Maui County, HI Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- MCC § 16.26C.1010.1.10
- Covered occupancies
- Group H; Group A/E at 50+ occupants
- Max unlatching force
- 15 pounds
- Hardware listing
- UL 305 (panic); UL 10C+305 (fire exit)
- Electrical lock exception
- Allowed under § 1010.1.9.9/.9.10
Summary
Maui County bars ordinary latches or locks on swinging exit doors serving high-hazard rooms and crowded assembly or educational spaces. Those doors must use panic hardware or fire exit hardware instead, though electrically locked doors are allowed under specific access-control conditions.
1010.1.10 Panic and fire exit hardware. Swinging doors serving a Group H occupancy and swinging doors serving rooms or spaces with an occupant load of fifty or more in a Group A or E occupancy shall not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardware. ... 2. Doors provided with panic hardware or fire exit hardware and serving a Group A or E occupancy shall be permitted to be electrically locked in accordance with Section 1010.1.9.9 or 1010.1.9.10. ... 1010.1.10.1 Installation. Where panic or fire exit hardware is installed, it shall comply with the following: ... 4. The maximum unlatching force shall not exceed 15 pounds (67 N).
Full Breakdown
10 amends the International Building Code's door-hardware section for the county. It requires that swinging doors serving a Group H (high-hazard) occupancy, and swinging doors serving rooms or spaces with an occupant load of fifty or more in a Group A (assembly) or Group E (educational) occupancy, not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardware, so occupants can exit under pressure without needing a key or twisting a knob. 10, which cover access-controlled and sensor-release egress systems.
1 then sets installation standards: panic hardware must be listed to UL 305, fire exit hardware must be listed to both UL 10C and UL 305, the releasing device's actuating portion must extend at least half the door leaf's width, and the maximum force needed to unlatch the door cannot exceed 15 pounds. Electrical rooms rated 1,200 amperes or more and over 6 feet wide with exit doors must also carry this panic or fire exit hardware.
Violations & Fines
Installing an ordinary key-lock or thumb-turn latch on a swinging door covered by section 16.26C.1010.1.10, in place of listed panic or fire exit hardware, is a code violation enforceable under the building code's general violation provisions in section 16.25.113, which can result in a notice of violation, a stop-work order under section 16.25.114, and prosecution by county legal counsel if the noncompliant hardware is not corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Maui buildings must use panic hardware on exit doors?
Can an exit door with panic hardware also be electrically locked?
How much force can it take to open a Maui panic-hardware door?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maui County
Compare Maui County to another location·View the Hawaii building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.