House Bill 894 would create a temporary exemption from North Carolina State Building Code door-lock requirements for certain firearm businesses. The bill directs the State Building Code Council to adopt rules allowing federally licensed firearms dealers that are primarily engaged in selling firearms or ammunition to receive an exemption from the door-lock provisions during nonbusiness hours, when the store is closed to the public. Until those permanent rules take effect, the bill establishes an interim permit process administered by local fire code officials.
Under the interim process, eligible businesses would have to pay a $500 permit fee and meet several conditions, including limits on the size and layout of the sales floor, installation of approved smoke, fire, and break-in alarm systems, distribution of a written closing/locking plan to employees, and conspicuous signage warning that doors remain locked from the inside even in a fire. Local inspection departments would issue and monitor permits, share them with local law enforcement and fire agencies, and revoke them if the business fails to comply or uses the exemption outside nonbusiness hours. The interim exemption would sunset once the permanent rules are adopted and become effective.
The bill would modify how the State Building Code applies to a narrow class of firearm retailers by carving out an exemption from door-lock requirements in the means-of-egress provisions. It would also require the State Building Code Council to amend the Code through rulemaking and would assign local inspection departments new permitting, inspection, notification, and enforcement duties. Affected parties include federally licensed gun dealers primarily selling firearms or ammunition, local fire code officials, local inspection departments, and local law enforcement and fire protection agencies.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote, so there is no documented debate to indicate strong support or opposition. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears designed to address concerns from firearm businesses about compliance with building code door-lock rules while preserving fire-safety oversight through permits, inspections, and signage requirements. The absence of recorded discussion makes the overall sentiment difficult to gauge beyond the bill’s apparent targeted, regulatory approach.
The main point of contention is likely the balance between business access and fire/life-safety protections. Supporters would likely emphasize that the bill gives gun dealers a workable exemption during closed hours and avoids automatic door-unlocking requirements, while opponents may argue that allowing doors to remain locked from the inside even during a fire could create safety risks. Another potential issue is the narrowness of the exemption: it applies only to certain federally licensed dealers, only under local permitting, and only until permanent rules are adopted, which may limit broader applicability and invite debate over local discretion and enforcement.