Code update: The door between the garage and the house interior must be “self-latching” in addition to self-closing.
The door between the attached garage and the inside of the home in this inspection picture is a major defect.
An attached garage door can open directly into a room of a house, but that room can not be used for sleeping purposes. Openings from the garage are permitted only into rooms that are not used for sleeping.
The door between the garage and house must be a solid wood door that is at least 1 and 3/8 inches (35 mm) thick, solid or honeycomb-core steel door at least 1 and 3/8 inches (35 mm) thick, or a 20-minute fire-rated door.
The door between the garage and the house interior must be self-latching and equipped with a self-closing or automatic-closing device. The device helps to limit the free flow of smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide into the living area. The door must latch shut behind you. Without self-latching, the purpose of self-closing is defeated. If the door does not latch in the closed position, it’s not properly secured. Latching also helps with air pressurization issues.
Refer to 2021 International Residential Code IRC, Section R302.5.1, which has been updated from the 2018 IRC.