In past posts I’ve mentioned a valuable resource offered by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA), called Codes in Context.  I would like to highlight an update that was recently added to the BHMA website, addressing several changes to the 2024 edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code.

You might be thinking that your AHJ won’t be adopting the 2024 edition of NFPA 101 for years, or maybe it’s not a code that is used in your jurisdiction.  BUT – some of these changes are more like clarifications, and can help in interpreting the intent of the code, even before adoption.  And when the NFPA codes and I-Codes are aligned on a topic, sometimes information found in one set of codes can help to explain the requirements of the both codes.

This edition of Codes in Context addresses four changes/clarifications to NFPA 101-2024:

  • Clear width of power operated doors:  For manually-operated pairs of doors, one leaf of the pair is typically required to provide at least 32 inches of clear opening width.  NFPA 101-2024 has been modified to state that if an opening has a pair of automatic doors, the requirement for one leaf to provide the required clear width does not apply.  The required clear width can be accommodated by both automatic door leaves in the open position.
  • Egress side latch release:  This change clarifies that the requirement for locks and latches to have an obvious method of operation applies to the egress side of the door (not the access side).  The updated note in Annex A related to this section addresses doors with electrified hardware that is part of an access control system, stating that building occupants must be able to egress the building through these doors as required by Chapter 7 of the code.
  • Latch release for residential units:  Although the code requires most doors in a means of egress to unlatch with one releasing motion, there has been a long-standing exception for entrance doors to residential living units and guest rooms.  These doors may have a night latch, dead bolt, or security chain in addition to the latchset or lockset.  The change to NFPA 101-2024 clarifies that the releasing motions for these two security devices must not be required to be conducted simultaneously.
  • Listings for electrical locking system components:  Several past editions of NFPA 101 have required electrified hardware used in a special locking arrangement to be listed to UL 294.  The code now allows the UL 1034 listing as an alternative to UL 294, and clarifies specifically which components of the system require the listing.  (There’s more info in this recent Decoded article.)

You can learn more about these updates in the Codes in Context focus documents, and if you want to know what has changed from one edition of the code to the next, BHMA has spreadsheets summarizing these changes beginning with the 2015 model codes.  These resources are super helpful – you can access them here!

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