Are Fire Door Inspections a Legal Requirement?

Fire doors and the Fire Safety Order

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must ensure that fire doors — where provided — are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are kept in efficient working order. Fire doors form part of the general fire precautions and are assessed within the fire risk assessment under Article 13.

This means fire doors are not an optional extra: they are a legal fire precaution that must be maintained. The question is not whether fire doors must be maintained (they must), but whether a separate, standalone "fire door inspection" is a distinct legal requirement for every premises.

Routine checking under the 2022 Regulations

For relevant residential buildings (typically high-rise and certain multi-occupied residential buildings), the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require the Responsible Person to ensure routine checks of:

• Flat entrance doors (at least every 12 months)
• Fire doors in communal areas (at least quarterly)

What an inspection covers

A competent, non-destructive inspection reviews the door leaf, frame, gaps, hinges, closers, glazing, intumescent and smoke seals, signage and hardware. The scope aligns with BS 8214, the code of practice for fire doors.

A visual inspection cannot always determine concealed construction or the fire rating of an unlabelled door. Where concerns are identified, specialist remediation or a full fire door survey may be required.

LRMS position

LRMS does not deliver standalone fire door inspection as a separate commercial service; fire door condition is assessed within the fire risk assessment where within scope. Specialist fire door survey or remediation work is referred to partners where required.

Cited Sources & Official References

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
• BS 8214: Code of practice for fire doors
• GOV.UK: Fire door checks in residential buildings

Frequently Asked Questions