Tracy, CA Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- TMC § 9.24.110, Security standards
- Max. threshold height covered
- 10 feet above grade
- Minimum deadbolt throw
- 1/2 inch
- Reference door thickness
- 1-3/8 inch solid/hollow-core
- Post-emergency grace period
- 30 days before permit required
- Alternative closure material
- 3/4-inch CDX plywood
Summary
Section 9.24.110 of the Tracy Municipal Code sets minimum door and window security specifications for a vacant structure that has already suffered an unauthorized entry: doors near grade must resist entry like a solid 1-3/8 inch door fitted with a half-inch throw deadbolt, and every locked door must actually be kept locked at all times.
9.24.110 - Security standards. (a)All vacant structures shall be maintained in a way that secures them from any unauthorized entry.(b)The owner or responsible agent of a vacant structure which has suffered an unauthorized entry must provide security which meets the following minimum standards:(1)All windows and sliding doors shall provide either intact glazing or be boarded as set forth in specifications adopted by the director...(2)Doors and service openings with thresholds located ten feet or less above the grade, stairway, landing, ramp, porch, roof or similarly accessible area shall provide resistance to entry equivalent to or greater than that of a closed single panel or hollow core door one and three-eighths inches thick equipped with a half-inch throw deadbolt or boarded as set forth in the specifications on file with the City of Tracy...(3)There shall be at least one operable door into each structure and into each housing unit. If an existing door is operable, it may be used and secured with a suitable lock such as a hasp and padlock or a one-half inch deadbolt or dead-latch; and(4)All door locks shall be kept locked.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
110(b) requires the owner or responsible agent to bring its security up to defined minimum standards. Windows and sliding doors must either keep intact glazing or be boarded per specifications on file with the City, with boarding installed from the interior. Any door or service opening whose threshold sits ten feet or less above grade, stairway, landing, ramp, porch, roof, or other similarly accessible surface must provide resistance to entry at least equal to a closed single-panel or hollow-core door one and three-eighths inches thick fitted with a half-inch throw deadbolt, or must be boarded per the City's on-file specifications; openable exterior doors may alternatively be closed from the interior by toe-nailing them to the frame with 10D or 16D galvanized nails.
Every structure and every housing unit within it must retain at least one operable door, which, if functional, may be secured with a hasp and padlock or a half-inch deadbolt or dead-latch. All door locks must be kept locked at all times, and where a door cannot be made operable it must instead be built from three-quarter-inch CDX plywood and fitted with a lock meeting the same standard. The section also gives owners a grace period after an emergency or natural disaster: they may secure the property for up to thirty days without a permit, but must submit a permit application to the City within that same thirty-day window.
Violations & Fines
Failing to bring a breached vacant structure up to these door, window, and lock standards is enforced through Chapter 9.24's general notice-and-correction process: the Director issues a notice of violation, the owner gets thirty days to begin corrections (or twenty days to request a hearing), and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28 attach if the deficiency is not corrected within that period or any granted extension. Leaving broken or missing openings unsecured is independently unlawful and a public nuisance under Section 9.24.050, which also requires a valid boarding permit before any board, plywood, or non-original securing method is installed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of lock does Tracy require on a vacant building's entry door?
Can I board up windows instead of repairing the glass on a vacant property?
Do I need a permit right after a break-in or disaster to secure my building?
What if a vacant building's door cannot be made to open and close properly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California building safety overview
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