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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 6. Criminal Justice And Corrections
Agency 15. State Board of Local and Regional Jails
Chapter 81. Standards for Planning, Design, Construction, and Reimbursement of Local Correctional Facilities
11/21/2024

6VAC15-81-950. Locks and locking systems.

A. Security level. Locks shall meet the requirements of ASTM F1577 for swinging doors and ASTM F1643 for sliding doors. Locks on perimeter security doors and maximum security doors shall be Security Grade 1. Locks in interior security walls shall be Security Grade 2 or better. Locks in interior security partitions shall be Security Grade 3 or better.

B. Locking devices. Where a high degree of security and positive door control is required in cells, dayrooms, and corridors, sliding door locking devices capable of being operated from a control room are recommended.

C. Magnetic and electromagnetic locks shall not be used as security locks.

D. Controls shall be provided to operate the locks and locking devices in the required modes.

1. The switches, relays, and other devices shall make up a control system compatible with the locks and locking devices and shall be capable of providing the switching necessary to satisfy all desired operational modes.

2. A master control console or panel shall be designed to display all switches to the operator. Normally installed in a secure room (i.e., officer control room) the console shall be equipped with a control for each door, a group control for each wing of the building (or cell block), and controls for the corridor and sally port doors that control access to those wings.

3. In housing control stations and control rooms, door controls shall release cell doors individually, as a group, and as emergency release.

4. Housing control stations and control rooms shall have a local and remote power cutoff and the ability to transfer operation to the master control room.

5. Control panels shall have position, lock, and roller bolt or locking bar indication for security gates and doors.

6. In the event of a power failure the locking system shall be fail secure.

7. Emergency release provisions shall be made for unlocking or group-release of cell doors in case of fire, power failure, or other emergencies.

a. Standby power from a generator is required.

b. Other forms of emergency release shall be reviewed and approved by the reviewing authority.

E. Master keying shall be provided for all security locks. Master keying shall utilize a minimum of two keys so that no one key can be used to get from any point in the facility through multiple doors to the outside of the facility. All secure perimeter doors shall be keyed separately from interior doors.

F. Locks on inmate toilet room doors, with the exception of within housing units, shall be lockable from the outside but not lockable from the inside.

G. Within housing units, locking shall be as follows:

1. Inmate showers and toilet rooms with full height doors shall be staff lockable from the outside but shall not be capable of being locked or latched from the inside.

2. Inmate showers and toilet rooms with partial height doors may be latched from the inside.

H. Staff toilets shall be key locked from the outside and thumb turn operable or not lockable from the inside.

I. Plumbing chases shall not be lockable from the inside.

J. Sally ports interlocking requirements.

1. Sally port doors shall be interlocked in a manner that only one sally port door or gate shall be openable at a time under normal operation. All sally port doors or gates shall be installed so they are confirmed to be locked by mechanical or electronic means prior to the opening of any other door or gate. Sally port locking and unlocking shall be remotely controlled from a secure control room.

2. Vehicular sally port gates or doors shall be capable of being operated and locked from a remote location with provisions for manual operation and locking when power is off or in the event of emergency action.

3. Vehicular sally port doors shall be a minimum of 12 feet high.

4. Rollup and bifold doors in vehicular sally ports, warehouse, and loading docks are not considered security doors.

5. Cell door release shall be separate from housing unit entry door release locking.

6. Doors between adjacent housing units shall not be interlocked with sally ports.

Statutory Authority

§§ 53.1-5, 53.1-80, and 53.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 34, Issue 12, eff. March 8, 2018.

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