Worcester County, MD Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

The door hardware rule sits in § BR 3-106(e)(15) of the Worcester County Rental Housing Code, which applies to rental dwelling units in the unincorporated areas of Worcester County, Maryland. Each exterior door and its hardware must be maintained in good condition. Door locks on all interior and exterior doors entering housing units must be in good repair and capable of tightly securing the door. The standard is condition and function: the code prints no lock type, deadbolt count or hardware grade.

Several neighboring provisions shape how the lock rule works in practice. Under § BR 3-106(e)(11) each window, door and frame must exclude rain and rodents as completely as possible and substantially exclude wind, and § BR 3-106(e)(12) requires each window and exterior door to be fitted reasonably in its frame and be weathertight. On the safety side, § BR 3-106(f)(9) requires each door available as an exit to be capable of being opened easily from the inside, and § BR 3-111(c)(3) repeats that all doors in the required means of egress must be easily opened from the inner side. A lock that secures the door must therefore never trap an occupant. Fire-rated doors carry their own rule in § BR 3-111(g): required fire-resistance-rated doors and smoke barriers must be kept in good working order, including all hardware needed for their operation, and hold-open devices without legal approval are prohibited.

The duty falls on the owner. Section BR 3-105 bars any person from letting premises for occupancy that do not comply. The code official enforces after mailing written notice so it is received one day before an inspection, and must obtain a warrant if entry is refused. An owner who claims hardship can ask the Housing Review Board for a variance under § BR 3-104(f). The code does not reach Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill or Pocomoke City.