Maglock installation and the rules for letting people out

A maglock is a flat magnet mounted on the door frame, paired with a steel plate on the door itself. The door stays locked only while the magnet is powered. NFPA describes the standard arrangement: entry happens with a card, a sensor opens the way out, and a push button acts as the fallback.

So a single door actually involves a group of parts working as one. There is the lock, a power supply for it, a card or fob reader on the outside, a sensor on the inside and a button next to the door. Every one of those parts runs a cable to a power supply or controller.

A maglock's strength is known as its holding force. That is the amount of pull, measured in pounds, the lock can stand before the door gives way. Stronger locks fit exterior doors, while lighter models work well indoors.

It helps, before an installer comes, to write down the closest power outlet and network point for each door. Also look at whether a door is fire-rated. You can tell from a label on the door edge or the frame.

IBC 2021 Section 1010.2.12 says a sensor on the inside has to detect someone approaching the door and release the lock. This arrangement is permitted in every building occupancy apart from Group H, which is for buildings holding high-hazard materials.

A manual button must be there as well, as a backup. It has to be mounted 40 to 48 inches off the floor and no more than 5 feet from the door. A sign saying PUSH TO EXIT must identify it. After someone pushes it, the door has to remain unlocked for a minimum of 30 seconds.

The same section also requires two more things. The inside of the door needs emergency lighting, and the locking hardware has to carry a UL 294 listing. UL 294 is the safety standard covering access control equipment.

The code also offers another route, known as door hardware release, under Section 1010.2.11. With this method, turning the handle or pressing the bar on the door kills power to the lock at once. That hardware has to be usable with one hand. If a panic bar is required, pressing it has to release the maglock as well.

Anything people operate, like handles and locks, must be positioned 34 to 48 inches above the floor. That lines up with the 2010 ADA Standards, which also call for one-handed operation without tight grasping, pinching or twisting.

Most towns in the US follow some edition of the International Building Code. Plenty of them also use NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code. The two codes agree on the essentials, though the section numbers shift from edition to edition.

In the 2024 IBC, the button height stays at 40 to 48 inches. NFPA 101 (2021) sets the button at that same height and within 60 inches of the door, and it keeps the 30 second unlock period too.

Your town may layer extra rules on top. Deer Park, Texas, for instance, demands a building permit for each electromagnetic lock that uses electronics on the way out. It also wants exit buttons no smaller than 2 inches across that stay released without being held. The PUSH TO EXIT sign there must show white letters at least 1 inch tall on a red background.

Some buildings want the door to hold for a short time before it opens. This is called delayed egress. The IBC permits it only where the building has sprinklers throughout or an approved smoke or heat detection setup. A delayed egress lock may hold the door for no more than 15 seconds after a push of up to 3 seconds, or 30 seconds where the local authority approves. A sign no more than 12 inches above the hardware explains this to people.

Code says a maglock must be fail-safe. In practice, the lock opens on its own any time power is lost, so nobody can be trapped inside by a power cut. Securitron includes an instant release circuit that leaves behind no residual magnetism gripping the door.

The PUSH TO EXIT button has to interrupt power to the lock directly. If the building has a fire alarm, triggering it must unlock the door until someone resets the alarm. If sprinklers or a fire detection system are present, their activation must unlock the door too.

A maglock typically requires a dedicated power supply added for it, unlike most electric strikes. Correct wiring is what keeps the door safe, which is why the brief tells the installer exactly what your doors have today.

The figures here are published estimates for a US door. The true price comes only from an installer who has looked at your doors.

A keys-only door needs the most labor: a lock, a reader, plus new cable running to a controller. With 4 such doors, the total lands between roughly $4,800 and $10,000. Vicom's guide prices a complete card door, with reader, lock, power supply, controller and labor, at about $1,500 to $2,000.