Clearing a DOB violation without losing the fobs

01 · The situation

The building ran an intercom and fob-based access control system, with two front doors held by magnetic locks. A NYC Department of Buildings inspection flagged a violation of code §27-2005: the magnetic locks had to go, and the entrances had to provide keyed entry. Management needed to clear the violation quickly — without tearing out the access control the tenants relied on every day.

02 · What we weighed

Cost and speed were the priorities: get compliant fast, with minimal disruption, but use hardware robust enough that we're not back next year. We wanted a solution that satisfied the DOB requirement for keyed egress while keeping the existing fob system fully working for tenants.

03 · The solution

We removed the magnetic locks and replaced them with surface-mounted electric strikes, paired with heavy-duty commercial-grade Marks M9900 exit devices, M99F trim, and rim cylinders — so every door now has proper keyed entry. We converted the circuit from normally-closed (which the maglocks required) to normally-open, removed the now-unnecessary request-to-exit buttons and motion sensors, and wired the access control system directly into the new circuit. Cleaner and simpler than what was there before.

04 · The outcome

The building passed and the violation was cleared. Tenants kept using the same fobs with no change to their routine, and management gained a reliable keyed-entry backup on both doors. One inspection-driven emergency became a permanent upgrade.