A residence is only required to have one emergency exit door, called an “egress” door. You can read about the requirements for it at our blog post How many exit doors are required for a house?, which are primarily about the size of the opening and having direct access to it from all parts of the home. Because only one egress door is required, any additional exterior doors do not have to meet the standard.

    But we know of no fire rating requirement for single-family residence exterior egress doors. The door from the garage to the house, however, has to meet a basic fire resistance requirement to prevent the rapid spread of a garage fire into the home. It must be either solid wood and 1-3/8” thick, or steel with a solid honeycomb core and minimum 1-3/8” thick, or have a 20-minute fire rating if made from another material. To learn more, see our blog post What are the building code requirements for a door from the garage to the house?

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  To learn more about doors and windows, see these other blog posts:

• What causes sweating (condensation) on the inside of windows in the winter? 

• Is every exterior door of a house required to have a landing outside? 

• What are the small slots at the bottom of the outside of my window? 

• Why does condensation form on the outside of some windows and not others in the morning? 

• Why is the garage door track a white tube? 

• What is the raised metal plate on the floor under the garage door?

• Why do I have to hold down the button to close the garage door? 

• Where is safety/tempered glass required for the windows of a house?

• How can I tell if a window or glass door is safety glass? 

• Should a front door swing in or out? 

• Why is pressure washing double pane windows an expensive mistake? 

• How many exit doors are required for a mobile/manufactured home? 

• Are openable windows required to have window screens? Will windows with no screens pass a home inspection? 

• Can a bedroom door open into the garage?

• What are the building code requirements for a door from the garage to the house?

• What is "low-E" window glass? 

• What does ANSI 297.1 on glass mean?

• Why is a double cylinder deadbolt lock on an exterior door a safety hazard?

• How can I check my garage door to make sure it is safe?  

• What is an egress window?

• Does a home inspector test all the windows and doors in a home? 

• How difficult is it to change a window to french doors or a sliding glass door?

• How do you determine if a door is left-handed or right-handed?

• Why are window security bars dangerous? 

• What are the common problems you find inspecting windows?

• What is causing a foggy haze on my windows? 

• What do those numbers on the manufacturer's stickers in new windows mean?

• What does a home inspector check on an electric garage door? 

• What is the tempered label on glass at windows and sliding glass doors called?

• Do I need to have two exterior exit doors in my house? 

• When is safety glass required for windows at stairs and stair landings?

• Is tempered/safety glass required by the building code for windows and doors? 

• Can the rail for the drive chain/belt of a garage door be mounted off-center?

   Visit our DOORS AND WINDOWS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.