Opening protection ratings
The fire protection rating of each door, frame, and glazed opening in a rated wall under IBC Section 716.
Plan check correction · Fire and life safety
Plan check correction: rated openings, penetrations, and firestopping
A rated wall is only as good as its openings. Reviewers write this comment when the door schedule, the mechanical sheets, or the penetration details do not match the ratings on the plans.
The comment asks you to show how every opening and penetration in a rated assembly keeps the rating: rated doors and glazing with the protection the wall needs, fire or smoke dampers where ducts pass through, and tested firestop systems for pipes, conduit, and joints. Clear it by matching the door schedule and mechanical plans to the rated walls and adding firestop details or a firestop specification reference.
Read the comment
What the plans examiner is asking for
Dampers
Fire, smoke, or combination dampers where ducts pass through rated walls, floors, and shafts under IBC Section 717.
Penetration firestopping
Tested systems for pipes, conduit, and cables through rated assemblies under IBC Section 714.
Joints
Head-of-wall and perimeter joint systems where rated assemblies meet under IBC Section 715.
Published correction lists
How city lists word this correction
Published lists ask for door ratings, fire and smoke dampers, or through-penetration firestop details. Paraphrased from each department’s own published list; the lists do not rank items by how often they are issued.
| City | What the published list asks for | Code cited | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Analyze protected and unprotected exterior wall openings; no openings are allowed under 3 ft fire separation distance, and required door and window protection ratings must be shown. | CBC 705.9; CBC T716.1(2); CBC T716.1(3) | Commercial Plan Check Correction Sheets (2026 LABC), Part II, E. Fire-Resistance Rated Construction, item 6 |
| San Diego | Detail rated walls, ceilings, floors, roofs, shafts and penetrations, citing each assembly's listing number (such as UL or ICC); door schedules should list fire ratings. | — | Project Submittal Manual Section 2, checklist items 5.6.2 and 5.5.1 |
| San Jose | Detail how penetrations and openings in fire-rated assemblies are protected, and include door and window schedules. | — | BDN 01 Information Required on the Drawings, Required Information list |
| San Jose | Mechanical submittals should locate fire, smoke-fire and air dampers and include fire-resistive separation details and corridor construction showing openings and penetrations. | — | Form #323, p. 4, Mechanical Plan Submittal Checklist |
| Seattle | Door and window schedules give fire ratings, U-values, types, sizes and special hardware. The egress plan states the ratings of corridors and stairs, including their doors. | — | Screening Standards - Commercial Tenant Improvement, Door/Window Schedule and Means of Egress/Exiting Plan |
| New York City | Provide firestopping details, and show the location and size of vertical shafts, including garbage and linen chutes, with their fire rating details. | — | Plan Examination Guidelines – Sections 2.4.4 Detail Drawings and 2.4.1 (Miscellaneous Code Items) |
Sources reviewed September 12, 2026. Code sections are as cited on each list and follow that city’s adopted code. Confirm the current list and edition with the department.
Revise the set
What changes on the drawings, and what else to re-check
This correction lives in three disciplines at once. Architectural, mechanical, and plumbing sheets must agree.
| Change | Sheets to revise | Also re-check |
|---|---|---|
| Door rating added or changed | Door schedule; hardware sets | Rated wall tags on plans, self-closing hardware, glazing in the door |
| Dampers added at rated walls | Mechanical plans; damper schedule | Access panels on reflected ceiling plans, electrical power for smoke dampers, controls sequence |
| Firestop details added | Penetration details; specification section reference | Plumbing and electrical routing through rated walls, sleeve sizes |
| Glazing in a rated wall revised | Window and storefront schedule; elevations | Area limits for rated glazing, frame ratings, hardware |
Close the comment
A response the reviewer can verify
An illustrative example written for this guide, not a real project or a city’s wording. Name the sheet, the detail, and the change, so the recheck does not start with a search.
Comment
Door schedule does not show fire ratings for doors in rated corridors. Show fire dampers at duct penetrations of rated walls.
Response
Revised as requested. Door schedule A6.01 now shows 20-minute ratings with self-closers for all corridor doors, matching the one-hour corridor walls on LS1.01. Fire dampers added at six corridor wall penetrations on M2.01 to M2.03, with access panels shown on reflected ceiling plans A3.01 to A3.03.
Before you submit
Catch it before the plans examiner does
Walk every rated wall
Follow each rated wall on the plan and list every door, window, duct, and pipe that crosses it.
Match the schedules
Check that each opening’s schedule row carries the rating the wall needs.
Close the loop in MEP
Confirm the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical sheets show dampers and firestop where their routes cross.
Groundbook compares the drawings, schedules, and specifications with the code and local references you upload, and links each potential issue to the sheets and sections behind it. Your team verifies each finding; the jurisdiction makes every approval decision. See the pre-permit review and drawing-to-code review.
Questions, answered
Rated openings and penetrations: questions
What rating does a door in a one-hour corridor need?
Under IBC Table 716.1(2), doors in rated corridor walls generally need a 20-minute rating. They must also be latching and self-closing or automatic-closing, and meet the smoke and draft limits. State the basis on the door schedule.
Do firestop systems have to be on the drawings?
Many departments accept a firestop specification section with tested system references, while others ask for typical penetration details. Follow the wording of the correction.
Who shows fire dampers, the architect or the mechanical engineer?
The mechanical drawings show dampers, but they depend on the rated walls the architect shows. Coordinate both sets so the damper locations match the ratings.
Keep going
Related corrections and city guides
Fire-rated assemblies
The rating each wall, floor, and roof needs, a tested or listed design for each, and plans that show the ratings consistently.
Read this correctionSheet coordination
Detail references that resolve, and plans, sections, schedules, and consultant sheets that describe the same condition the same way.
Read this correctionFire separation distance
Distances from exterior walls to the lot line, with the wall ratings and opening areas those distances allow.
Read this correctionLos Angeles plan check
How LADBS reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Diego plan check
How DSD reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Jose plan check
How San Jose reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideRespond to plan check comments
Response letter format, six response types, and a free response log.
Read the guideFind the corrections before the plans examiner does
Upload the drawing set with the code and local references that govern it. Groundbook links each potential issue to its sources for your team to verify.