Fire doors and hold-open systems (Germany)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For German employers and building operators with fire and smoke doors or gates, with or without a hold-open device. Covers the annual safety inspection of the closure, the monthly function test of the hold-open system, the annual inspection by a certified specialist, the check on the identification plate and the usage discipline that stops anyone wedging a fire door open. Fire dampers in air ducts, the construction requirements of the state building codes and automatic entrance doors as such are out of scope.
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Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 6 planned checks, the most frequent every month since the last inspection
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Have fire doors inspected every 12 months
The duty lies with the employer or the building operator; the inspection is carried out by a competent person with specific training on doors and powered gates, not by a general maintenance technician. Full unaided closing, intumescent seals, hinges, lock, self-closing device and, on gates, the drive and the safety devices are checked. Twelve months is the maximum interval, but the manufacturer test book may demand a shorter one and then it prevails. The evidence is the inspection report, filed with the approval documentation.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationASR A1.7 Abs. 10.2 i.V.m. DIN 14677Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 02
Function-test the hold-open devices every month
The monthly test belongs to the operator or to someone they appoint and needs no special qualification: trigger the detector or the release button and check that the door closes on its own and fully. After twelve consecutive tests with no defects the interval may be extended to three months; a single defect brings it back to monthly. Each test is logged with date and result in the hold-open system log: without the log, the extension to three months cannot be demonstrated.
every month since the last inspectionLegal obligationDIN 14677-1 i.V.m. der bauaufsichtlichen Zulassung (DIBt)Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 03
Have hold-open systems checked by a qualified technician
Once a year the hold-open system must be inspected by a certified specialist for hold-open systems: smoke detectors, power supply, holding magnet, control electronics and behaviour on mains failure. This is a different check from the monthly test and does not replace it. The duty lies with the operator, who must also keep the report: a missing annual inspection is the first thing a loss adjuster looks for after a fire.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationDIN 14677-2Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 04
Keep the identification plate legible
Every fire door carries a plate with manufacturer, type and approval number: that is what proves the door really is a fire-resisting closure. If the plate is missing, painted over or no longer readable, the building approval lapses and the door must be treated as an ordinary door until the documentation is rebuilt. The check belongs to the operator and is done at every inspection: after the corridors have been repainted it is the first thing to look at.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationASR A1.7Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 05
Never wedge fire doors open
A fire door held open by a wedge, a crate or a fire extinguisher leaning against it no longer separates anything: it is the most common way of cancelling a fire-safety investment. The operator instructs staff and walks the corridors and stores periodically to remove improvised stops. If a door genuinely has to stay open during work, the only accepted answer is an approved hold-open system, which closes it by itself when the detectors trigger.
continuous check, confirm every 1 monthsCompany ruleASR A1.7Germany only - 06
Check that the technician's certificate is still valid
The certificate of competence of a specialist for hold-open systems is valid for five years and must then be renewed. It is not the operator duty, but it becomes the operator problem if the annual inspection was signed by someone no longer entitled. Asking to see the certificate before the visit, and rereading it once a year together with the maintenance contract, takes five minutes and closes the point. It applies just as much when the contractor is the installer who fitted the system years ago.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsCompany ruleDIN 14677-2Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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