I don’t claim to cover all state code requirements related to doors (I leave that to our ACE Network) but every so often a code modification catches my eye.  Since I spent a large part of my career working in Massachusetts and still have a lot of contacts there, I take notice when a new edition of 780 CMR – Massachusetts State Building Code is published.  What I didn’t notice was a modification that was left out of the 10th edition of the code – until it was brought to my attention by Robbie McCabe, an independent hardware consultant.

A while back, I wrote about a change to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) that allows elevator lobby doors to be electrically locked with fail safe locks, if certain criteria are met.  One of the reasons this change was proposed was because several states and cities had modified their codes to include a section similar to NFPA 101 – Life Safety Code: Elevator Lobby Exit Access Door Assemblies Locking.

With multiple state and local codes including sections for locks on elevator lobby doors – often with differing requirements – it was clear that the IBC and IFC should address this application.  A change was approved for the 2024 edition of the I-Codes, so states and cities adopting this edition could decide whether to accept the new elevator lobby section in lieu of the state or local modification.

I’ve done some research and I still don’t know exactly what happened in Massachusetts.  The 10th edition of 780 CMR does not include the modification on elevator lobbies that had been included for several editions.  This would make sense if the 2024 IBC was the base code for Massachusetts, since that edition includes the new elevator lobby section.  But the 10th edition of the Mass code is based on the 2021 edition of the IBC, which doesn’t allow elevator lobby egress doors to be electrically locked with fail safe locks (delayed egress locks may be an option).

To summarize:

• The 9th edition (and previous editions) of 780 CMR – Massachusetts State Building Code include a section allowing fail safe electrified locks on elevator lobby egress doors if certain criteria are met.
• The 2024 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) includes a new section allowing fail safe electrified locks on elevator lobby egress doors if certain criteria are met.
• The 10th edition of 780 CMR and the base code for that edition (2021 IBC) do not include a section allowing fail safe electrified locks on elevator lobby egress doors.

I’m not sure how this will be handled – maybe AHJs will approve a modification on a project-by-project basis until the 2024 IBC is adopted at some point in the future.

If you have experience with this issue in Massachusetts, I’d love to hear how it goes!

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