You have probably seen it: a fire door held open with a wedge, a chair or a strap, because the hallway is hot, a delivery is coming, or the door is heavy. Is that allowed?
This guide answers for buildings in the United States. It covers how to tell a fire door from an ordinary door, what the codes say, what is allowed instead of a wedge, and who enforces the rules. It is not legal advice.
The short answer
Generally yes, where your state or city has adopted the International Fire Code (IFC).
The IFC says fire doors "shall not be blocked, obstructed, or otherwise made inoperable."
It also says swinging fire doors "shall close from the full-open position and latch automatically."
A wedge, block or tie-back stops a fire door from closing and latching on its own.
Some fire doors can stand open legally, but only on an approved arrangement that closes them automatically, such as a hold-open device that releases when smoke is detected.
Which edition applies depends on what your state or city has adopted. So does any penalty: the model code leaves the offense and the fine for each jurisdiction to fill in. Your local fire code official enforces it and can tell you what applies to your building.
An ordinary exterior or exit door is not necessarily a fire door. Exit doors have rules of their own.
How to tell if a door is a fire door
The IFC treats a fire door as one part of an assembly, which it defines as "Any combination of a fire door, frame, hardware and other accessories that together provide a specific degree of fire protection to the opening."
A fire door assembly protects an opening in a fire-resistance-rated wall or partition. So whether a door has to be a fire door depends on what the building code requires for the wall and the opening it sits in.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) explains that a fire door's required rating "is dependent on the rating of the fire-rated assembly that it is installed in."
Look for these signs:
- A label. The International Building Code (IBC) says fire door assemblies "shall be labeled by an approved agency" and that the labels "shall be permanently affixed to the door or frame."
- A closer and a latch. Under the IBC, fire doors "shall be latching and self- or automatic-closing," with some exceptions.
- A sign, in some buildings. Where the fire code official requires one, a fire door carries a sign telling people to keep it closed, or, for a door designed to stay open, not to block it.
If there is no label, the Kansas State Fire Marshal's office suggests you "check your plans for your building to double check that it is indeed a fire door."
Your fire code official can also tell you.
What the IFC says about propping
Where your state or city has adopted the IFC, two sections settle the wedge question.
Section 705.2 says: "Fire doors and smoke and draft control doors shall not be blocked, obstructed, or otherwise made inoperable."
Section 705.2.4 says: "Swinging fire doors shall close from the full-open position and latch automatically."
Those are the words of the 2024 edition, and the 2021 edition has the same wording in Sections 705.2, 705.2.3 and 705.2.4.
Older editions and state codes can give these rules different section numbers. Indiana's fire code, for example, puts a nearly identical rule in Section 703.2.
NFPA's own guidance puts it plainly: "blocking or wedging doors in the open position is prohibited, as it violates the required operation and closing feature of the door."
State and local fire officials say the same. The Kansas State Fire Marshal's office warns that keeping a fire door "propped open by a wedge, or other unapproved device such as tie-backs, or blocks only puts those in your building at risk when there is a fire."
The Hayward, California, Fire Department's apartment checklist says: "Self-closing fire doors shall not be propped open, especially in laundry, utility rooms, and doors to stairwells."
Propping versus an approved hold-open device
The codes do let some fire doors stay open, on a device that closes them automatically.
The IBC permits hold-open devices on automatic-closing doors in the locations it lists. Those locations include fire walls, fire barriers and smoke barriers.
The doors must close when smoke detectors activate, or when power to the smoke detector or the hold-open device is lost.
Where smoke detection closes the door, the IBC allows no more than a 10-second delay before the door starts to close.
One arrangement NFPA describes ties a magnetic holder to the fire alarm: "Upon alarm, the fire alarm control unit will send a signal to cut power to the electro-magnets allowing the door to close."
The IFC also permits existing closers that release on heat through a fusible link, up to a set temperature.
Hold-open devices need upkeep too. Under IFC Section 705.2.3, hold-open devices and closers "shall be maintained," and while one is out of service for repairs, "the door it operates shall remain in the closed position."
So the line falls here:
- Not allowed on a fire door: wedges, door stops, chocks, blocks, tie-backs, or tape over the latch.
- Allowed where the code permits it and your fire code official approves it: a hold-open device that releases the door automatically, for example when smoke is detected or the fire alarm sounds.
Do not assume any fire door can have a hold-open. The IBC lists the locations where hold-open devices are permitted. Ask your fire code official before you add one.
Ordinary exterior and exit doors: different rules
Under the IFC's definition of an exit, exit components "include exterior exit doors at the level of exit discharge."
That makes an exterior exit door part of the exit. It does not make it a fire door. Whether it has to be one depends on what the code requires for its wall and opening. Its label or the building's plans can tell you whether it is one.
Exit doors have their own rules, rated or not. For general industry workplaces, OSHA says: "Employees must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge."
OSHA also says exit routes "must be free and unobstructed."
OSHA allows narrow exceptions, such as some locked doors in correctional facilities.
If your problem is a back or dock door that staff keep propping, see our guide to door held open alarms for businesses.
Which rules apply, and who enforces them
The IFC is a model code, written to be adopted into law by a state or local government.
The International Code Council, which publishes it, notes that "some jurisdictions amend the code in the process to reflect local practices and laws."
Broadly, the International Building Code governs how a building is built, and the IFC governs its inspection and maintenance afterwards.
Under the model code, it is unlawful to use a building "in conflict with or in violation of any of the provisions of this code."
The model code leaves the offense and the fine blank, for each jurisdiction to fill in.
It makes the owner responsible for correcting violations, and an occupant who creates a hazard responsible for abating it.
The fire code official enforces the code. The IFC defines that person as "The fire chief or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the code, or a duly authorized representative."
Other rules can apply on top:
Workplaces. For general industry workplaces, OSHA says: "An opening into an exit must be protected by a self-closing fire door that remains closed or automatically closes in an emergency upon the sounding of a fire alarm or employee alarm system."
OSHA also requires fire doors and other emergency safeguards to be "in proper working order at all times."
Hospitals. Under the hospital conditions of participation set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a hospital must meet the applicable provisions of the Life Safety Code, NFPA 101, except as the regulation provides. CMS incorporates the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code.
CMS also requires positive latching hardware on corridor doors: "Roller latches are prohibited on such doors."
Where CMS finds a state's own code adequately protects patients, the Life Safety Code provisions do not apply. Specific Life Safety Code provisions can also be waived where they would cause a hospital unreasonable hardship and patient safety is not affected.
This guide does not list every rule that could apply to your building. Your fire code official can tell you which code and edition apply.
What a door alarm or sensor can and cannot tell you
A door sensor tells you whether a door is open or closed. A monitoring system can alert you when a door stays open past a limit you set.
It does not tell you the door latched or locked, and it cannot test the closer.
So a sensor reading does not show that a door meets the fire code.
An alert does not make propping a fire door allowed, either. While the wedge is in, the door still cannot close and latch on its own.
What an alert can do is reach people who are not standing at the door, so someone can go and close it. A system that logs each opening and closing can show how often a door stayed open past its limit, and for how long.
Check before you add hardware. OSHA says exit route doors "must be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails."
The IFC says opening protectives, which include fire door assemblies, "shall not be modified."
Ask your door supplier or fire code official before you mount anything on a fire door or an exit door.
Where Positive Proof fits
Positive Proof's door monitoring puts a wireless sensor on the door and alerts the people you choose when a door opens or stays open past the limit you set. It logs every event. It tells you a door is open. It does not make propping a fire door allowed, and it does not check that the door latched. For everyday doors that staff keep propping, our guide to door held open alarms for businesses covers how those alerts work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you prop open a fire door if it is hot or for deliveries?
Not with wedges, blocks or tie-backs. Where your state or city has adopted the International Fire Code, fire doors must not be blocked, obstructed or made inoperable. If a door needs to stand open routinely, ask your fire code official whether an approved hold-open device is permitted there.
Are magnetic door holders allowed on fire doors?
In some locations. The International Building Code permits hold-open devices on automatic-closing doors in the locations it lists, and those doors must close when smoke detectors activate or when power to the detector or the holder is lost. A magnetic holder released by the fire alarm is one arrangement NFPA describes. Ask your fire code official before you install one.
Is an exit door the same as a fire door?
Not necessarily. An exterior exit door is part of a building's exit, but whether it has to be a fire door depends on what the code requires for its wall and opening. Exit doors have their own rules. In general industry workplaces, for example, OSHA requires that employees can open an exit route door from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge, with narrow exceptions.
Who enforces fire door rules?
Your local fire code official, whom the International Fire Code defines as "The fire chief or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the code, or a duly authorized representative." In general industry workplaces, OSHA's exit route rules apply too.
What happens if a fire door is found propped open?
That depends on the code your state or city has adopted. The model fire code makes violations unlawful, leaves the offense and the fine for each jurisdiction to set, and makes the owner responsible for correcting violations.
How often must fire doors be inspected?
NFPA says that "NFPA 80 requires that fire doors be inspected and tested immediately after the initial installation and then at a minimum annually after that." Where it is adopted, the International Fire Code requires opening protectives in fire-resistance-rated assemblies, where they were required when the building was originally constructed, to be inspected and maintained in accordance with NFPA 80.
Does a door alarm make it OK to keep a fire door open?
No. An alarm or sensor tells you a door is open. It does not close the door. Where your state or city has adopted the International Fire Code, a fire door wedged open is still a violation while the alert goes off.
Sources and last checked
We read and checked the sources below on October 25, 2026. The International Code Council links go to the printings we checked of the code editions quoted here. Your state or city may have adopted an earlier edition, or amended the one it adopted, so confirm the code and section numbers that apply to your building with your fire code official.
- 2024 International Fire Code, Chapter 7, International Code Council, second printing with updates (February 2026).
- 2021 International Fire Code, Chapter 7, International Code Council, the earlier edition, cited to compare its wording.
- 2024 International Fire Code, Chapter 2 (definitions), International Code Council, second printing with updates (February 2026).
- 2024 International Fire Code, Chapter 1, International Code Council, second printing with updates (February 2026).
- 2024 International Fire Code, Chapter 10 (means of egress), International Code Council, second printing with updates (February 2026).
- 2024 International Building Code, Chapter 7, Section 716, International Code Council, second printing (August 2025).
- International Code Council, IFC product page, undated, quoted only for its model-code sentence.
- 29 CFR 1910.34, OSHA, eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).
- 29 CFR 1910.36, OSHA, eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).
- 29 CFR 1910.37, OSHA, eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).
- 42 CFR 482.41, CMS, eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).
- NFPA, Fire Doors and NFPA 80 FAQs (blog).
- NFPA, A guide to fire alarm basics: emergency control functions (blog).
- Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Rated Doors (booklet, 2014).
- Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Fire Code Awareness in Child Care Facilities.
- Hayward Fire Department, Apartment Building Fire Safety Checklist.
We could not read the text of NFPA 80 or NFPA 101, because NFPA's free online access requires a login. The NFPA points in this guide come from NFPA's own published explanations, not from the standards' text.
