1 – surface bolt, 2 – manual flush bolt, 3 – automatic flush bolt, 4 – constant latching flush bolt, 5 – automatic flush bolt with auxiliary fire pin

As a member of BHMA’s Codes, Government, and Industry Affairs Committee, one of my goals is to help “fix” the confusing code requirements related to doors and hardware.  I can hear some of you saying, “ALL code requirements are confusing…” but in the last 20ish years the committee has done a great job of helping to clarify the intent of the codes and standards with regard to door openings.  With that said, there’s still work to be done.

One section of the I-Codes that caused a lot of confusing was the section called “Bolt Locks.”  Although the requirements of this section are intended to apply to the flush bolts and surface bolts that are used to secure the inactive leaf of a pair of doors, a common misinterpretation was that this section applied to dead bolts.

Another problem with the Bolt Locks section was that it permitted manual flush bolts in certain locations based on the use group and occupant load, without including qualifying information about locations where positive latching hardware was required – like fire door assemblies and corridor doors in health care facilities.  If someone looked at the Bolt Locks section without being familiar with the positive-latching requirements stated in other sections of the code, they might specify or supply the incorrect type of bolt.

During the 2024 code development cycle, the CGIA spent a lot of time converting the Bolt Locks section into a table that addressed the various types of flush bolts, taking into account some of the qualifications that were missing before.  The 2024 edition includes this table as well as definitions for manual, automatic, and constant-latching bolts and a definition for the term dead bolt.

For more information about this change, refer to Section 1010.2.4 in the 2024 IBC.

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