Who should run this inspection?

The hardware installer or carpentry foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking hung openings before the owner's punch walk.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After doors are hung and hardware is set and adjusted, before turnover walks and before the openings see daily traffic.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a doors, frames and hardware final inspection?

A fire-rated leaf hung in a labeled frame with the leaf and frame labels never cross-checked, so a mismatched or painted-over label is found at the fire-door inspection. Clearances around the leaf run wide at the top after the closer is dialed for speed, and the gap at the head is never brought back into tolerance. A closer set fast enough to slam so the latch bounces instead of catching, passed off as adjusted because the door does close.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Doors, frames and hardware

Doors, frames and hardware final inspection checklist

Doors, frames and hardware final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 80, the applicable building code, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Fire-rated openings

Fire labels present and legible on leaf and frame
Rating labels on both leaf and frame verified, not painted over or removed, ratings matched to the opening schedule.
Rated hardware and closer self-latch confirmed
Rated hinges, closers and latching present, the door swings shut from any position and latches on its own without being pushed.
Gasketing and smoke seals installed as the schedule lists
Where the hardware schedule lists gasketing, smoke seals or astragals for an opening, they run continuous on the head, jambs and meeting edges with no gaps at the corners.
No photo
No unlisted field work on rated leaves and frames
No field-drilled holes, cut preps or added hardware on rated leaves and frames beyond what the manufacturer's or listing agency's allowances permit.
No photo

Gaps, clearances and operation

Gaps and clearances around the leaf within tolerance
Edge clearances at head and jambs and the undercut checked against the manufacturer's and rating requirements, even margins, no binding.
Door operates, closes and latches cleanly
Full swing without drag, closer speed and latch action adjusted so the door closes and latches every time without slamming.
Opening force read with a gauge on doors with closers
Push-pull gauge reading at the latch edge photographed and compared with the opening-force limit the project documents set, closer backed off where it reads high.

Hardware installed and adjusted

All hardware installed to schedule and adjusted
Locksets, exit devices, closers, stops and seals installed per the hardware schedule at the specified heights, fasteners complete, functions verified.
Leaf at each opening matches the door schedule
Leaf size, face and finish, and any lite or louver, read against the door schedule; swapped or wrong leaves noted by opening number.
Hinges seated with every screw driven
Hinge count per the schedule, leaves seated flush in their mortises, every screw driven and none stripped, no sag showing at the lock edge.
Every egress-side lever or device opens in one motion
Each door on the egress path opens from the egress side without a key, tool or special knowledge unless the code plan shows a permitted locking arrangement, and no added bolt defeats the release.
No photo
Cylinders tried against the keying schedule
Construction or permanent keys tried in each cylinder against the owner's keying schedule, and construction cores tracked for swap at turnover.
No photo

Frames cleaned and closeout items

Frame rabbets and strike preps clear of compound and paint
Joint compound and paint cleaned out of stops, rabbets, strike and hinge preps so hardware seats fully and silencers sit in their holes.
Hardware literature and spare parts turned over to the GC
Protective film off finished hardware, closer and exit-device literature, templates and attic stock handed to the GC for the turnover package.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

A fire-rated leaf hung in a labeled frame with the leaf and frame labels never cross-checked, so a mismatched or painted-over label is found at the fire-door inspection.
Clearances around the leaf run wide at the top after the closer is dialed for speed, and the gap at the head is never brought back into tolerance.
A closer set fast enough to slam so the latch bounces instead of catching, passed off as adjusted because the door does close.

Verified against

NFPA 80 & 105

Common questions

6 answers

What does this doors, frames and hardware final checklist cover?: 14 items across 4 sections, covering fire-rated openings, gaps, clearances and operation, hardware installed and adjusted, frames cleaned and closeout items. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The hardware installer or carpentry foreman with the GC's superintendent, walking hung openings before the owner's punch walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After doors are hung and hardware is set and adjusted, before turnover walks and before the openings see daily traffic.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a doors, frames and hardware final inspection?: A fire-rated leaf hung in a labeled frame with the leaf and frame labels never cross-checked, so a mismatched or painted-over label is found at the fire-door inspection. Clearances around the leaf run wide at the top after the closer is dialed for speed, and the gap at the head is never brought back into tolerance. A closer set fast enough to slam so the latch bounces instead of catching, passed off as adjusted because the door does close.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.