Do fire doors need to be inspected in Minnesota?
Short answer: for most commercial buildings, not on a set schedule. Minnesota exempts swinging fire and smoke doors from the annual testing cycle in NFPA 80. The doors still have to work, though, and some buildings do carry an annual requirement.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026 against the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes and CMS guidance.
The quick version
- Swinging fire and smoke doors: no periodic inspection cadence under Minnesota rule. They must be kept operable, and damaged or defective doors must be repaired or replaced.
- CMS-certified healthcare facilities: fire-rated door assemblies must be inspected and tested every year under federal rules. This applies no matter what the state rule says.
- Rolling and sliding fire doors: not covered by Minnesota's exemption. They still need NFPA 80 periodic testing, including drop tests.
- Everyone else: insurers, lenders, buyers, and the fire marshal can still ask how your doors are doing, and a door that doesn't close and latch can be cited at any inspection.
Want a dated, independent record for your building? Ask for a flat price. It takes about 30 seconds.
What Minnesota's rule actually says
The Minnesota State Fire Code amends the International Fire Code with this exception, in Minnesota Rules 7511.0705:
“Periodic testing and inspection in accordance with NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 is not required for swinging fire door and smoke door assemblies. Swinging fire door and smoke door assemblies shall be maintained in an operable condition in accordance with NFPA 80 and NFPA 105. Damaged or defective swinging fire door and smoke door assemblies shall be repaired or replaced.”
Minn. R. 7511.0705 (History: 44 SR 610, published April 16, 2020)
Read carefully, that's two rules in one. The first sentence removes the schedule. The second and third sentences keep the duty: the doors have to close, latch, and hold their fire rating, and anything broken has to be fixed.
Heads up: you may see this rule number shown as "Repealed" online. That tag belongs to an older version of the rule. The same exception was re-adopted in 2020, and that version is the one in force today. Minnesota has also started the process of moving to the 2024 International Fire Code (a request for comments was published February 2, 2026). We'll update this page if the exception changes.
When an annual inspection is required
CMS-certified healthcare facilities
Hospitals and other healthcare occupancies certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services follow the 2012 Life Safety Code, which calls for fire door assemblies to be inspected and tested every year under the 2010 edition of NFPA 80. CMS spelled this out in memo S&C 17-38-LSC (July 28, 2017), with full compliance required by January 1, 2018. The same memo notes that non-rated doors, such as corridor doors to patient rooms and smoke barrier doors, are not part of that annual requirement and should be covered by routine maintenance.
Not every medical building qualifies. A private clinic inside a medical office building is often classified as a business occupancy, not a healthcare occupancy. If you're not sure, ask your surveyor or accreditation body.
Rolling and sliding fire doors
Minnesota's exemption only covers swinging doors. Rolling steel fire doors and other non-swinging assemblies still need periodic testing under NFPA 80, including drop testing. That work belongs with a specialty fire door technician. It's outside what we audit, and we'll point you to one.
If it's not required, why document it?
Because the duty to keep doors operable never went away, and almost no one has a dated, independent record showing they met it. That gap tends to surface at the worst possible moments:
- After a fire, when someone asks whether the stairwell door was latching.
- During an insurance claim or renewal, when a carrier asks for your door records.
- In a sale or refinance, when a buyer's due diligence walks the building.
A walk-through with photos and a written list of what needs fixing turns "we think the doors are fine" into a record you can hand to anyone who asks.
What we do (and what we don't)
Check My Egress walks every egress door in your building (fire-rated or not) and scores each one Pass, At Risk, or Fail against code and the manufacturer's listing. You get photos, the code reference behind each finding, a prioritized Corrective Action Plan with installed-cost estimates (materials plus labor), and a Door Schedule listing every door and its hardware as found. We don't sell hardware or do repairs, so we have nothing to gain from finding problems.
Our audit is an independent, documented opinion. It is not a certification and not an inspection by the Authority Having Jurisdiction, who always has the final say on code compliance.
Minnesota dropped the schedule. Not the duty.
Get a dated, independent record showing your doors close, latch and hold their rating, from someone who sells no hardware and does no repairs. Tell us a little about the building and Ryan will get back to you with a flat price.
Sources
- Minnesota Rules 7511.0705, Minnesota Revisor of Statutes: revisor.mn.gov/rules/7511.0705
- CMS S&C 17-38-LSC, "Fire and Smoke Door Annual Testing Requirements" (July 28, 2017): hhs.gov
- Minnesota Rules 7511 rulemaking docket (2024 IFC update), Department of Labor and Industry: dli.mn.gov
This page is general information, not legal advice. Requirements for your building depend on its occupancy, your local fire marshal, and any accreditation or insurance terms you're under.