Seattle, WA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Building entrance door
- self-closing, self-locking, 1-inch throw deadlatch
- Unit entrance door
- 1/2-inch throw dead bolt, no-key exit
- Corridor doors
- solid-core, 1 3/8 in. thick minimum
- Single-family exception
- 1/2-inch throw dead bolt only
- Variance option
- Director may approve equal alternate hardware
Summary
SMC 22.206.140 requires multi-unit building entrance doors to be self-closing and self-locking with a 1-inch-throw deadlatch, and every individual housing unit's entrance door to carry its own dead bolt or deadlatch with at least a 1/2-inch throw that can be opened from inside without a key.
1.All building entrance doors, except building entrance doors which open directly into a single housing unit, shall be self-closing, self-locking, and equipped with a deadlatch with at least a 1-inch throw which penetrates the striker at least 1/2 inch; provided, that the main entrance door need not be self-locking if an attendant is present and on duty 24 hours per day.4.Entrance doors from interior corridors to individual housing units shall not have glass openings and shall be capable of resisting forcible entry equal to a single-panel or solid-core door 1 3/8 inches thick.5.Every entrance door to an individual housing unit shall have a dead bolt or deadlatch with at least a 1/2-inch throw which penetrates the striker not less than 1/4 inch. The lock shall be so constructed that the dead bolt or deadlatch may be opened from inside without use of a key. In hotels and other multi-unit buildings that provide housing for rent on a daily or weekly basis, every entrance door to individual units shall have a chain door guard or barrel bolt on the inside.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Subchapter V of the Housing and Building Maintenance Code, "Minimum Security Standards," applies to all housing units and buildings containing housing units except detached single-family dwellings. 1 requires every building entrance door, other than a door that opens directly into a single housing unit, to be self-closing, self-locking, and equipped with a deadlatch that has at least a 1-inch throw penetrating the striker at least 1/2 inch; the exception is that the main entrance door need not self-lock if an attendant is on duty 24 hours a day.
4 covers interior corridor doors leading to individual housing units: they must have no glass openings and must resist forcible entry equal to a solid-core or single-panel door at least 1 3/8 inches thick. 5 covers the tenant's own entrance door, which must have a dead bolt or deadlatch with at least a 1/2-inch throw penetrating the striker not less than 1/4 inch, constructed so the tenant can open it from inside without a key; in hotels and other buildings renting units daily or weekly, that door must also carry a chain guard or barrel bolt.
B, which requires only a dead bolt or deadlatch with a 1/2-inch throw penetrating the striker at least 1/4 inch, openable from inside without a key. Subsection C lets the Director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections approve alternate security devices in place of these specific hardware standards if they are equally resistant to illegal entry and don't conflict with other Code or safe-exit requirements.
Violations & Fines
Because SMC 22.206.140 sits inside the maintenance standards a rental property must meet under Chapter 22.206, missing or nonconforming deadbolt hardware draws a notice of violation from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections with a compliance deadline, and a property owner participating in the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance risks having units flagged during a qualified inspector's certificate-of-compliance inspection under SMC 22.214.050 until the required deadlatch or dead bolt hardware is installed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do single-family rental homes have to meet the same standards as apartment buildings?
Can a tenant's unit door lock require a key to open from inside?
Can a landlord install different hardware than what the code lists?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
Compare Seattle to another location·View the Washington building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.