Manchester, NH Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 150.042
- Requires
- functioning locking device on every entrance door
- Exitway doors
- must open from inside without a key
- Applies to
- all dwelling units, rental and owner-occupied
- First offense fine
- $50 (§ 38.06(B) catch-all)
- Enforcing agency
- Planning and Community Development Department
Summary
Manchester's housing code requires every dwelling unit's entrance doors to have functioning locking devices in good repair, while every exitway door must open from the inside without a key. The standard applies to all rental and owner-occupied dwellings citywide.
§ 150.042 DOORS AND DOORWAYS. Every exterior door frame shall have a door and this door shall be weathertight within its frame. Every exterior door, door hinge, doorknob, and door latch shall be maintained in good usable condition. Door locks in dwelling units shall be in good repair and capable of tightly securing the door. Every door required as an exitway shall be capable of being opened from the inside easily without the use of a key. All entrance doors of each dwelling unit shall be equipped with functioning locking devices.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
042 sets a two-part door standard. On the security side, door locks in dwelling units must be in good repair and capable of tightly securing the door, and all entrance doors of each dwelling unit must be equipped with functioning locking devices, so a landlord cannot rent a unit with a broken deadbolt or a door that will not latch. On the life-safety side, any door required as an exitway must be capable of being opened from the inside easily without a key, which prevents a keyed deadbolt from trapping occupants during a fire or other emergency.
The same section also requires every exterior door frame to hold a weathertight door and requires every exterior door, hinge, doorknob and latch to be kept in good, usable condition. 002 explains why the inside-opening rule matters: exitways are meant to be arranged so that one fire or emergency cannot block both means of escape, and a locked exitway door defeats that purpose even if the front door across the unit is unlocked. 06(B).
Violations & Fines
A violation is enforced through the Department of Planning and Community Development's notice-of-violation process under § 150.142, with correction ordered under § 150.140. Because § 150.042 has no dedicated citation table entry, the general schedule in § 38.06(B) applies: $50 for a first offense if paid within seven days ($100 after), $100 for a second ($200 after), and $200 for a third offense ($400 after), and each day the violation continues is a separate offense under § 150.999.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my Manchester landlord require a key to unlock the fire exit from inside?
Is a broken doorknob a code violation in a rental unit?
Who do I call if my apartment door lock is broken?
What is the penalty for an unrepaired door lock?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
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Door Locking Hardware in Nearby Cities
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