Today’s Fixed-it Friday post includes a serious question for all of you to ponder.  I’ll get to it in a minute.  First…I received the photos below from a code official.  He had noted during an inspection that this labeled door was missing a closing device:

label

When the code official went back, the building owner said he had fixed the problem:

no-label

Removing a fire door label is one way to avoid confusion and inspection issues, IF the door is not required to be a fire door.  BUT (here’s the important question which I have separated into bullets for your consideration)…

  • Is it a code requirement that fire doors must only be used where the fire rating is required?
  • Must the fire door label be removed if the fire rating is not required in that location?
  • Does the door have to meet the requirements for a fire door assembly (closer, latch, etc.) just because has a label – even if a fire door is not required for that location?

This is not a multiple-choice question…your answer can be yes or no to all of the bullets or yes to some and no to others, and I’d love some explanation as to why you answered that way.  I’m looking forward to your comments, and I’ll report back on Monday (I’m holding your comments until then).  Have a great weekend!

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