Sherman, TX Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Door and window security for rentals in the City of Sherman, Texas sits in the inspection standards of § 3.11.003(8)(L) of the Sherman Code of Ordinances. A multifamily dwelling complex, meaning five or more dwelling units owned by the same person, must install security devices and maintain them in good working order. The provision lists keyless deadbolt locks, door viewers, window and door locks, and sliding glass door security. Because the standards in § 3.11.003 are the test a complex must meet to pass inspection, and § 3.11.006 lets the administrator inspect exteriors, common areas, vacant units and comparative samples of occupied units, a missing deadbolt or a broken window lock is a failed item.

Vacant units get their own rule. Section 3.11.003(9)(G) requires every vacant or unoccupied dwelling unit to be secured from unauthorized entry by installing and maintaining appropriate locking devices and intact doors and windows that fit the openings securely and completely. The definition of secure in § 3.11.002 sets a clock: lock all exterior doors and windows within 24 hours after the unit becomes vacant and exercise reasonable care to maintain the locks as necessary to deter unauthorized entrance into any unoccupied dwelling.

Locks sit alongside escape rules. Under § 3.11.003(2), every dwelling unit needs safe and unobstructed means of egress leading to safe and open space at ground level, and under subsection (3) every bedroom needs a window or opening that any occupant can easily open. Exterior illumination under subsection (8)(M) must cover building entrances, stairwells and hallways between a half-hour after sunset and a half hour before sunrise, and inoperable fixtures must be repaired in no instance later than seven days after notice. Under § 3.11.008, the landlord must also inspect each dwelling unit with the tenant whenever occupancy changes.