What access control installation involves
Access control installation replaces keys at selected doors with cards, fobs, PIN codes or mobile credentials that a system grants, schedules and revokes. A typical installation covers:
- Site survey and door schedule. Each door is listed with its use, fire rating, existing hardware and who needs access when.
- Locking hardware. Electric strikes, electrified mortise locks or levers, or magnetic locks, chosen to suit the door, the frame and the egress and fire rules that apply to that opening.
- Readers and keypads on the secure side of the door, mounted so the people who use them can reach and operate them.
- Door position switches and request to exit devices, so the system knows when a door is forced or held open and does not raise a false alarm when someone leaves.
- Controllers, power supplies and cabling, with backup batteries in a secure room or enclosure.
- Software and credentials. User groups, schedules and staff credentials are set up.
- Integration with the fire alarm system where locks must release, and with cameras or intrusion alarms where the program calls for it. See commercial security camera installation.
- Commissioning. Every door is tested for locking, unlocking, alarms and free egress before handover, and the installer leaves as-built drawings and programming backups.
Codes, standards and requirements
Requirements for access-controlled doors come from several places, and the local building department and fire code official, as the authority having jurisdiction, decide which editions apply and whether a permit is needed.
- Free egress. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.36(d)(1) requires that employees be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools or special knowledge. Section 1910.36(d)(2) requires exit route doors to be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails. Exit routes must also stay free and unobstructed under 1910.37(a)(3).
- Electrically locked egress doors. Building and life safety codes contain specific provisions for doors released by a sensor, by door hardware, by delayed egress or by controlled egress locking, including how they must behave on loss of power and when the fire alarm operates.
- Fire doors. NFPA 80 calls for fire door assemblies to be inspected and tested at least annually, with a signed written record kept for the authority having jurisdiction, and for doors to have no field modifications that void the label. Adding readers or electrified hardware to a labeled fire door must be done in a way that keeps the assembly’s listing.
- Fire alarm interface. The annual NFPA 72 fire alarm test covers all interfaces with other building equipment. Where locks release on fire alarm, the fire alarm contractor confirms how that release is tested.
- Accessibility. Under the 2010 ADA Standards (section 205.1), operable parts on accessible elements, accessible routes and accessible rooms and spaces must comply with section 309, Operable Parts. Card readers and keypads on accessible routes are operable parts.
- Equipment listing. UL 294, Access Control System Units (Edition 8, 2023), is the standard that covers the construction, performance and operation of physical access control equipment and systems. Equipment listed to it can be specified for each project.
- Contractor licensing. Licensing varies by state and city. In New Jersey, for example, the locksmithing definition includes electronic security systems for controlled access or egress, and alarm licensing covers wiring for electronic security systems.
Preventive maintenance schedule for access control systems
Access control faults are often found only after a door fails to lock overnight or a former employee’s card still works. Planned maintenance finds these problems on a schedule, extends equipment life and builds a dated test record for insurers, landlords and fire officials.
| Task | Recommended frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Function test each reader, keypad and lock, and confirm the door latches and relocks | Quarterly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Test request to exit devices and confirm free egress from the inside | Quarterly | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.36(d) requires free egress at all times; frequency is Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Check door position switches and forced door and held open alarms | Quarterly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Test backup batteries in controllers and lock power supplies, and replace at end of rated life | Test annually; replace at the interval in the manufacturer’s instructions | Manufacturer instructions; Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Audit credentials and remove users who no longer need access | Quarterly, and at each staff departure | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Review and apply firmware and software updates, and back up the system database | Quarterly review, and when the manufacturer releases a security update | Manufacturer instructions; Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Inspect and test fire door assemblies fitted with access control hardware, with a signed written record | At least annually | NFPA 80, 5.2.1, as summarized by the University of Colorado Boulder |
| Confirm locks release as designed when the fire alarm operates | During the annual fire alarm system test | NFPA 72 annual test of interfaces with other building equipment, as summarized by Facilitiesnet |
| Sanitize controller or server storage before disposal or reuse, and keep a certificate of sanitization | At each disposal or reuse | NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2 guidance |
The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit.
Signs a site needs new or upgraded access control
- Keys have been copied or lost and nobody can say who holds them.
- Doors are propped open because the hardware is unreliable, or do not relock after use.
- Battery trouble alarms repeat, or the software is no longer supported.
- Former staff or vendors still appear in the user list.
- A remodel has changed which doors need control.
Records to keep
- Door schedule with hardware, fire rating and lock type for each opening
- As-built drawings showing controller, power supply and cabling locations
- Permits and inspection sign-offs where required
- Commissioning test results for every door
- User list, credential issue and revocation records, and system audit logs, kept for the period set in the client’s retention policy
- Signed fire door inspection records and fire alarm test reports, kept beyond the next annual test so recurring faults show
- Programming backups, firmware versions, warranties and sanitization certificates
How Facility First runs access control installation across a portfolio
- Request. Submitted through the platform or by phone, with door photos.
- Triage. Facility First confirms the scope door by door, flags fire-rated openings and warranties, and checks whether a permit or landlord approval is needed.
- Dispatch. A vetted provider in the location’s market that holds the required licenses and insurance receives the work order.
- Completion. The provider installs and commissions each door and closes out with photos, test results and as-built documents.
- Verification and invoice. The work is checked against the request, invoiced in one format and added to the location’s file.
Approval limits set by the client decide what proceeds automatically and what is quoted first. Where a lock cutover leaves a door unable to secure overnight, McCray can post an officer until the work is complete. See Security by McCray.
What affects the cost of access control installation
- Number of doors and readers
- Door and frame condition, and whether doors are fire rated
- Lock type and any door or frame modification required
- Cable runs, ceiling access and distance to the controller
- Integration with fire alarm, cameras or intrusion alarms
- Software hosting and licensing
- Permits, after-hours work and landlord requirements
Access control installation for retail stores, restaurants and offices
Retail stores. Common doors are stockrooms, cash offices, receiving doors and rear exits. Work is scheduled outside trading hours, and shopping center doors often need landlord approval.
Restaurants. Back doors used for deliveries need control without slowing receiving, and work avoids service periods.
Offices. Suites in multi-tenant buildings often connect to a base building system, so the building’s rules and approved vendors are confirmed before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Does an access-controlled door still have to open freely from the inside?
Yes. OSHA requires that exit route doors open from the inside at all times without keys, tools or special knowledge, and building and fire codes add specific rules for electrically locked egress doors.
Can access control hardware be added to a fire door?
It can, provided the work does not void the fire door’s label. The door must also continue to pass its annual NFPA 80 inspection.
Is a permit needed for access control installation?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the scope. The local building department or fire code official decides, particularly where egress doors, fire doors or fire alarm interfaces are involved.
Can existing card readers and locks be reused?
Often, if the equipment is supported and compatible with the new system. The provider confirms this during the site survey.
How often should an access control system be maintained?
Facility First programs default to quarterly door function tests and credential audits, with annual battery tests. Fire doors with access control hardware are inspected at least annually under NFPA 80, and lock release is checked during the annual NFPA 72 fire alarm test.
Sources
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.36, Design and construction requirements for exit routes
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.37, Maintenance, safeguards and operational features for exit routes
- University of Colorado Boulder Fire and Life Safety: Fire Door Maintenance (NFPA 80 summary)
- Facilitiesnet: Inspection, Testing, Maintenance: How to Keep Fire Safety Systems Safe (NFPA 72 summary)
- U.S. Access Board: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
- UL Standards and Engagement: UL 294, Access Control System Units
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs: Fire Alarm, Burglar Alarm and Locksmith Advisory Committee
- NIST: SP 800-88 Revision 2, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, FAQ