What This Article Covers — and Who It Helps
A magnetic lock kit can arrive on the jobsite complete with a keypad, power supply, and push button — and still fail its final inspection because one of the three required egress release conditions was never fully coordinated. This guide walks contractors, facility managers, and specifying architects through the IBC and NFPA 101 requirements that govern electromagnetically locked egress doors, explains the three release paths that must work simultaneously, and identifies the coordination gaps that show up most often at closeout.
What Is a Magnetically Locked Egress Door?
An electromagnetically locked egress door uses a fail-safe magnetic lock — one that holds the door closed when power is on and releases when power is interrupted. Unlike a fail-secure electric strike or deadbolt, the lock provides no positive mechanical latching; holding force is entirely dependent on continuous electrical power and a clean bond between the lock body and the armature plate. Because the door can be held shut with hundreds or thousands of pounds of force, building codes impose strict requirements on how occupants and systems can release that force.
The Three Release Conditions — Why All Three Must Be Present
Both IBC Section 1010.1.9.7 and NFPA 101 Section 7.2.1.6.2 require that an electromagnetically locked egress door release under each of the following conditions independently. Missing any one of them is an inspection failure.
1. Fire Alarm System Activation
The magnetic lock must drop power when the building fire alarm activates. This is typically wired through the fire alarm control panel (FACP) via a relay or through a fire alarm interface module tied to the power supply. The key field issue: this connection is often scoped to the fire alarm subcontractor, not the door hardware installer. When those scopes are not explicitly coordinated in the submittals, the mag lock arrives, gets mounted, and the fire alarm interface never gets wired before the inspection walk.
- Confirm the FACP interface is in the electrical or fire alarm sub's scope — not assumed.
- The power supply must have a fire alarm input terminal or a separate relay rated for the application.
- On fire-rated openings, the lock must also be listed for fire-rated use — check UL listing documentation before specifying.
2. Loss of Power to the Lock
This is the definition of fail-safe and is inherent to a magnetic lock's design: no power means no holding force. However, fail-safe behavior creates a secondary question that trips up many projects — what happens during a planned power outage or scheduled maintenance? The door is uncontrolled. For occupancies such as healthcare, schools, or retail where the door is a primary access control point, an unmanaged power loss creates a security gap. This is a design conversation, not a hardware defect, but it needs to happen before the lock is specified.
3. Occupant-Side Release — The Condition Most Often Incompletely Specified
The code requires that an occupant on the egress side be able to release the lock through a listed, intuitive method. There are three accepted approaches, and the one chosen has significant wiring and hardware implications:
- Push button (request-to-exit device): A dedicated REX button, often surface mounted near the door, interrupts power to the lock when pressed. This is the most common approach with magnetic lock kits that include a push button. The button must be accessible, clearly labeled, and wired to interrupt lock power directly — not just send a signal to an access control panel that may have latency.
- Motion sensor (passive infrared REX): A PIR sensor detects an occupant approaching the door and releases the lock. Useful for hands-free egress but requires careful placement to avoid nuisance unlocks from traffic near the door.
- Listed hardware switch (lever, pull, or push bar with built-in switch): Beginning with IBC 2007 and extended in the 2012 edition, a switch built into the door-side hardware can directly interrupt lock power. NFPA 101 permits this method for all electromagnetically locked doors including those requiring panic hardware. This is the cleanest user experience — the occupant operates the door hardware normally and the lock releases. It requires coordination between the hardware and the power supply wiring.
Where Coordination Breaks Down on Real Projects
Magnetic lock kits that include a keypad, push button, and power supply bundle several components into a single package — but the bundle does not solve the coordination problem. Here is where gaps appear most often:
The Push Button Is Installed but Not Wired to Interrupt the Lock
On projects where an access control system is present, installers sometimes wire the push button to the access control panel as a REX input rather than directly interrupting lock power. If the panel has any delay in processing the REX signal — even a fraction of a second — the door does not release immediately as required by code. IBC and NFPA 101 both require the release to be immediate. The wiring path matters: the push button must break the lock circuit directly or through a relay with no meaningful delay.
The Keypad Controls Entry — But Egress Is Assumed
A weatherproof keypad on the exterior controls who can enter. It does not, by itself, address egress. Contractors who focus on the ingress credential side sometimes treat the push button as an afterthought — mounting it late, wiring it last, or omitting it entirely when the access control scope expands and assumptions about REX handling shift between trades.
Fire Alarm Interface Is Not in Anyone's Scope
On smaller commercial projects — retail tenant fit-outs, school portable buildings, industrial access points — the fire alarm subcontractor may not have a line item for interfacing the mag lock power supply. The power supply has the terminal; nobody runs the wire. This is a common cause of a failed inspection on an otherwise correctly installed opening.
Application Notes by Occupancy
- Schools and educational facilities: Classroom security lockdowns have increased interest in mag locks on exterior and corridor doors. Confirm the fire alarm interface is coordinated with the district's existing FACP. ADA-compliant REX devices are required on accessible routes.
- Healthcare: NFPA 101 has specific provisions for electromagnetically locked doors in healthcare occupancies. Mag locks on patient egress paths require careful review against the edition of NFPA 101 adopted by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
- Retail and light commercial: Exit doors with mag locks are common for after-hours security. If the occupant load exceeds 49, panic hardware may be required — confirm whether the hardware-switch release method is appropriate or whether a separate REX device is needed.
- Industrial and warehouse: Weatherproof lock kits are common on exterior man-doors where keypad entry is preferred over mechanical keys. The power supply location (heated interior vs. exterior enclosure) needs to be resolved before rough-in, not after the lock is mounted.
What to Verify Before the Opening Closes Out
- All three release conditions are wired, tested, and documented.
- Fire alarm interface is confirmed with the FACP contractor — not assumed.
- The push button or REX device interrupts lock power directly with no perceptible delay.
- The lock is listed for the application (indoor vs. outdoor, fire-rated opening vs. non-rated).
- On fire-rated openings, the lock's UL fire listing is confirmed and documented for the inspector.
- Power supply is in a protected, accessible location for future maintenance.
Hardware Options From DoorwaysPlus
DoorwaysPlus carries magnetic lock kits, standalone electromagnetic locks, push-button REX devices, power supplies, and weatherproof keypad assemblies suited for commercial, industrial, educational, and healthcare applications. If your project requires a specific holding force, outdoor rating, or fire-listed configuration, the team at DoorwaysPlus can help you match the right components before the rough-in gets locked in — not after.