least two inches into solid backing.

Hinges on out-swinging doors must carry non-removable pins or a mechanical interlock so the door cannot be lifted off from outside by pulling the hinge pins. Commercial buildings face parallel standards in section 6.25, including double-cylinder deadbolts with a minimum one-inch bolt projection and a five-pin cylinder. Disputes over alternate hardware go to the building department board of appeals under section 6.19, with the chief of police providing a recommendation.