Section 1010.1/Doors, Gates, and Turnstiles
IBC 1010 covers egress door requirements including minimum width, swing direction, hardware, and operation requirements.
Egress doors must have a minimum clear width of 32 inches (measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90 degrees). Door height must be at least 80 inches. Doors serving an occupant load of 50 or more or in Group H occupancies must swing in the direction of egress travel. Exit and exit access doors must be openable from the egress side without the use of a key, special knowledge, or effort.
Why this section exists
Doors are the most critical components in the egress path. A door that is too narrow creates a bottleneck during evacuation. A door that swings against the flow of egress can be pushed shut by crowd pressure. A door that requires a key or special knowledge to open traps occupants who are unfamiliar with the building. Every requirement in Section 1010 addresses a documented failure mode in fire evacuations.
What plan reviewers look for
Plan reviewers check door widths on the floor plan against the occupant load served. They verify swing direction for rooms with occupant loads of 50 or more. They check hardware specifications for panic hardware where required (Group A and E occupancies with occupant loads over 50, Group H). They also verify that doors in the means of egress are not equipped with locks that require keys from the egress side.
Common violations
Related IBC requirements
Section 1005.1 covers minimum egress width calculations. Section 1010.1.10 covers panic and fire exit hardware requirements. Section 1010.1.9 covers door operations and locking arrangements. ADA Section 404 covers accessible door requirements.