Tacoma, WA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- TMC § 2.01.060.I
- Interior keyed deadbolts
- Prohibited
- Table A violation points
- 15 points, item 37
- Enforcing office
- Building Official
Summary
Tacoma's Minimum Building and Structures Code bans keyed interior deadbolts, requires exit doors to open without a key, and lets low-occupancy doors use thumb-turn locks instead.
Doors, latches, and locks. The width and height for all exit doors shall comply with the Building Code in effect at the time the building was originally constructed, and shall be openable from the interior without a key or special knowledge. All doors serving an occupant load of 50 or more shall swing in the direction of egress. Doors serving an occupant load of less than ten, as calculated by the Building Code, may have dead bolts, provided a thumb operator, knob, or equivalent is installed on the interior side of the door. Dead bolts which require keys to be operated from the interior are not permitted. Doors serving occupancies classified per the Building Code as Group A (Assembly), Group E (Educational or Day Care), Group H (Hazardous), and Group I (Institutional) shall be provided with panic hardware when serving occupant loads of 50 or more as calculated by the Building Code, or when otherwise required by the Building Code. All new doors serving an occupant load of ten or more, as calculated by the Building Code, shall have a minimum width of not less than 36 inches and a minimum height of not less than 6 feet 8 inches, and shall be openable from the inside without a key or special knowledge.
J. Corridors. Corridors shall be constructed in accordance with the provisions of the Building Code in effect at the time the building was constructed. New, reconstructed, or remodeled corridors shall be constructed in accordance with the provisions of the Building Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4946110; v22 updated 2026-07-28).
Full Breakdown
Under Tacoma Municipal Code § 2.01.060.I, exit doors citywide must open from the inside without a key or special knowledge, and any door serving fewer than ten occupants may use a dead bolt only if a thumb operator, knob, or equivalent sits on the interior side: dead bolts that need a key from inside are barred outright. Assembly, educational, hazardous, and institutional occupancies serving 50 or more people must also carry panic hardware. The Building Official enforces this through Chapter 2.01's inspection program: a missing, inoperative, or illegal door or window lock is a scored violation that can push a property toward a substandard designation.
Violations & Fines
Missing, inoperative, or illegal door/window locks score 15 points under Table A, item 37; 50 or more total points makes a property 'substandard,' a declared nuisance subject to a repair order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my Tacoma home have a deadbolt that needs a key from inside?
What happens if my door locks are broken in Tacoma?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
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