Fire doors don’t fail loudly — they fail quietly, usually because a closer got disconnected, a gap opened up past code, or a door was propped open “just for today” and never checked again. Ontario’s Fire Code doesn’t leave inspection frequency to guesswork: fire doors and their assemblies have a defined inspection schedule, and skipping it is one of the most common violations found during fire inspections of commercial and industrial buildings across the GTA. Here’s what the schedule actually requires, what gets checked, and who’s allowed to sign off on it.

1. What Counts as a “Fire Door” for Inspection Purposes

A fire door isn’t just the door leaf — it’s the whole assembly: door, frame, hardware, glazing (if any), and the label rating that ties them all together. That’s why an inspection can’t just glance at the door itself. Stairwell doors, corridor doors separating fire compartments, and doors protecting exits all typically fall under this requirement, along with any door carrying a visible fire-rating label from the manufacturer. If you’re not sure which doors in your building are rated, that’s usually the first thing worth confirming, since it’s not always obvious from the door’s appearance alone.

2. How Often Fire Doors Must Be Inspected

Ontario’s Fire Code adopts NFPA 80 as the governing standard for fire door assemblies, and NFPA 80 sets two separate schedules:

• Annual formal inspection — every fire door assembly needs a documented, hands-on inspection at least once every 12 months, performed by someone qualified to assess it against the NFPA 80 checklist.
• Ongoing visual checks — building staff should be watching for obvious problems (propped doors, damaged closers, missing hardware) between annual inspections, not just waiting for the next scheduled visit.

The annual inspection isn’t optional paperwork — fire officials can and do ask to see the inspection records during a routine visit, and a door that hasn’t been checked in over a year is treated the same as a door that’s known to be non-compliant.

3. What a Fire Door Inspection Actually Checks

A proper inspection goes through a specific list, not a general once-over:

• Labels are legible — the rating label on the door and frame has to be readable, not painted over or removed.
• Gaps are within tolerance — clearance around the door and at the bottom has to fall within the limits set for the assembly’s rating.
• The door self-closes and positively latches — every time, from any open position, without being helped along.
• No unauthorized holes or hardware — extra holes drilled for signage, kick-down door stops, or non-rated hardware all void the assembly’s listing.
• Hardware is compatible with the rating — hinges, closers, and locking hardware all need to be listed for fire door use, not just functional.
• No visible damage — dents, warping, or glazing damage that could compromise the assembly in a fire.

4. Monthly Visual Checks vs. Annual Formal Inspection

These two aren’t interchangeable, and mixing them up is one of the more common compliance gaps we see:

5. Who Can Perform a Fire Door Inspection

NFPA 80 requires the inspection be done by someone with the knowledge and training to properly evaluate a fire door assembly — not just any maintenance worker doing a visual walk-through. In practice, that means either an in-house staff member who’s been specifically trained on the checklist, or a qualified door contractor brought in for the job. For buildings that don’t have anyone trained internally, or that want the inspection and any needed repairs handled by the same team, bringing in a contractor is usually the more reliable route — it avoids the gap between “someone looked at it” and “someone who knew what they were checking for looked at it.”

6. What Happens If a Fire Door Fails Inspection

A failed item gets documented and needs to be corrected — the door doesn’t get to stay in service non-compliant just because replacement parts are backordered or a repair is scheduled for next month. Common failures we see: a closer that’s been disconnected or adjusted so the door doesn’t fully latch, gaps that have opened up past tolerance from a door sagging on worn hinges, or hardware that was swapped for something non-rated during an unrelated repair. Inspection records need to be kept on file (commonly for a minimum of three years) so they’re available if a fire official asks to see them.

7. How GTA Doors Pro Handles Fire Door Inspections and Repairs

We inspect the full assembly against the NFPA 80 checklist — labels, gaps, self-closing and latching action, hardware compatibility, and physical condition — and document what we find. Where a door doesn’t pass, we handle the repair directly rather than just flagging the problem and leaving you to find someone else: re-hanging or adjusting the door, replacing non-rated hardware with listed components, or repairing frame or glazing damage. This is the same assessment we run on the hollow metal doors that make up most rated openings, as part of our broader commercial door service and industrial door capabilities across the GTA.

8. Frequently Asked Questions