How to inspect doors and hardware

Step by step

1. 1

   Verify frames against the schedule and rough opening

   Confirm each frame matches the door schedule for type, size, material, and fire rating, that it's set plumb, square, and anchored per the detail, and that grout-fill was done where hollow-metal frames in masonry require it. A racked or under-anchored frame guarantees a door that won't operate.

2. 2

   Confirm the door leaf and its label

   Check that the door is the scheduled type, core, and finish, undamaged, and that rated doors carry a legible label matching the required rating. Field modifications to a labeled door beyond what the listing permits void the label.

3. 3

   Check hardware against the hardware schedule

   Verify each opening has the full hardware set per the schedule — hinges, lockset or exit device, closer, and any specialty hardware — of the right function and finish, and that it's installed at the correct heights. A missing or wrong-function device is one of the most common punch items on the job.

4. 4

   Verify fire and egress hardware on rated openings

   On rated and egress openings, confirm the assembly matches its listing: self-closing and positive-latching, the specified gasketing and, where required, intumescent seals, and exit devices that release with a single motion. Frame these as observed and documented; the AHJ and the fire-door inspector certify the assembly.

5. 5

   Check clearances, gaps, and undercuts

   Measure the perimeter and meeting-stile clearances and the undercut against the requirements, tighter for rated openings. A gap outside tolerance is both a fire-rating and a smoke, light, and acoustic problem.

6. 6

   Operate every leaf through its full cycle

   Open, close, latch, and lock each door, confirm the closer speed and latching action, that the door doesn't bind or drag, and that keying and access control function per the schedule. A door that closes but doesn't latch has failed even if it looks fine at rest.

7. 7

   Confirm thresholds, weatherstripping, and blocking

   Verify thresholds, sweeps, and weatherstripping at exterior and rated openings, and that the in-wall blocking or backing for closers and stops is actually there. Missing backing shows up when a closer pulls out of the frame.

8. 8

   Document and punch the openings

   Record each opening against the schedule with photos of the label and hardware, and write up wrong hardware, out-of-tolerance gaps, binding leaves, or missing closers as punch items tracked to closure before turnover.

Questions people ask

Who inspects fire-rated door assemblies?

Your walk verifies the assembly against the schedule and the listing and documents it, but the code-required fire-door inspection is performed by a qualified inspector and the AHJ signs off. Run your check first so the openings are already right when the official inspection happens.

What's the most common door punch item?

Hardware — a wrong-function lockset, a missing closer, a door that won't latch, or heights and clearances out of tolerance. Checking every opening against the door and hardware schedules, not just spot-checking, is what keeps the punch list short.