Waukegan, IL Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

15 to add a flat local rule: locks which can be secured from the exterior of a door but which cannot be unlocked from the interior are expressly prohibited. 15 requirement, adopted at § 6-176 as the 'Waukegan Property Maintenance and Housing Code,' already requires every door to be maintained in good working order; the Waukegan addition targets double-keyed deadbolts and similar exterior-only hardware that can trap occupants inside during a fire or other emergency, since a resident without an exterior key cannot exit through a locked door from the inside.

The rule applies to every structure covered by the Property Maintenance Code, including rental units and owner-occupied dwellings, and enforcement runs through the Building Department's code officials rather than through a separate fire-code citation. A property found with prohibited hardware receives a notice of violation and correction period like any other Property Maintenance Code deficiency; continuing to use or install exterior-only locks after that notice exposes the owner to the code's general penalty clause. Disputes over whether specific hardware falls inside the ban can be taken to the Code Enforcement and Appeals Board created at amended § 108, which reviews Code Official notices and orders on a filed appeal.