Is there any code regarding which way doors at the top of an interior staircase (in this case heading down to a built out basement) should lock? I keep seeing them lock from the top side (which locks someone in the stairwell if they were trying to exit up). This seems like an obvious fire exit concern (trapping someone in the stairwell) and it seems like having the lock the other way around would be preferable to prevent toddlers from opening the door from above and falling down the stairs. Thoughts? Thx --Rob
I don’t know the code answer, but you’re not dependent up on a code reference to make your clients aware of what you perceive to be a risk with the door/lock configuration.
@Robert
It sounds like a potential safety hazard to me, as Chuck alluded to.
IMO, interior doors should not have locksets, unless they are used on doors seperating entry doors from public common areas, such as an apartment building hallway.
A basement door at a basement interior stairway, where the basement does NOT open to the exterior, should NOT have a lockset.
A basement door at a basement interior stairway, where the basement does open to the exterior, should have a lockset which is lockable fron the interior of the residence.