What an Access-Controlled Door Should Do During a Power Outage

The words fail-safe are not a complete door design

Access-control door power-outage behavior must be documented for the complete opening. Reader power, lock power, controller operation, authorized entry, and required exit are distinct functions that need coordinated review and an appropriate supervised verification plan.

A recorded Reddit report describes a strike not operating during an outage. Such a report raises a power-path question without establishing which release sequence another building must use. Review the lock, required exit function, controller and supplies together.

Fail-safe hardware unlocks when its electrical power is lost; fail-secure hardware remains secure on the controlled side when power is lost. These labels do not alone describe how someone exits. Allegion explains that a suitable electric strike can remain secure against entry while the independent lever or panic hardware provides mechanical free egress.

Source: Door strike not working through power outage · Allegion: Fail-Safe, Fail-Secure and Mechanical Free Egress

Apply the California rule for the actual opening

HCAI’s official 2025 California Building Code update reproduces §1010.2.9: an access-controlled opening must either be readily openable from the egress side without a key or special knowledge or effort, or comply with the applicable listed special-locking section. This distinguishes ordinary mechanical free egress from arrangements that electrically restrict exit.

The §1010.2.6 Exception 3 stairway-door arrangement is more specific: the doors must remain openable from the egress side and unlock without unlatching from the opposite side. It calls for a signal from the fire command center, if present, or from emergency personnel at one location inside the main entrance. It also requires simultaneous unlocking on a fire-alarm signal when an alarm system is present in an area served by the stairway, and unlocking on loss of power to the electric lock or locking system. The high-rise exception is separate. This stairway example does not establish one release sequence for every access-controlled door.

Have the responsible designer and enforcing authority identify the adopted requirements for the occupancy, stairway function, fire rating and exact locking arrangement. Sensor-release, door-hardware-release, delayed-egress and other special systems need their own applicable requirements. Do not equate the phrase electronic access control with a universal requirement to unlock both sides under every alarm.

Source: HCAI: 2025 CBC Fire and Life Safety Updates, Sections 1010.2.6 and 1010.2.9

Separate the affected power domains

List the controller, reader, lock supply, network equipment, backup power, and any required interface with other building systems. A battery on the controller may not power the lock. A powered lock may remain controlled differently when its network connection fails.

Document the selected hardware’s powered and unpowered states, including independent supplies and required release interfaces. A backup supply must be part of the reviewed design; keeping one component energized does not prove the intended entry and exit functions remain available.

Illustrative scenario: reader alive, strike unavailable

Imagine a backup supply keeps the reader lit during an outage while the strike’s separate supply is down. A user sees a green indication but cannot enter. The system has not necessarily lost the credential; the power architecture may not support the expected unlocking action.

A different opening may preserve mechanical free exit despite an electrically secure entry side. These distinctions must be documented and tested by qualified personnel. Never assume that a reader’s color proves the physical opening is safe or accessible.

Source: AXIS A1001 and AXIS Entry Manager

Plan an authorized outage test

The test plan should cover normal entry, required exit, loss of the relevant supplies, backup duration assumptions, and restoration. Coordinate it with building operations so no one is trapped or unexpectedly denied essential access. Do not bypass fire interfaces or protective functions to keep the test simple.

Record actual observations for each door and retain the approved hardware schedule. A successful controller reboot is not equivalent to a utility outage test. Any uncertain life-safety behavior is a design/service issue to resolve before calling the installation complete.

Source: AXIS A1001 and AXIS Entry Manager

Put it into practice

A decision table to keep handy