Fire Door Inspections: What the Regulations Require and What to Look For

Fire door inspection has moved from best practice to legal requirement following the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Building managers and responsible persons need to understand what is required and what constitutes a compliant fire door.

What the Regulations Require

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced mandatory fire door inspection for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings: quarterly checks of all fire doors in common parts for buildings 11 metres or above; quarterly common parts checks plus annual flat entrance door inspections for buildings 18 metres or above. For commercial buildings, the Fire Safety Order 2005 requires fire doors are maintained in efficient working order as part of the fire risk assessment obligations.

What to Look For

• Certification label — visible on top or side edge of door leaf; if absent, fire resistance cannot be confirmed
• Gaps — maximum 3mm on sides and top, 8mm at bottom; larger gaps allow fire and smoke through
• Seals — intumescent and cold smoke seals must be present and undamaged
• Self-closing mechanism — must fully close and latch from 90 degrees without assistance
• Hinges — minimum three hinges, all correctly fitted and undamaged
• Glazing — must be fire-rated glazing in a fire-rated frame with intumescent glazing tape

BritCut carries out fire door surveys and installs replacement fire doors across the UK as part of our fire stopping and passive fire protection service. All survey reports include photographic evidence and a remedial works schedule. Call us on 01322 221533 or request a free survey.