# Fire door inspection checklist template

> Free fire door checklist for three-monthly and yearly checks under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations, with a flat door access record. PDF, Word, Excel.
> Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/inspection-checklist-template?kind=fire-door

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## Choose a design

## Who checks fire doors, and what this sheet is

In England, in a building above 11m with two or more homes, the responsible person must check its fire doors ([regulation 10](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/547/regulation/10)). That can be the owner or someone else in control of the building, such as a managing agent (para 1.2). The [guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance) says caretakers, managing agents, housing officers and maintenance staff can do the checks with instruction (para 6.3).

The duty to check is the responsible person’s. If you do the checks for them, under a maintenance contract or as their staff, you do them on their behalf; the sheet does not change who holds the duty.

The guidance says the check is by eye, with no tools and no specialist (para 6.3). It is [not an examination of fire resistance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/fact-sheet-fire-doors-regulation-10). What the door should be belongs to the fire risk assessment (para 6.2). This is not a CDM document.

Gov.uk publishes a [sample checklist](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance/fire-doors-checklist-accessible) under the Open Government Licence. This one adds the flat door access record, a Not fitted column and three formats with your logo.

## What the check covers

Sheet 1 takes one door, in this order. The guidance sets each row, at the paragraph shown.

- Still a fire door, not a non-fire-resisting door (flat) (para 6.7a)
- Letterbox closed, not jammed (flat) (para 6.7b)
- Door, frame and securing wall: no damage, defect or alteration (para 6.7c, 6.9 and 6.12)
- Glass and glazing, including side and over panels (para 6.7d)
- Hinges and ironmongery (para 6.7e)
- Air transfer grilles (plant and riser) (para 6.12)
- Strips and seals: undamaged, in contact, not painted over (para 6.7f)
- Gaps: no more than 4mm, except the bottom (para 6.7g)
- Self-closer closes fully from fully open and from about 15 degrees (para 6.7h)
- Hold-open device released by its test button (para 6.10)
- Door selector on double doors (para 6.11)
- Plant or riser door self-closing or kept locked shut (para 6.13)
- Door not wedged open (a heading in the sample checklist, not in the guidance list)

- **Both sides of a flat door**: The guidance says both must be seen, so the check needs access (para 6.5).
- **Missing strips or seals**: Missing intumescent strips or smoke seals do not by themselves make a door unfit, and existing doors need not meet the standards for new ones (foreword, para 6.7f).
- **The 4mm gap**: The guidance calls this the industry standard and names no standard.
- **A defect**: It goes to a competent contractor as soon as reasonably practicable (para 6.4). If the first look finds damage, a more detailed check [might be appropriate](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/fact-sheet-fire-doors-regulation-10), possibly by a specialist.

## How often, and the record the law needs

- **England, above 11m**: In buildings with two or more homes, measured to the top storey, the responsible person must check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, by best endeavours, and communal fire doors at least every 3 months, or quarterly. Self-closers are included ([regulation 10(4), (6), (7) and (8)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/547/regulation/10)).
- **The record**: The only record regulation 10 requires is of the steps taken for the flat door checks, including attempts to get access (regulation 10(5)). That is Sheet 2. Use more sheets for more flats or attempts. There is no record duty for the three-monthly checks. The guidance says a checklist recording each check may be useful (para 6.6), so keeping Sheet 1 is the responsible person’s choice.
- **11m or below, and workplaces**: In England and Wales, [article 17 of the Fire Safety Order](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/article/17) requires a suitable system of maintenance and names no interval. The fire risk assessment sets it.
- **Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland**: No legal interval found, as read 2 November 2026. [Guidance in Wales](https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2023-07/guide-to-making-your-small-block-of-flats-safe-from-fire_1.pdf) (July 2023) says at least every six months in the common parts of small blocks, and [guidance in Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/publications/practical-fire-safety-guidance-existing-high-rise-domestic-buildings-updated-march-2021/pages/7/) (March 2021) says every six months for high-rise. As read on that date, most of the [Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2026/5/contents) still awaits a commencement order.

## Fire door checklist questions

### Do I need a specialist to check a fire door?

No. The guidance says the checks are simple and need no specialist (para 6.3). If the first look finds damage, a [more detailed check](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/fact-sheet-fire-doors-regulation-10) might be appropriate, possibly by one.

### What if the door has no strips or seals?

That does not by itself make the door unfit. Tick Not fitted. The fire risk assessment decides what the door needs.

### What if a resident will not let me in?

Record each attempt on Sheet 2. The guidance says persistent refusal may mean considering legal action (para 6.6).

### How long do I keep the sheets?

The law and the guidance give no period. Keep them as the responsible person’s record for as long as they need them.

For plant, a ladder or a site walk round, start from the [inspection checklist template](https://complyonsite.com/tools/inspection-checklist-template).