Fire Door Vision Panel Regulations

Ada section 404 2 11 requires that at least one of the vision panels in a door and sidelites adjacent to a door be no more than 43 inches 1090 mm above the floor line to provide visibility and safe access for all.

Fire door vision panel regulations.

Standard vision panels not available in fd90 fd120. Allowing people using the door to be seen vision panels should be towards the leading edge and with vertical dimensions including at least the minimum zones shown either with or without a horizontal rail. Vision panels exceeding 100 square inches in 60 and 90 minute doors require fire resistive glazing. Door leaves and side panels that are in excess of 450mm wide must be provided with viewing panels giving a zone of visibility between 500mm and 1500mm from floor level as illustrated below.

A vision panel is a small window in a door which allows people to look through without opening the door. Glass sizes and core regulations when working with fd60 and 44m doors. A vision panel is something you can see through. Glass sizes and core regulations when working with fd30 and 44m doors.

Code change clarifies glazing panel size in 60 90 minute exit enclosure exist passageway doors. Inches in door vision panels in 60 90 minute exit enclosure and passageway doors provided that building was fully sprinklered. Before the 2012 ibc the code provided for an exception that allowed fire protective glazing such as ceramics and wired glass to exceed 100 sq. Unless it can be argued otherwise in the access statement e g.

Subject to door size. Vision panels are needed where doors on escape routes sub divide corridors or where any doors are hung to swing both ways. Glazed vision panels are often used within door leaves to let light into a room for aesthetic reasons or for safety i e. Building regs approved document b requires vision panels in doors so that you can see if there are signs of fire on the other side.

Note also the provision in approved document m access to and use of buildings concerning vision panels in doors across accessible corridors. These have implications in safety primarily to avoid opening doors on a person coming the other way but also in case of fire to avoid opening a door onto a fire. Vision panels are sometimes in walls generally adjacent to a door. If it is covered then it is no longer a vision panel.

For reasons of security door leaves and side panels wider than 450mm have vision panels towards the leading edge of the door whose vertical dimensions include at least the minimum zone or zones of visibility between 500mm and 1500mm from the floor if necessary interrupted.