Weekly door inspections required

Texas School Door Security Requirements

Texas districts must inspect every exterior door at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours and certify that each door is closed, latched, and locked. The governing rule changed on September 1, 2026, and the weekly duty carried forward unchanged.

THE REQUIREMENT

The Rule Number Changes. The Weekly Inspection Does Not.

Districts must conduct at least weekly inspections during school hours of all exterior doors at instructional facilities and certify that the doors are closed, latched, and locked. A door may be unlocked if it is actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.

The governing rule is 19 TAC 103.1215, in effect since September 1, 2026. It replaced 19 TAC 61.1031, which was repealed after governing through August 31, 2026. The new rule carries the weekly inspection duty forward unchanged.

The statutory basis is TEC 37.115 through 37.1087 via HB 3 and SB 838 of 2023 and HB 33 and HB 121 of 2025. HB 33 and HB 121 were incorporated into the new rule.

Which Texas Rule Applies?

19 TAC 103.1215 is the citation in effect today. The repealed rule still matters for inspection records and audit findings dated before September 1, 2026. The replacement changed the rule number and incorporated later legislation, while carrying the exterior-door inspection requirement forward unchanged.

Comparison	19 TAC 61.1031 (repealed)	19 TAC 103.1215 (current rule)
Effective dates	In effect through August 31, 2026	In effect since September 1, 2026
What the rule says	Inspect all exterior doors at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours and certify that they are closed, latched, and locked.	Inspect all exterior doors at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours and certify that they are closed, latched, and locked.
What is identical	The weekly timing, the instructional-facility scope, the exterior-door coverage, and the closed, latched, and locked certification.	The weekly timing, the instructional-facility scope, the exterior-door coverage, and the closed, latched, and locked certification.
Alternative condition	A door may be unlocked if actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.	A door may be unlocked if actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.
What changed	This rule was repealed, with its requirements continuing through August 31, 2026.	This is the replacement rule. It incorporates HB 33 and HB 121 of 2025, but does not change the weekly inspection duty.

Source: Texas Register, August 14, 2026, adopted rules.

SCOPE OF THE RULE

Exterior Doors and Classroom Doors Are Not the Same Requirement

Doors the recurring inspection covers

The Texas requirement covers all exterior doors at instructional facilities. Districts must inspect those doors at least weekly during school hours and certify that each is closed, latched, and locked.

The verified record does not provide a more detailed definition of an exterior door. It also does not list door types, building areas, or exceptions beyond a door that is actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.

What the requirement does not establish

This exterior-door requirement does not establish a general classroom-door locking rule. A classroom door is within this requirement only when it is also an exterior door at an instructional facility.

The record also does not prescribe keyless deadbolts or a particular locking product. The compliance question here is the condition and inspection of covered exterior doors, not a hardware brand or technology.

What Satisfying the Standing Requirement Involves

The rule sets a district duty and a result to certify. It does not, in the verified record, turn that duty into a prescribed staffing model or a detailed form.

Who is responsible?

The requirement is assigned to districts. The verified record does not name a particular employee, department, or contractor who must perform each inspection.

What must be checked?

All exterior doors at instructional facilities must be covered. The certification addresses whether those doors are closed, latched, and locked.

What must the record contain?

The verified record requires certification of the door conditions. It does not specify additional fields, a form layout, or a particular recordkeeping product.

Oversight of the Requirement

The Texas School Safety Center conducts random, unannounced intruder detection audits of exterior doors, and the Texas Education Agency monitors compliance.

Districts have been required to certify security reviews in the Sentinel system since August 1, 2026.

The rule specifies no fines. Noncompliance can lead to a corrective action plan, an enhanced monitoring plan, or appointment of a conservator.

If a review has produced a finding, use the Texas intruder detection audit guide for the audit-event path.

Monitoring Is an Alternative Path

Texas does not mandate monitoring hardware. A door may be unlocked if it is actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.

The required human inspection stays in place. Positive Proof sensor-verified door events can attach continuous, time-stamped evidence to the inspection record and cover the hours between inspections.

Learn about door monitoring, or return to the school door security guide

Texas School Door Security FAQ

These answers separate the exterior-door requirement from broader questions about classroom doors and security hardware.

Is 19 TAC 61.1031 still in effect?

No. 19 TAC 61.1031 was repealed effective September 1, 2026. The governing rule for Texas school exterior doors is now 19 TAC 103.1215, adopted in the Texas Register on August 14, 2026. The weekly requirement did not change: districts must still inspect all exterior doors at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours and certify that each door is closed, latched, and locked, with the same alternatives for doors that are actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area. Guidance that cites 61.1031 as the current rule is out of date. Inspection records and audit findings dated before September 1, 2026 still reference 61.1031; inspections from that date forward fall under 103.1215.

Do classroom doors have to be locked in Texas?

The exterior-door inspection requirement does not establish a general rule for classroom doors. It applies to all exterior doors at instructional facilities. Those exterior doors must be inspected at least weekly during school hours and certified as closed, latched, and locked, unless an exterior door is actively monitored or located within an exterior secured area.

What is the new school law in Texas?

For school exterior doors, 19 TAC 103.1215 took effect September 1, 2026, replacing 19 TAC 61.1031. The citation changed, but the requirement to inspect all exterior doors at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours remains unchanged. HB 33 and HB 121 of 2025 were incorporated into the new rule.

Are keyless deadbolts required by code in Texas?

The verified Texas exterior-door requirement does not specify a keyless deadbolt requirement. It requires districts to inspect all exterior doors at instructional facilities at least weekly during school hours and certify that they are closed, latched, and locked, subject to the active-monitoring and exterior-secured-area alternatives.

What are the best practices for classroom door security?

This Texas requirement does not prescribe classroom-door security practices. Its recurring inspection duty covers exterior doors at instructional facilities, so classroom doors should not be treated as interchangeable with the exterior doors governed by this requirement.