Fire Door Inspection Checklist

Fire doors save lives by containing smoke and flames during an emergency — but only when they function properly. A door with worn seals, a faulty closer or a gap that is too wide will not hold back fire for its rated time, and a door that has been wedged or propped open offers no protection at all. Regular inspection is what keeps these critical safety features working as intended and compliant with the law. This checklist walks through every component to examine, how often to inspect, who is responsible and what records you need to keep.

Why fire door inspection matters

A fire door is an engineered assembly — leaf, frame, seals, hinges, closer and ironmongery all working together to resist the passage of fire and smoke. Depending on its rating, a fire door is designed to hold back fire for a set period, typically 30 minutes (FD30) or 60 minutes (FD60). That protected time gives occupants the chance to escape and gives the fire and rescue service time to respond.

Crucially, a fire door only performs to its rating if every part of the assembly is intact and correctly installed. Inspection exists to confirm that nothing has been damaged, removed, painted over, propped open or modified in a way that compromises performance.

The legal requirements

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for a building must ensure fire doors are maintained in efficient working order and good repair. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 placed additional, specific duties on those responsible for the common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings, requiring regular checks of fire doors.

Responsibility for inspection sits with the responsible person — typically the employer, building owner or managing agent. This duty cannot simply be delegated away: even where a competent contractor carries out the checks, the responsible person remains accountable for ensuring they happen and that defects are put right. Failure to comply can lead to enforcement action, fines and, in serious cases, imprisonment.

How often should fire doors be inspected?

Inspection frequency depends on the type of building and the level of risk. A simple, practical regime layers routine visual checks on top of formal periodic inspections:

• Daily: a quick visual check by building staff — is the door closing, is it free of obstructions, is it not propped open?
• Monthly: a more detailed operational check of closing, latching and the condition of seals and hardware (typically in commercial premises).
• Annual: a comprehensive professional assessment of the whole assembly.

The table below sets out commonly applied minimum frequencies by building type. Where a fire risk assessment identifies higher risk, more frequent checks are appropriate.

Door leaf and frame

Start with the structure of the door itself and the frame it hangs in. Look for anything that affects how the door sits and seals:

• Check the leaf for surface damage, holes or signs of impact and wear.
• Look for frame distortion or loose fixings, and check the wall around the frame is sound.
• Confirm the door sits properly within the frame without binding or sticking.
• Check frame fixings are secure — screws and brackets tight.
• On timber doors, look for rot or moisture damage; on steel doors, check for rust or corrosion.
• The door should not protrude more than 1mm from the frame.

Intumescent strips and smoke seals

The seals are what close off the gaps when the door is shut. Intumescent strips expand under heat to seal the edges; cold smoke seals stop smoke passing at normal temperatures.

• Check strip continuity — there should be no missing sections.
• Confirm proper adhesion to the door or frame and correct positioning at the door edges.
• Look for paint build-up covering the strips, or strips that have been painted over repeatedly.
• Check smoke seals compress properly when the door closes and are undamaged and intact.

Door gaps and clearances

Gaps are one of the most common reasons a door fails an inspection. They must be even and within tolerance all the way round so the seals can do their job.

• Gaps at the edges, head and sides: 2–4mm maximum.
• Gap at the bottom of the door: typically 3–8mm maximum (depending on the door specification).
• Gaps should be consistent around the entire perimeter of the door.
• The self-closing mechanism must pull the door fully closed against the stops from any open position.

Door closers and hinges

A fire door is only effective if it actually closes and latches every time, which is why the closer and hinges get particular attention.

Closers:

• Check the closer is securely mounted with all fixings tight and operates smoothly without sticking or jerking.
• Confirm the closing speed is correctly adjusted and the door latches fully into the strike plate.
• Look for oil leaks from hydraulic closers.
• The door should close fully and latch from any open position — including from a small opening of around 5 degrees or 75mm.

Hinges:

• There should be a minimum of three fire-rated hinges (four on heavy doors).
• Check all hinge screws are present, of the correct length, and none are missing, loose or damaged.
• Inspect hinge pins for wear or displacement and confirm the hinges operate smoothly without binding.
• Where intumescent pads are fitted behind hinges, check they remain intact and undamaged.

Locks, latches and glazing

All ironmongery on a fire door must itself be fire-rated and correctly fitted — the wrong handle, lock or letterplate can undermine the whole assembly.

• Check locks, latches and handles are fire-rated, securely fixed and operate smoothly from both sides.
• Confirm latches engage fully and align correctly with the strike plate, and that the strike plate is secure and free of excessive wear.
• Where fitted, letterboxes should be fire-rated assemblies with proper sealing.
• Any glazing must be fire-rated, securely installed, free of cracks and damage, and display the relevant certification marks.

Signage and certification

Finally, confirm the door is the genuine certified article and is signed correctly for its use.

• Certification labels should be present and clearly visible — typically on the top edge of the leaf — undamaged and readable.
• The label should show the correct fire rating for the location (for example FD30 or FD60), the manufacturing date and a third-party certification mark.
• Fire door signs (such as "Fire door — keep shut") should be securely fixed and clearly visible from both sides, at eye level, away from moving parts and not obstructing operation.

Common issues to watch for

Across inspections, the same problems come up again and again. Be especially alert to:

• Doors propped or wedged open, defeating their purpose entirely.
• Edge or bottom gaps that exceed tolerance.
• Missing, damaged or painted-over intumescent strips and smoke seals.
• Faulty closers that fail to shut and latch the door fully.
• Missing or damaged hinge screws, and worn or loose hinges.

Documentation and record-keeping

Inspection is only complete once it is recorded. A defensible record protects occupants and demonstrates compliance to enforcing authorities. Each inspection report should capture:

• The date of inspection and the inspector's name and qualifications.
• The location and reference of each door inspected.
• A clear pass or fail status for each door.
• Any defects identified and a remedial action plan with responsibilities and timescales.

Records should be retained for at least five years so that a full history of each door is available for review.

Sources & references

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
• Gov.UK — fire safety responsibilities and the responsible person
• Gov.uk — Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance
• Gov.uk — government fire door checklist
• Download the fire door inspection checklist

Mark McShane

Fire Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about workplace fire safety, compliance and accredited training for Fire Marshal Training, part of Online CPD Academy.