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OBC DIVISION B · PART 3 · SECTION 3.3 — SAFETY WITHIN FLOOR AREAS

When must doors swing in the direction of exit travel in Ontario?

Egress doors must swing in the direction of travel when they serve a room or suite with an occupant load of more than 60 people, serve a high-hazard industrial occupancy, or open into an exit. Hardware must open easily without keys or special knowledge.

Code reference
Doors in an egress path must be openable from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge, generally with a single releasing motion. Doors serving spaces above the occupant load threshold or high-hazard uses, and doors opening into exit stairs, must swing in the direction of exit travel, and door swings may not block required corridor width.
OBC Division B, Subsection 3.3.1.

Paraphrased for clarity — open this provision in the BUILDAiD Library for the exact wording.

What this means in practice

The 60-person swing trigger routinely catches meeting rooms, restaurants and classrooms during tenant fit-outs. Pair swing direction with hardware: panic or fire-exit hardware is required for assembly and high-occupancy doors, and electromagnetic locks must meet strict release conditions. Also check that outswinging doors do not obstruct corridors beyond permitted projection, and that vestibule pairs both swing outward. Retrofit reversals are cheap on paper and expensive after the millwork is in.

Plain language

If a crowd of more than about 60 people might push toward a door in an emergency, it has to swing out the way they are moving, and it must open with one simple push, never a key or a trick latch.

Related questions

What fire separation is required between suites in Ontario?What is the minimum corridor width under the Ontario Building Code?How long can a dead-end corridor be under the Ontario Building Code?

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This page is provided for general information. Building code requirements depend on your specific project, occupancy and municipality, and code editions change. Always verify requirements against the current Ontario Building Code and confirm with your local building department.