What are the fire door rules in 2026?

In England in 2026 the main fire door rules are the Fire Safety Order 2005 (keep fire doors in working order), the Fire Safety Act 2021 (flat entrance doors are covered), and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: in buildings over 11 metres, check communal fire doors every three months and flat entrance doors every 12.

By Sebastian Grabowski, DC Fire & Security, Luton. Updated November 2026.

How we checked this page

Every rule below comes from legislation.gov.uk or GOV.UK, and each has a source at the foot of the page. We read the texts on 9 November 2026. Where we could not confirm something on those sites, we left it out.

This is not legal advice. The rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and this page is about England.

The rules in one table

Rule	What it says	Where it comes from
Keep fire doors in working order	The responsible person must keep premises and the equipment and devices provided for fire safety in efficient working order and good repair	Fire Safety Order 2005, article 17
Who is responsible	In a workplace, the employer with control of the premises. Otherwise the person who has control for a trade, business or other undertaking, and failing that the owner	Fire Safety Order 2005, article 3
Escape doors	Emergency doors must open in the direction of escape and must not be locked or fastened so they cannot be opened easily and immediately	Fire Safety Order 2005, article 14
Competent people	The responsible person must appoint competent persons to help with the fire safety measures	Fire Safety Order 2005, article 18
Flat entrance doors are covered	For buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises, the Order covers the structure, external walls, common parts and all doors between the flats and the common parts	Fire Safety Act 2021, section 1
Information to residents on doors	Tell residents to keep fire doors shut when not in use, not to tamper with self-closing devices and to report faults and damage	Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10
Communal door checks	In buildings over 11 metres, check fire doors in the common parts at least every three months, including that the self-closing devices work	Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10
Flat entrance door checks	In buildings over 11 metres, use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, and keep a record, including refused access	Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10
Fire safety instructions	Display evacuation and fire reporting instructions in the building, and give a copy to new and existing residents	Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 9
Penalties	Failing some duties in a way that puts people at risk of death or serious injury can lead to a fine, or on indictment up to two years in prison	Fire Safety Order 2005, article 32

What came in and when

The Fire Safety Act 2021 section 1 came into force in England on 16 May 2022. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023. Both are still in force. The Building Safety Act 2022, section 156, changed the Fire Safety Order, with most of it coming into force on 1 October 2023 for England and Wales, adding duties on sharing fire safety information with residents and on handing it over to a new responsible person. We have not seen a section in the legislation texts above that adds a new fire door rule beyond those in the table.

GOV.UK shows Approved Document B, the guidance for the Building Regulations on fire safety, as last updated on 16 September 2026. That update added guidance on second stairs and evacuation lifts in taller residential buildings, and not on fire doors. Approved Document B applies to building work, so it matters when a door is replaced as part of work on the building.

Which buildings do the 11 metre rules apply to

Regulation 10 applies to buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises and common parts that residents use to escape. The three monthly and 12 monthly checks apply when the building is over 11 metres, measured to the top storey. The information to residents applies whatever the height.

Offices, shops, schools and other workplaces are not covered by regulation 10. For those the Fire Safety Order is the main rule, and a fire risk assessment decides what the responsible person must do about fire doors.

What it means in practice

For a block of flats over 11 metres, that is four checks of the communal doors a year and one of the flat doors, with records. For everyone else it is a duty to keep fire doors working, which a regular check and a fire door inspection show you have done. A fire risk assessment and a fire door inspection are separate services, and neither covers the other.

See our pages on fire door regulations for flats, who is responsible for fire doors in flats and the Building Safety Act. For checking, start with a quarterly check log and our fire door inspections.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fire doors a legal requirement in the UK?

Where a building has fire doors, the Fire Safety Order requires them to be kept in working order. Whether a building needs them comes from its design under the Building Regulations and from its fire risk assessment.

Do fire doors have to be inspected every year?

Not by a single rule for all buildings. In buildings over 11 metres with flats, flat entrance doors must be checked every 12 months and communal doors every three months. Elsewhere the fire risk assessment sets how often, and see our guide on how often fire doors need inspecting.

Did the rules change in 2026?

We found no new fire door rule in the legislation we read for this page. The main rules date from 2005, 2021 and 2022, and the Building Safety Act changed the Order in 2023. Approved Document B was updated in September 2026 for second stairs and evacuation lifts.

Who enforces the fire door rules?

Local fire and rescue authorities inspect premises and can issue fire safety notices, according to GOV.UK. Offences are set out in article 32 of the Fire Safety Order.

Do the rules apply to my own flat?

The Fire Safety Order does not cover the inside of a home, but under the Fire Safety Act 2021 it does cover the door between your flat and the common parts. You should keep that door shut and report faults.

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