Fire Rated Apartment Door Replacement — Labelled Door, Frame, Closer
One of your corridor fire doors is damaged, missing its label, or was swapped for the wrong door.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Fire rated apartment door replacement means replacing a labelled assembly, not just a slab: the rated door, the frame it was tested with, hinges, a positive-latching lockset and a closer. JMB Builders reads the existing labels, orders a door that carries the rating the building requires, hangs it with the hardware the rating allows, and records the labels for the owner. Twin Cities metro to St. Cloud, priced per door.
- Priced per door
- Door and frame labels photographed for your file
- Closer and latch tested from fully open
A fire door is rated as an assembly. The door, the frame, the hinges, the latch and the closer were tested together, and the label on the door edge and the one on the frame say what rating that assembly carries. On a unit door off a corridor the label often reads 20 minutes; stair and shaft doors are usually higher. Your building official decides what each opening needs.
That is why a residential slab cannot be swapped in. A store door has no label, and a rated door cut down, drilled for a deadbolt it was not prepped for, or fitted with a big glass lite or a pet door can lose its label. The gaps around the door, the latch catching every time, and the closer pulling it shut from fully open are part of the rating too.
So we start with the labels. We photograph what is on the door and frame, measure the opening, and order a rated door made to that size with the hinge and lock prep already in it. It goes in with hardware listed for fire doors, the closer and latch set and tested, and you get a photo record of each new label for your file. Before we bid a building of five or more units, we check the city's contractor licensing and permit rules for that building.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Which doors, with a photo of each door edge label and frame label, or a note that there is none
- Any fire inspection report or correction order that names the doors
- Your hardware standard: lever, deadbolt, viewer, kick plate
- Access to the corridor and units on the work days
What JMB supplies
- Label and size check of each door and frame before ordering
- A rated door made to the opening, prepped for the hinges and lock
- Hinges, latch and closer that suit a rated door
- Door hung so it clears, closes and latches from fully open
- Old door removed and hauled away; hallway protected
- Photos of each new door label and frame label for your records
- A certificate of insurance and a W-9 on request
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- The rating on the label and the door material
- Whether the existing labelled frame stays
- Lockset, deadbolt, viewer and closer specified
- Glass lites, which need rated glazing
- Doors with no label, which may need a new frame too
- Painting the new door as its own line
A photo of the door-edge label and frame label decides most of the order. No label? Say so. Photos get a reply within one business day; a free in-home estimate is the other way in.
How long it takes
Typically half a day per door in an existing rated frame. Rated doors are made to order, so the lead time depends on the maker and is written on the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Read the labels
We photograph the label on the door edge and the frame, measure the opening and note the hardware. A missing label goes on the quote as a finding.
- 2
Order to the label
A rated door is ordered at the size and rating the building requires, with the hinge, lock and closer prep made at the factory instead of cut in the field.
- 3
Hang and set
Door hung on the hinges, latch and closer fitted, the gaps checked and the closer set so it shuts and latches from fully open.
- 4
Record it
Photos of the new labels, the closed door and the hardware go to your job folder for the next fire inspection.
Fire Rated Apartment Door Replacement — Labelled Door, Frame, Closer: questions, answered
What does a 20 minute fire door on an apartment mean?
It means the door assembly was tested to hold back fire and smoke for 20 minutes, and the label says so. Many unit doors off a corridor carry that rating, but your building may require it or another rating. The building official decides, and we order to that.
Can I replace a fire rated apartment door with a regular door?
No. A door without a fire label breaks the corridor's separation and will usually be written up at the next fire inspection. The replacement has to carry the rating the building requires and go in with hardware that suits it.
Where is the label on a fire door?
Usually on the hinge edge of the door, either a metal plate or an embossed mark, and on the frame, often in the hinge-side jamb or the head. Paint can hide it. Send a photo of both and we check them before ordering.
Can a fire door be cut down or drilled for a new lock?
Not in a way the label does not allow. Cutting the bottom, adding a lite or drilling for hardware it was not prepped for can void the rating. That is why we order rated doors with the lock, viewer and closer prep made at the factory.
Does a fire rated unit door need a closer?
A rated corridor door is meant to close and latch on its own, so it usually has a closer or spring hinges. Taking it off or propping the door defeats the rating. We set the closer so the door latches from fully open without slamming.
Do you keep records of the new fire door labels?
Yes. Every door we hang gets photos of the door label, the frame label and the closed, latched door, filed by unit in your job folder. That is the record a fire inspector or your insurer may ask for.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All apartment buildings pages
Where we work
Apartment & Multifamily Window and Door Projects near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: