Parker Custom Security installs, replaces, and repairs panic bars and exit devices on commercial doors across all five New York City boroughs, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey. We work on rim, surface vertical rod, concealed vertical rod, and mortise exit devices, alarmed "emergency exit only" hardware, fire exit hardware for rated doors, and exit devices tied into access control and automatic door operators. Our clients are property managers, churches, schools, nonprofits, retailers, and building owners who need doors that stay locked from the outside but always open from the inside with a single push. Because Parker also installs the doors and frames, we can fix the sagging door, worn frame, or failing closer that keeps an exit device from latching, not just swap the bar. For installation or repair, call (212) 491-5627 or request a callback.
Panic Bars and Exit Devices We Install
The right exit device depends on the door: single or pair, hollow metal, wood, or aluminum storefront, fire-rated or not, and whether it needs to work with an intercom, card reader, or door operator.
Rim exit devices
The most common panic bar. The latch sits on the face of the door and catches a strike on the frame. A good fit for single hollow metal doors, back-of-house doors, and stair doors.
Surface vertical rod devices
Rods run up (and often down) the face of the door to latch into the head of the frame and the floor. Used on pairs of doors without a center mullion. Top-rod-only versions avoid a bottom rod that drags or gets damaged.
Concealed vertical rod devices
The rods are hidden inside the door, a cleaner look for building entrances, lobbies, and aluminum storefront pairs.
Mortise exit devices
The latch is set into a pocket in the door edge for a stronger, more secure single-door installation at main entrances.
Alarmed exit hardware
"Emergency exit only, alarm will sound" devices for doors that must stay usable as exits but should not be used for everyday traffic: side doors, rear exits, and church and school doors.
Fire exit hardware
Exit devices listed for use on fire-rated doors, for stair, corridor, and other rated openings. They have no mechanical "dogging" to hold the latch open, so the door still latches in a fire.
Exit device brands we install and repair: Von Duprin, Detex, Sargent, and Precision. We also service older and discontinued devices when parts are still available.
We also install electrified exit devices, with latch retraction or request-to-exit switches, that work with access control and intercom systems, plus ADA automatic door operators on entrances with exit hardware.
When the Building Code Requires Panic Hardware
Under the means-of-egress rules in the New York City Building Code (Chapter 10, based on the International Building Code), an exit door has to open from the inside without a key, a tool, or special knowledge or effort. Panic or fire exit hardware is typically required when a door with a lock or latch serves:
- Assembly spaces with 50 or more occupants: churches and houses of worship, event halls, gyms, and restaurants.
- Educational spaces with 50 or more occupants: schools and many daycare and community spaces.
- High-hazard spaces, and certain electrical equipment rooms.
The code also sets how the hardware works: the push bar generally has to span at least half the door's width, mount within a set height range, and release the latch with limited force. On fire-rated doors, the device must be listed as fire exit hardware.
The Fire Code is just as strict about how exits are used. Chains, padlocks, slide bolts, and blocked exit doors are violations. Panic hardware lets you keep the door secure without breaking that rule.
Note: the exact requirement for a door depends on the building's occupancy, occupant load, and approved plans. Parker installs hardware that meets the code for the opening. For a new filing or a change of occupancy, your architect or code consultant sets the requirement.
Panic Bar Repair: Common Problems We Fix
Exit devices get pushed hundreds of times a day, and they fail in predictable ways. Most problems are fixed on one visit.
The door won't latch
The door closes but doesn't lock, so anyone can pull it open from outside. Usually a misaligned strike, a door that has sagged on its hinges, or a closer that isn't pulling the door fully shut.
The bar sticks or is hard to push
Worn internal parts, a bent bar, or a latch binding in the strike. A hard-to-push bar is a safety problem, not just an annoyance.
Vertical rods out of adjustment
On pairs of doors, rods that are too long or too short stop the top or bottom latch from engaging, or keep the door from opening.
Damaged or broken devices
Bars that have been forced, kicked, or pried, broken outside trim, and loose mounting from a door that can't hold screws anymore.
Alarms that false-trip or don't sound
Alarmed exit devices with dead batteries, broken switches, or bad key cylinders, so either the alarm goes off constantly or not at all.
Exits locked the wrong way
Chained, bolted, or padlocked exits are usually a sign the hardware isn't doing its job. We replace it with hardware that secures the door and keeps the exit legal.
When the problem is the door itself, we fix that too. See commercial door repair and our full range of commercial door hardware.
From Worn Doors to Code-Compliant Exits
At a supermarket in Glen Rock, New Jersey, the old back-of-house double doors and their panic hardware were worn out and due for replacement.
Parker replaced the opening with a new pair of hollow metal doors with vision lites. Each leaf got a surface vertical rod exit device and its own closer, so the pair latches at the head of the frame when it closes and opens with a single push from inside.
The same approach works on apartment building basements, church side doors, and school exits: replace the door when it's failing, not just the bar.
Exit Door Not Latching, or Need Panic Hardware Installed?
Tell us about the door: where it is, whether it's a single door or a pair, and what's going wrong. We install and repair exit devices for buildings across New York City, Westchester, and Northern New Jersey.
Keeping Exits Secure Without Blocking Them
The most common question we get is how to stop people from coming in through an exit door without making it hard to get out. The answer is usually a combination of hardware:
- No outside trim, or locked trim, so the door can only be opened from inside, or only with a key or credential from outside.
- Alarmed exit devices that sound when the door is used, to keep side and rear exits from becoming everyday entrances.
- Electrified devices with access control, so staff can badge in while the door still releases with one push from inside.
- Strong doors, frames, and closers, because the best exit device can't secure a door that doesn't close.
Churches and schools often need all of these at once. See how we handled it at St. Clare's Church on Staten Island and Mt. Horeb Church in the Bronx, and our page on access control for schools and houses of worship.
Recent Panic Hardware and Exit Device Work
Every photo below is a Parker Custom Security project. Linked tiles open the full write-up.
Exit Hardware for Every Kind of Building
We work with property managers, building owners, co-op and condo boards, churches, schools, nonprofits, retailers, and facilities directors. We do not service single-family homes.
Manhattan
Stair and lobby doors in pre-war apartment buildings, office exits, and nonprofit and community spaces from Harlem to downtown.
The Bronx
Church doors, storefront entrances, and basement and stair exits in large multi-tenant buildings.
Brooklyn
Multi-family buildings, storefronts, and loft conversions with older openings that need doors and hardware brought up to date.
Queens
Schools, churches, and apartment buildings in Astoria, Long Island City, Corona, Flushing, and beyond.
Staten Island
Houses of worship and assembly spaces where exits must stay secure and always usable.
Westchester& Northern NJ
Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic Counties.
Panic Bar and Exit Device FAQ
Who installs panic bars in NYC?
Parker Custom Security installs, replaces, and repairs panic bars and exit devices on commercial doors in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, as well as Westchester County and Northern New Jersey. Parker has worked on NYC buildings since 2003 and also installs the commercial doors and frames that exit devices mount on. Call (212) 491-5627.
When is panic hardware required on a door in NYC?
Under the NYC Building Code's means-of-egress rules, panic or fire exit hardware is typically required on exit doors that have a lock or latch and serve assembly or educational spaces with 50 or more occupants, high-hazard spaces, and certain electrical equipment rooms. The exact requirement depends on the building's occupancy, occupant load, and approved plans.
What is the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware?
Both let people exit with a single push. Fire exit hardware is also listed for use on fire-rated doors, so it keeps the door latched during a fire and cannot be mechanically held open. A fire-rated door needs fire exit hardware, not a standard panic bar.
Can a panic bar door be locked from the outside?
Yes. A panic bar door can be locked or have no hardware on the outside, so it only opens from inside or with a key or credential. It must still open from the inside with a single push. Electrified exit devices can also work with access control so authorized people can enter.
Why won't my panic bar door latch?
The most common causes are a door that has sagged on its hinges, a strike that is out of alignment, vertical rods out of adjustment on a pair of doors, worn internal parts in the device, or a closer that is not pulling the door fully shut. Parker diagnoses the door, frame, closer, and device together and fixes the actual cause.
Is it legal to chain or padlock an exit door in NYC?
No. Exit doors must be usable without a key or special effort whenever the building is occupied, and chaining, padlocking, or bolting them is a violation. Alarmed exit devices and locked outside trim secure the door without blocking the exit.
What panic bar brands do you install?
Parker installs and repairs exit devices from Von Duprin, Detex, Sargent, and Precision, and services older devices when parts are still available. We match the device to the door, its fire rating, and how the opening is used.
Do you repair panic bars that another company installed?
Yes. Parker repairs and adjusts exit devices regardless of who installed them. If a device is too worn or damaged to repair, or is the wrong type for the door, we will explain the replacement options and give you a clear price first.
Get Your Exit Doors Secure and Code-Ready
Tell us the address, which doors need work, and what's going wrong. We'll recommend the right exit device for each opening and give you a clear quote.
Parker Custom Security — 217 W. 135th Street, New York, NY 10030
Serving the greater New York metropolitan area since 2003.