The short answer
- Fire doors are needed on escape routes, stairs, flat entrances and rooms with a higher fire risk. Your fire risk assessment sets the exact list.
- The person in control of the building, called the Responsible Person, must keep every fire door in good working order.
- Blocks of flats over 11 metres need communal fire doors checked every three months and flat entrance doors checked every year.
- A compliant fire door is a certified doorset with the right gaps, seals, hinges and a closer that shuts it fully.
- Keep records of every check and repair. Inspectors, councils and insurers can ask to see them.
Fire Door Requirements in the UK at a Glance
There is no single “fire door law”. Instead, several rules work together. Some decide where fire doors are needed when a building is built or changed. Others decide how they must be kept once people live or work there.
| Rule | Who it applies to | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Workplaces and the shared parts of residential buildings | Fire doors kept in good working order, based on a fire risk assessment |
| Fire Safety Act 2021 | Buildings with two or more homes | Confirms flat entrance doors and the building structure are covered by the Fire Safety Order |
| Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | Blocks of flats and other multi-occupied homes | Fire door information for residents, plus set checks in buildings over 11 metres |
| Building Regulations (Approved Document B) | New buildings, extensions, loft conversions and changes of use | Where fire doors are needed and how well they must perform |
| Housing Act 2004 and HMO regulations | Houses in multiple occupation | Fire safety measures kept in repair, with councils able to enforce |
| Building Safety Act 2022 | Higher-risk buildings: 18 metres or 7 storeys and above, with two or more homes | Extra duties to manage fire and structural safety, including fire doors |
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions of these rules. The ideas are similar, but the details differ.
Where Fire Doors Are Required
A fire door is needed wherever it protects a way out or holds back a fire in a higher-risk room. The exact list for your building comes from its fire strategy and fire risk assessment, but these are the usual places:
| Building | Typical fire doors |
|---|---|
| Blocks of flats | Every flat entrance door, doors onto shared stairs and corridors, riser and cupboard doors, bin and plant rooms |
| Houses in multiple occupation | Bedroom doors, the kitchen door, doors onto the shared stair and hallway, and any lobby doors |
| Houses with three or more storeys | Doors from habitable rooms onto the stair, often added during a loft conversion |
| Offices, shops and warehouses | Doors on escape routes, stair doors, lobby doors and doors to plant, store and server rooms |
| Hotels, care homes and schools | Bedroom or classroom doors onto corridors, cross-corridor doors, stair doors and kitchen doors |
Not sure how the rules apply to a shared house? Our HMO fire door requirements guide walks through each door, room by room.
The Laws Behind Fire Door Requirements
The Fire Safety Order 2005
This is the main law for buildings in use. It says the Responsible Person must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep fire safety measures, including fire doors, “in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair”.
The Fire Safety Act 2021
This short law closed a gap. It makes clear that in buildings with two or more homes, the Fire Safety Order covers the outside walls, the structure and the entrance doors to each flat.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
These rules came into force in January 2023. In any building with two or more homes and shared parts, residents must be told why fire doors matter: keep them shut, do not tamper with closers, and report faults. In buildings over 11 metres tall, they add regular checks:
- Fire doors in the shared parts, including their closers: checked at least every three months
- Flat entrance doors: the Responsible Person must use their best endeavours to check them at least once a year
Building Regulations and Approved Document B
When a building is built, extended or changed, Approved Document B sets out where fire doors are needed and the rating they need, such as FD30 or FD60. Building control signs off this work.
Rules for shared houses
The Housing Act 2004 and the Management of HMO Regulations 2006 give councils the power to inspect and enforce. Many London boroughs also add fire door conditions to HMO licences.
Fire Door Standards and Ratings
Fire doors are tested in a furnace to prove how long they hold back fire. The result gives the rating, such as FD30 (30 minutes) or FD60 (60 minutes). An S on the end, as in FD30S, means it also limits smoke.
- BS 476-22 and BS EN 1634-1: the fire resistance tests that give a door its rating
- BS EN 1634-3: the smoke leakage test behind the S
- BS 8214: the code of practice for fitting and looking after timber fire doors
- Third-party certification: schemes that check a door is made and labelled to match its test evidence
The rating only holds if the whole doorset is fitted and kept as it was tested. For what each code means and where it is used, read FD30 vs FD30S vs FD60 explained.
What a Compliant Fire Door Needs
A fire door is not just a heavy door. It is a set of matched parts, and each one has a job. To meet the requirements, a fire door should have:
- A certified door leaf and frame, with a label or certificate that proves the rating
- Even gaps around the edges, usually 2 to 4 mm, and a small gap at the bottom set by the maker
- Intumescent strips that swell in heat, plus smoke seals where the door needs them
- At least three fire-rated hinges, fixed with the right screws
- A self-closer that shuts the door fully into its frame from any angle
- Fire-rated locks, handles and glass, fitted as the test evidence allows
- Fire stopping that seals the gap between the frame and the wall
- A “Fire door keep shut” sign on doors in shared parts, where the fire strategy needs one
Most failures come from small things: a closer that does not latch, a gap that has grown or a seal that was painted over. Our guide to common fire door defects shows how to spot them.
How Often Fire Doors Must Be Checked
Only buildings over 11 metres have checks set in law. Everywhere else, your fire risk assessment decides how often. These are the common patterns:
| Building | How often | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks over 11 metres: shared doors | Every 3 months | Required by the 2022 Regulations |
| Blocks over 11 metres: flat entrance doors | Every year | Required by the 2022 Regulations (best endeavours) |
| Shared houses and smaller blocks | Often every 6 months | Set by the fire risk assessment or licence |
| Busy workplaces, hotels and schools | Every 3 to 6 months | Heavy use wears doors out faster |
| Any building | Quick visual checks often | Spot wedged doors, damage and broken closers early |
A trained person should carry out the formal checks. Book a fire door inspection in London and you get a door-by-door report you can keep.
Who Is Responsible for Fire Door Requirements
The Responsible Person must meet the requirements. That is usually the employer, the building owner, the freeholder, the managing agent or the landlord, depending on who controls the building.
- Landlords and freeholders look after doors in shared parts, and usually flat entrance doors too
- Leaseholders may own their front door under the lease, but must not change it in a way that weakens it
- Tenants and residents should keep fire doors shut, never remove closers and report damage
- Employers must keep fire doors on escape routes in working order for staff and visitors
Fire Door Records You Should Keep
Good records prove you are meeting your duties. They also make the next inspection quicker and cheaper. Keep:
- a list of every fire door, where it is and its rating
- certificates or labels for each doorset, and fitting records for new doors
- the date and result of every check, with photos of any faults
- what was repaired or replaced, when and by whom
- any notes about flat entrance doors you could not get into, and the steps you took
Want to see what good records look like? Download our sample fire door survey report.
How to Meet Fire Door Requirements: A Simple Plan
- 1
Read your fire risk assessment
It tells you which doors are fire doors and what it found wrong with them.
- 2
Get the doors checked
A survey or inspection gives you the condition of each door and what each fix will cost.
- 3
Fix the urgent faults first
Closers, large gaps and missing seals come first. Then plan any doors that need replacing.
- 4
Set up regular checks
Agree how often doors are checked, and who does it, so faults are caught early.
- 5
Keep your records up to date
Store every report and repair note where you can find it quickly.
Not sure where to start? Compare a fire door survey vs an inspection to see which one suits your building.
Fire Door Requirement Questions
Are fire doors a legal requirement?
Yes, where a building’s fire strategy or fire risk assessment needs them. Building Regulations decide where fire doors go in new or changed buildings. The Fire Safety Order then requires the Responsible Person to keep them in good working order.
Do all internal doors need to be fire doors?
No. Fire doors are needed on escape routes, stairs, flat entrances and higher-risk rooms such as kitchens and plant rooms. Doors inside a single home, such as a bathroom door in a two-storey house, usually do not need to be fire doors.
Do flat entrance doors have to be fire doors?
Yes. A flat entrance door protects the shared escape route from a fire inside the flat, so it is normally a self-closing FD30S fire door. The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed these doors are covered by the Fire Safety Order.
How often do fire doors need to be checked by law?
In blocks of flats over 11 metres, shared fire doors must be checked every three months and flat entrance doors every year. In other buildings, the law does not set a number, so your fire risk assessment decides how often.
Who can check fire doors?
Anyone competent can carry out simple visual checks. Formal inspections should be done by someone trained in fire doors, who knows the standards and can record what they find. Many building owners use a specialist for this.
Can I replace a fire door with a normal door?
No. If a door is needed as a fire door, it must be replaced with a certified fire door of the same or a higher rating. Fitting a normal door in its place breaks the fire safety rules and puts people at risk.
Does a fire door need a sign?
Fire doors in shared parts usually carry a “Fire door keep shut” sign. Doors to cupboards and risers often say “Fire door keep locked”. Flat entrance doors and doors inside homes do not normally need a sign.