Door Hardware and Electrified Locking

Choosing the lock is where access control meets life safety. The wrong choice can trap people in a fire, void a fire door’s rating, or fail an inspection. Get the egress logic right first, then pick the hardware.

The Three Common Lock Types

Electromagnetic Locks (Maglocks)

A maglock is an electromagnet on the frame and an armature plate on the door. Power holds the door shut; cutting power releases it. Maglocks hold hard, leave the door undamaged, and suit glass and aluminum storefronts. Because they are always fail-safe, they raise egress questions that must be answered by code-compliant release hardware. A maglock generally cannot be installed on a fire-rated door, because it does not provide the positive latching that NFPA 80 requires.

Electric Strikes

An electric strike replaces the strike plate and releases the latch when signalled, while the door’s own lockset and latch stay in place. Strikes are economical and keep mechanical latching, so they can work on fire-rated openings when the strike is itself fire-rated and listed for that use. They can be wired fail-safe or fail-secure.

Electrified Mortise Locks and Exit Devices

Electrified mortise locks and electrified exit (panic) devices build the controlled access into the door’s primary lock or panic bar. They keep positive latching, allow free mechanical egress through the panic bar at all times, and are the usual answer for fire-rated and high-traffic egress doors. They cost more and need door prep, but they satisfy life safety cleanly.

Fail-Safe vs Fail-Secure

This is the single most important wiring decision.

• Fail-safe (fail-open): loses power, unlocks. Used where power loss must allow egress or where fire alarm must drop the lock. All maglocks are fail-safe.
• Fail-secure (fail-locked): loses power, stays locked from outside but mechanical egress from inside still works through the lever or panic bar. Common for stairwell and exterior doors.

Choose based on the egress path, the fire alarm interface, and security needs, not on convenience.

Sensors and Release Hardware

A monitored, code-compliant opening usually carries several devices:

• Door position switch (DPS): a magnetic contact that tells the system whether the door is open or closed, enabling held-open and forced-open alarms.
• Request-to-exit (REX): a motion sensor or switch that signals a legitimate exit so the system does not log a forced door. A REX also commonly releases the lock on the way out.
• Release hardware on maglocks: where a maglock is used, egress must release it without special knowledge. Code typically requires a listed exit device, a push-to-exit button that directly cuts lock power, or sensor release, plus a tie to the fire alarm.

Life-Safety and Egress Rules

The governing documents in Canada are the applicable building code and fire code, which adopt principles aligned with NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code. The non-negotiable points:

1. Free egress. A person must be able to leave through an egress door at all times using a single, obvious motion, with no key, no special knowledge, and no tool.
2. Fire alarm release. Electric locks in a means of egress generally must release on fire alarm activation and on loss of power.
3. Delayed egress. Where permitted, a delayed-egress lock may hold for a set interval (commonly 15 seconds) after the user pushes for a sustained moment, then releases. It must release immediately on fire alarm or power loss, and signage is required. Delayed egress is allowed only in specific occupancies and with the authority having jurisdiction’s approval.
4. Fire-rated doors (NFPA 80). Fire doors must latch positively and self-close. Hardware must not defeat the rating. Maglocks usually do not belong on these doors; use a fire-rated electric strike or an electrified panic device instead.

Practical Guidance

Confirm the occupancy, the egress path, and the door’s fire rating before selecting hardware. Verify the fire alarm interlock on every electric lock in an egress path. Use UL or cUL listed devices, document the configuration, and have the authority having jurisdiction sign off. When in doubt on an egress or fire-rated door, choose latching hardware over a maglock.

Last updated 2026-06-14.