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Fire door inspection checklist

NFPA 80 asks for swinging fire doors to be inspected and tested every year, against thirteen points. Here they are in plain words, with a sheet to fill per door.

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The NFPA 80 annual inspection points

  1. Labels clearly visible and legible
  2. No open holes or breaks in the door or frame
  3. Glazing, vision light frames and beads intact and secure
  4. Door, frame, hinges, hardware and threshold secured, aligned, working
  5. No missing or broken parts
  6. Clearances within the limits NFPA 80 allows
  7. Self-closer closes the door fully from full open
  8. Coordinator closes the inactive leaf first (pairs)
  9. Latch secures the door when closed
  10. No auxiliary hardware that interferes with operation
  11. No field modifications that void the label
  12. Gasketing and edge seals present and intact (where required)
  13. Signage on the door meets NFPA 80

Print this as a log sheet

How often and by whom

At least once a year, by someone with knowledge and understanding of the operating components of the door being tested. The results are documented, signed and kept for the authority having jurisdiction.

Between the annual inspections

The most common failures are simple: doors wedged or propped open, closers that no longer close fully, latches that do not catch, holes left by removed hardware. A quick monthly look catches them long before the annual visit.

Questions

How often do fire doors need to be inspected?

At least annually under NFPA 80, and documented for the authority having jurisdiction.

What fails most often?

Doors propped open, closers that do not close the door fully, latches that do not engage, and painted-over or missing labels.

A plain-language summary, not a substitute for the standard. Your local authority having jurisdiction has the final word.