Salem, OR Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

155(a) requires every dwelling unit to have at least one exterior door openable from the inside without a key or special knowledge, and screen and storm doors must meet the same standard. Subsection (b) extends that rule to common-corridor exit doors in hotels, motels and apartment houses, which must open with one hand in a single motion such as pressing a bar or turning a knob. Subsection (c) sets the hardware standard at issue here: every exterior door, hinge, knob, lock and strike plate must be maintained in good condition, the door must fit weathertight in its frame, and the frame must be built to exclude rain and wind.

Two numeric limits follow directly: door locks cannot sit more than 48 inches above the floor or landing, and double cylinder deadbolts, which require a key to exit, are not permitted on any exit door because they can trap occupants during a fire or emergency. Subsection (d) carries the no-key rule inside the unit too, requiring every interior door and doorframe to fit without needing a key or lock to open from either side. Subsection (i) separately requires fire doors in exitway corridors to close securely and latch, and bars propping them open at any time. 003, and the Inspector verifies compliance during licensing and complaint inspections.