San Clemente, CA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

San Clemente's Building Security Code, Chapter 15.28, applies under Section 15.28.020 to all new construction and to existing multiple-family dwellings that are converted to privately owned units, implementing the minimum building-security standards required by Section 14051 of the California Penal Code. The Building Division reviews plans for compliance before issuing a building permit and inspects the completed work under Section 15.28.040.

Section 15.28.080 sets the keying requirement: each single unit in a tract or commercial development built under the same general plan must have locks with combinations that are interchange-free from every other separate dwelling, proprietorship or distinct occupancy in the development, a rule the code says is intended to prohibit master keying. Section 15.28.090 sets the physical standards for frames, jambs, strikes and hinges. Door jambs need solid backing with no voids for six inches on each side of the strike; wood framing needs horizontal blocking between studs at lock height for three stud spaces on each side of the opening; strike plates for deadbolts on wood-framed doors must be at least 16 U.S. gauge steel, bronze or brass, secured with two screws penetrating at least two inches into solid backing; and hinges on outswinging doors need nonremovable pins or a mechanical interlock so the door cannot be lifted off by pulling the hinge pins. Section 15.28.120 layers on residential-specific rules, including solid-core entry doors at least 1 3/8 inches thick with a single-cylinder deadbolt projecting at least one inch and a minimum five-pin cylinder, plus a requirement that street numbers be at least four inches high in a color that contrasts with the background.