QLD: Can Smart Locks Be Used on Apartment Egress Doors Without Breaching Fire Safety Rules?

This article discusses whether smart locks egress fire doors can be used on apartment access doors, explaining compliant alternatives and fire safety requirements under the Building Code of Australia.

Question: After installing a smart lock device to our main apartment access door, we discovered that installation was not allowed. Is there a good workaround for the building manager?

We fitted a Smart Lock device to our access door for our apartment. The smart lock allows us to access the door using a pin code, swipe card or key.

A month after installation, we discovered we are not allowed to fit anything to the door as it is classed as an egress fire door. We’ve offered to give the Building Manager a key or to modify the device to allow anyone holding the master key to gain entry. The locking device is fire rated.

Is this workaround acceptable? The Building Manager is concerned.

Answer: Electronically locked doors must have a manual push-button release at the door which should be labelled “Emergency Door Release”.

Any door in the egress path within a building must be openable without a key from the internal side using one device that can be operated by one downward or pushing action using one hand. 

There are locks available that still restrict access entering the building but are openable via lever action from the inside. These types of locks are the most commonly used in these situations. 

Electronically locked doors must have a manual push-button release at the door which should be labelled “Emergency Door Release” to release the door. In some instances where a smoke detection system is installed, the electronically locked doors are interfaced with the detection system and released upon alarm activation. These are the only available option within the Building Code of Australia. 

Finally, exit doors in a building are unlikely to be fire doors so the door hardware does not need to be fire rated. 

This post appears in the December 2021 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Stefan Bauer
Fire Matters
E: sbauer@firematters.com.au
P: 07 3071 9088