California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 6 - Elevator Safety Orders
Group II - Elevator Installations for Which the Installation Contract Was Signed Before October 25, 1998
Article 7 - Hoistways, Hoistway Enclosures, and Related Construction for Power Cable-Driven Passenger and Freight Elevators
Section 3020 - Protection of Hoistway Landing Openings

Universal Citation: 8 CA Code of Regs 3020

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) Hoistway Entrances. Protection of hoistway entrances shall conform to the governing building codes. The regulations included in this section establish the minimum entrance standards. These regulations are not intended to supersede applicable local building codes establishing higher standards. The locations, clearances, and guarding requirements of this section shall be maintained.

(1) Hoistway Doors Required on Passenger Elevators. All passenger elevator hoistway landing openings, giving access to the car platform, shall be provided with hoistway doors which will fill the full height and width of the openings.

(2) Hoistway Doors or Gates Required on Freight Elevators. All freight elevator hoistway landing openings, giving access to the car platform, shall be provided with hoistway doors which will fill the full height and width of the openings or shall be provided with gates.

(3) Landing Sills and Guards and Tracks on Landings.

(A) Metal sills, of sufficient strength to support the load to be carried by the sill when loading or unloading the car, shall be permanently secured in place at each hoistway door opening. Sills shall be substantially level with the floor surface of the elevator landing or shall be beveled to meet the floor surface, and for passenger elevators shall be so designed and maintained as to provide secure foothold for the entire width of the door opening.

Landing sills of freight elevators shall be designed and installed to withstand the loads specified in Section 3037(b)

(B) The hoistway wall opposite the car entrance shall be smooth. Recesses or projections in excess of 1 in. (25mm) shall be beveled at an angle of not less than 60 degrees nor more than 75 degrees from the horizontal. The wall opposite the car entrance and below the landing sills shall conform to the following:

1. Where a car leveling device is provided, the hoistway shall be plumb with the edge of the landing sill and shall have a straight vertical face extending below the landing sill not less than the length of the leveling zone plus 3 in. (76mm).

2. Where no car leveling device is provided, the hoistway shall be plumb with the edge of the landing sill and shall have a straight vertical face extending below the landing sill not less than 3 in. (76mm).

3. The straight vertical face required below the landing sills of passenger elevators shall be of smooth metal not less than No. 16 M.S. gage.

4. Vertically sliding biparting doors or vertically sliding doors which slide down to open shall be considered to meet the requirements of Sections 3020(a)(3)(B)1, and 3020(a)(3)(B)2, provided the doors meet the requirements of Section 3020(b)(8).

(D) The tops of railroad tracks located on elevator landings shall be substantially flush with the floor surface for a distance of at least 6 ft (1.83m) from the sill edge.

(E) Hinged hoistway landing sills may be provided in connection with vertically sliding, biparting, counterbalanced doors of freight elevators provided the sills are hinged on the landing side so that they can be lowered only when the landing doors are in the fully opened position.

(4) Minimum Size of Hoistway Entrances. The clear opening provided by elevator entrances shall be not less than 78 in. (1.98m) high nor less than 30 in. (762mm) wide.

(b) Hoistway Doors.

(1) Materials. Doors shall consist of a solid panel or of a solid panel to a height of 3 ft ((914mm) above the floor, above which they may be of solid or openwork, providing the openings therein do not exceed 1/2 in.2 (3.23cm2).

(2) Use of Glass Panels. Glass panels in hoistway doors shall be limited to vision panels only. See Section 3020(b)(18) for vision panel requirements.

EXCEPTION to subsection 3020(b)(2):

Hoistway doors installed before June 5, 1947.

(3) Strength. Hoistway doors shall be so constructed as to withstand a constant force of 250 lbf (1112N) applied at right angles to and at approximately the center of the door, without causing the door to break or to be permanently deformed. Each panel or section of multipanel or multisection doors shall withstand the force specified.

(4) Construction of Horizontally Sliding Doors.

(A) Horizontally sliding doors shall have leading edges that are smooth and free of sharp projections. The meeting edges of center-opening doors may be provided with a resilient member on one or both doors to form a shallow overlap. Single-slide and two-speed doors shall lap the strike jamb but shall not close into pockets in the strike jamb. The clearance between the corridor face of the doors and the bucks and headers, and between overlapping faces of two-speed doors, shall be not more than 3/8 in. (9.5mm).

(B) Manually operated, horizontal-sliding doors shall be so arranged that the handle on the outside of the door provided for opening or closing the door will not pass the stationary panel or the wall in such a manner as to create a shear hazard.

EXCEPTION to subsection 3020(b)(4)(B):

Existing elevators, with entrances installed before 1947, where the entrance opening would be less than 30 in. (762mm) wide if this provision were applied.

(5) Construction of Center-Opening Horizontally Swinging Doors.

Center-opening, horizontally swinging doors shall conform to the following:

(A) One door section shall be provided with an overlapping astragal on its vertical edge.

(B) Stops shall be provided at the top of both door sections which will stop the door section when closed, and which will meet the strength requirements of Section 3020(b)(3).

(6) Construction of Vertically Sliding Doors. Vertically sliding doors shall conform to the following:

(A) Truckable sills, of vertically sliding, counterweighted doors, which slide down to open, and of biparting, counterbalanced doors of elevators used to carry freight, shall be designed to withstand the loads specified in Design Section 3101(f).

(B) The clearance between the face of the doors and the landing sill shall be not more than 1/2 in. (13mm) measured when the doors are in the closed position.

1. They shall be provided with means to stop the closing doors when the distance between closing rigid members of the door sections is not less than 3/4 in. (19mm).

2. A nonshearing, noncrushing member of either the meeting or overlapping type shall be provided on the upper door section to close the distance between the rigid door sections when in contact with the stops.

3. Rigid members which overlap the meeting edge or center latching devices are prohibited.

EXCEPTIONS to subsection 3020(b)(6)(C)3:

1. Existing elevators which can be operated from the car only.

2. Existing power operated doors.

(7) Counterweighting or Counterbalancing of Vertically Sliding Doors.

(A) Single or multisection vertically sliding doors shall be so counterweighted and vertically sliding biparting, counterbalanced doors shall be so counterbalanced that they will not open or close by gravity. Fastenings shall be provided to prevent the detachment or dislodgement of counterbalancing weights of doors.

(B) The suspension means and their connections shall have a factor of safety of not less than 5.

(8) Beveled Guards for Vertically Sliding Doors. Where the lower side of the truckable sill projects more than 1/2 in. (13mm) beyond the nearest surface below it, the sill shall be provided with a guard of not less than No. 16 M.S. gage metal beveled at an angle not less than 60 degrees nor more than 75 degrees from the horizontal.

(9) Pull Straps on Manually Operated, Vertically Sliding Doors. Manually operated, vertical sliding doors of elevators which can be operated from the landings shall be provided with pull straps on the inside and outside of the door where the lower edge of the upper door panel is more than 78 in. (1.98m) above the landing when the door is in the fully open position. Pull straps shall be provided only on the inside of the hoistway door on elevators which can be operated from the car only.

(A) The bottom of the strap shall not be more than 78 in. (1.98m) above the landing when the door is in the open position.

(B) The length of the strap shall not be extended by rope or similar materials.

(10) Types of Hoistway Doors for Passenger Elevators. For passenger elevators, doors shall be one of the following types:

(A) Horizontally sliding, single or multisection.

(B) Horizontally swinging, single section.

(D) Power-operated, vertically sliding biparting counterbalanced doors which operate in conjunction with the car gate as outlined in Section 3022(e).

(E) At landing openings used exclusively for freight, manually operated, vertically sliding biparting counterbalanced doors may be used.

(11) Types of Hoistway Doors for Freight Elevators.

For freight elevators, doors shall be one of the following types:

(A) Horizontally sliding, single or multisection.

(B) Horizontally swinging, single section.

(D) Center-opening, two-section, horizontally swinging, subject to the restrictions of Section 3020(b)(12).

(E) Vertically sliding, biparting counterbalanced.

(F) Manually operated, vertically sliding, counterweighted, single or multisection.

(12) Limitations of Use of Center-Opening Swinging Doors. Center-opening, two-section, horizontally swinging hoistway doors shall be permitted for freight elevators only.

(13) Closing of Hoistway Doors. Horizontally sliding or swinging doors of automatic operation elevators shall be provided with door closers arranged to close and lock an open hoistway door automatically if the car for any reason leaves the landing zone.

EXCEPTIONS TO SUBSECTION 3020(B)(13):

1. Center-opening, horizontally swinging doors.

2. The swinging portion of combination horizontally sliding and swinging type doors.

(14) Location of Horizontally Sliding or Swing Hoistway Doors. Horizontally sliding or swinging elevator hoistway doors shall be located so the maximum distances between the hoistway side of the hoistway door and the hoistway edge of the landing threshold and the car door or gate are as follows:

*Type of Elevator Existing or New Installations*	*Type of Door*	*Hoistway Door to Edge of Threshold*	*Hoistway Door to Car Door or gate*
New passenger or freight operated from the car only	Horizontal Sliding or Single Swinging	2 1/2 "	6"
New freight operated from the car only	Center-opening Horizontally Swinging	4"	6 1/2 "
New passenger or freight automatic or constant pressure operation	Single Swinging	1"	4 1/2 "
New freight automatic or constant pressure operation	Center-opening Horizontally Swinging	1"	4 1/2 "
New passenger or freight automatic or constant pressure operation	Horizontal Sliding	2 1/2 "	6"
Existing passenger or freight installed before 1947 operated from car only	Any	6"	--
Existing passenger or freight installed before 1947 automatic or constant pressure operation	Any	4"	5 1/2 " except installations with power-operated car doors may be 6"
Existing passenger or freight installed before 1947 with no car gate.	Any	4"	--

GENERAL NOTE:

NOTE: When the hoistway door or the car door or gate consists of two or more sections, the distances specified in this table shall be measured from the section of the door which travels the greater distance in closing. EXCEPTIONS TO SUBSECTION 3020(b)(14):

1. For new installations of center-opening horizontally swinging doors on freight elevators with automatic or constant pressure operation from the landings, the distance measured from the top portion of the doors to the edge of the hoistway threshold may be increased to not more than 4 in. (102mm) provided the distance to the bottom 36 in. (914mm) of the doors is not more than 1 in. (25mm) and all setbacks of more than 1 in. (25mm) are beveled at an angle of not less than 60 degrees with the horizontal.

2. For existing installations where the inside face of the hoistway door is more than 4 in. (102mm) from the edge of the threshold (6 in. (152mm) for car switch elevators), the following methods of reducing the clearance are acceptable.

a. Horizontal bars set approximately 10 in. (254mm) between centers for the full height of the door, with the inside face of the bars within 2 in. (51mm) of the threshold.

b. Vertical bars at 5 in. (127mm) centers for the full height of the door and reinforced with at least three horizontal bars, with the inside face of the bars within 2 in. (51mm) of the threshold.

c. An interlocked or contact locked car door or gate, inaccessible from inside the car, and the panel or bars described in Section 3020(b)(14). Exception 3 provided on the hoistway door.

3. For existing installations having excessive clearance between the hoistway door and the car door, the hoistway door shall be equipped with a 36-in. (914mm) high built-up panel on the lower portion of the door or three horizontal bars approximately equally spaced with the upper bar approximately 36 in. (914mm) above the floor and the lower bar approximately 10 in. (254mm) above the floor and with the inside face of the panel or of the bars within 2 in. (51mm) of the threshold.

(15) Projection of Hoistway Doors and Equipment Beyond Landing Sills. Hoistway doors and equipment shall not project into the hoistway beyond the line of the landing threshold opposite the car entrance.

EXCEPTIONS TO SUBSECTION 3020(b)(15);

1. Door operators and interlocks on existing installations.

2. Interlock operating mechanism and interlocks provided that the running clearance from the car sill to the interlock shall be not less than 1/2 in. (13mm).

(16) Opening of Hoistway Doors From the Hoistway Side.

(A) Hoistway doors shall be arranged so that they may be opened by hand from the hoistway side when the car is within the interlock unlocking zone except when the door is locked "out of service."

(B) Means shall not be provided for locking "out of service" either the doors at the main entrance landing or at the top or bottom terminal landing.

(C) Handles or other means provided for operation of manually operated doors shall be located so that it is not necessary to reach back of any panel, jamb, or sash to operate them.

(17) Hangars, Guides, and Guide Shoes for Sliding Hoistway Doors.

(A) All horizontally and vertically sliding hoistway doors shall be hung and guided so that the doors will not be displaced from their guides or tracks when in normal service, nor when the doors are subjected to a constant horizontal force of 250 lbf (1112 N) applied at right angles to and at approximately the center of the door or to the center of each door section where multisection doors are used. Bottom guide shoes, or an auxiliary guide, shall be made of or reinforced with metal to prevent the door from being displaced from its guides.

(B) Combination horizontally sliding and swinging doors shall be so interconnected that:

1. The swinging panel can be opened only when the sliding panel is in the open position, and

2. Both panels shall swing simultaneously

EXCEPTION TO SUBSECTION 3020(b)(17)(B):

Interconnections are not required when both the sliding and the swinging panels are equipped with hoistway door interlocks.

(C) Hangers for horizontally sliding hoistway doors shall be provided with means to prevent the doors from jumping the tracks. Stops shall be provided to prevent the hangers from leaving the ends of the track or suitable stops may be provided on the door only. Hangers and tracks shall be so designed and installed as to support the door in case of fire.

(D) The hangers, tracks, and their supporting brackets and fastenings for horizontally sliding, power-operated hoistway doors shall be constructed to withstand, without damage or appreciable deflection, an imposed load equal to 4 times the weight of the door as applied successively downward and upward at the vertical center line of the assembled door or of each door section.

(E) Door sections or panels of multisection horizontally sliding hoistway doors shall be so connected to each other as to insure simultaneous movement of all sections or panels.

EXCEPTION TO SECTION 3020 (b)(17)(E):

Door sections or panels that are:

1. directly driven by the car door; and

2. equipped with an approved hoistway-unit-system hoistway door interlock on each driven door; and

3. provided with door closer(s) installed to comply with Section 3020(b)(13).

(Title 24, Part 7, Section 7-3020)

(18) Hoistway Door Vision Panels.

(A) Vision panels shall be provided in the following types of elevator hoistway doors.

EXCEPTIONS to subsection 3020(b)(18)(A):

Car switch elevators installed before June 5, 1947.

1. All horizontally swinging doors.

2. Manually operated, even though self-closing, doors of the horizontally sliding type or vertically sliding types except at landings where car position indicators are provided.

(B) Vision panels are required in one section only of multiple section doors, but may be provided in all sections. Vision panels may be provided for any type of hoistway door irrespective of the type of operation of the elevator.

(C) Hoistway doors installed before June 5, 1947, need not be altered to provide vision panels, but a clear section conforming to Section 3020(b)(18)(D)(1), Section 3020(b)(18)(D)(5) and Section 3020(b)(18)(D)(6) shall be provided in cases where existing manually operated grillwork or glass paneled doors are altered by covering or painting.

(D) Vision panels shall conform to the following:

1. The area of any single vision panel shall be not less than 25 in2 (161cm2), and the total area of one or more vision panels in any hoistway door shall be not more than 100 in2 (648cm2).

2. Each clear panel opening shall reject a ball 6 in. (152mm) in diameter.

EXCEPTIONS to subsection 3020(b)(18)(D)2:

Elevators installed before June 5, 1947.

3. Muntins used between panel sections shall be of substantial construction.

4. Vision panel openings shall be glazed with clear wired glass not less than 1/4 in. (6.3mm) thick.

EXCEPTION to subsection 3020(b)(18)(D)4:

Existing vision panels glazed with safety glass.

5. The center of the panel shall be located not less than 54 in. (1.37m) nor more than 66 in. (1.68m) above the landing; except that for vertically sliding, biparting doors, it shall be located to conform with the dimensions specified herein insofar as the door design will permit.

6. Vision panels in horizontally swinging doors shall be located for convenient vision when opening the door from the car side.

7. Glass panels in power-operated doors shall be substantially flush with the landing side surface of the door.

(19) Hoistway Door Counterweight Guides and Enclosure. Hoistway door counterweights, where used, shall run in guides or shall be boxed in. The bottom of the guides or boxes shall be so constructed as to retain the counterweight if the counterweight suspension means breaks.

(1) Use of Hoistway Gates Limited by Building Codes. Freight elevator hoistway entrances may be equipped with gates instead of doors where permissible under governing building codes.

(2) Types of Hoistway Gates. Hoistway gates shall be one of the following types.

(A) Vertically sliding, single or multisection, excluding biparting.

(B) Horizontally sliding, single or multisection.

(C) Where structural conditions preclude the use of vertically sliding or horizontally sliding gates, horizontally swinging or horizontally sliding collapsible gates may be used.

(3) Size of Hoistway Gates. Gates shall fill the entire width of the opening and shall conform to the following:

(A) On new installations gates shall be not less than 6 ft (1.83m) high.

(B) Existing gates shall be not less than 66 in. (1.68m) high; or,

(C) Gates at the top terminal landings of existing elevators, where structural conditions make 66-in. (1.68m) -high gates impractical, may be not less than 41 in. (1.04m) nor more than 45 in. (1.14m) high.

(4) Construction of Hoistway Gates.

(A) Hoistway gates shall be constructed and maintained as to withstand a constant force of 100 lbf (445 N) applied at right angles to and at approximately the center of the gate without deflecting the gate past the line of the threshold or a constant force of 250 lbf (1112 N) similarly applied without forcing the gate from its guides or breaking the gate.

(B) Hoistway gates shall be constructed with slats having spaces between the slats not exceeding 2 in. (51mm), or of openwork steel which will reject a ball 2 in. (51mm) in diameter. A 1-in. (25mm) space is permissible between the bottom of the gate and the floor.

EXCEPTION to subsection 3020(c)(4)(B):

Existing shipper rope controlled elevators operated from the landings may have access openings in the gates 5 in. (127mm) wide and 36 in. (914mm) high, located with the bottom of the opening approximately 30 in. (762mm) from the floor. Where a two-section gate is used, the access slot need not be over 26 in. (661mm) high.

(C) Horizontally sliding, collapsible gates shall be constructed so as to use as few collapsible members as possible, but no gate opening shall be over 3 in. (76mm) in width. Alternate vertical members shall act as guiding members at both top and bottom.

(5) Location of Hoistway Gates.

(A) Collapsible gates shall be installed so that the distance from the inside of the gate and the line of the edge of the car platform shall be not less than 4 in. (102mm) nor more than 5 in. (127mm).

(B) 41-in. (1.04m) to 45-in. (1.14m) high gates at the top landing of elevators having a car top or a meat track shall be maintained so that the distance from the inside of the gate and the hoistway edge of the landing threshold shall be not less than 4 in. (102mm) nor more than 6 in. (152mm).

(C) The distance from the hoistway side of the gate to the hoistway edge of the landing threshold shall be not more than 4 inches, nor less than 2 in. (51mm), except as specified in Section 3020(c)(5)(B).

(D) The space between the bottom of the gate and the floor shall not exceed 1 in. (25mm).

EXCEPTION to subsection 3020(c)(5)(D):

Existing gates installed on elevators before June 5, 1947, may have a space not to exceed 4 in. (102mm).

(6) Operation of Hoistway Gates. Hoistway gates shall be opened and closed manually or by power from a source in no way derived from the motion of the elevator car.

(7) Requirements for Gates Less Than 66 In. (1.68m) High. On existing installations, where gates less than 66 in. (1.68m) high have been installed, the car top, where provided, shall be hinged back at least 18 in. (457mm) from the landing threshold, and no rigid horizontal or projecting member between the vertical sides of the car enclosure shall extend closer than 12 in. (305mm) from the landing thresholds.

EXCEPTIONS to subsection 3020(c)(7):

1. Elevators equipped with car doors or gates.

2. Existing meat tracks but not meat track supports.

(8) Hoistway Gate Counterweights and Suspension Means.

(A) Gate counterweights shall run in guides or in weight boxes and be arranged to retain the weight in the box or in the guides in case of the breaking of the counterweight suspension means.

(B) Vertically sliding hoistway gates shall be so counterweighted or counterbalanced that they will not open or close by gravity.

(Title 24, Part 7, Section 7-3020.)

1. Repealer and new Exceptions of (b)(6)(C), amendment of (b)(14) and (b)(18) filed 6-23-77; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 77, No. 26).
2. Amendment filed 6-23-87; operative 6-23-87 (Register 87, No. 27).
3. Amendment of subsection (b)(17) submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 87, No. 51).
4. Change without regulatory effect amending subsections (b)(18)(C) and (b)(18)(D)2 filed 4-19-93 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 93, No. 16).
5. Amendment of subsection (a)(3)(C) filed 6-29-94; operative 7-29-94 (Register 94, No. 26).
6. Editorial corrections (Register 95, No. 26).

Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.

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