What to know about door access control in Queen Creek
Do not block the fire department key box
Queen Creek's amended fire code has fire-department key boxes mounted between 5.5 and 6 feet above grade, kept visible and lit, with nothing stored or planted to hide them. A new reader, keypad or door hardware plan has to leave that box clear. We note its location during the walkthrough and place readers around it.
Source: Queen Creek fire code amendments 506.1.2 and 506.1.3
The fire department keeps a drawing of every door
Fire pre-incident plan floor plans must show every ingress and egress door, including roll-up doors and roof hatches, plus alarm panels and key boxes. If you add or change a controlled door, the drawing should match. We give you a door list from the plan so your records stay current.
Source: Queen Creek fire code amendment, preplan floor plans
Alarm connections need Fire permits
The Town says fire sprinklers, fire alarms and commercial kitchen hood fire suppression need separate Fire permits, apart from the building permit. If you want locked doors to release when the building alarm sounds, that connection involves the alarm system, so we ask Fire before we wire it. Fire Prevention contacts are in the box at the bottom of this page.
Source: Queen Creek Commercial Tenant Improvements and Fire permits pages
Low-voltage reader wiring may be exempt, but power is not
Reader and lock wiring may fall under the Town's electrical exemption list, which names low-energy Class II and Class III circuits and wiring under 27 volts that cannot supply more than 50 watts. The outlets and circuits feeding the power supply are not covered. The Town asks you to call and find out whether a permit applies: Building Safety, (480) 358-3009.
Source: Queen Creek amendments to the 2021 codes, Town Code 7.1.4.2.3
What a door access system is made of
Each controlled door has a reader, an electric lock and a way to leave. A controller wired to those doors decides who gets in, and software on a computer or the web holds the list of people, doors and schedules.
Lock choice matters. An electric strike works with a standard door and is quiet. A magnetic lock holds with a large magnet and is common on glass doors, but it must release when power fails or someone pushes the exit. We choose the lock for each door and tell you why.
Fobs, cards, keypads and phones
Fobs and cards are cheap to replace and simple for staff. Keypads need nothing to carry, but a code gets shared. Phone credentials remove the cards but depend on each person's phone. Many shops use fobs for staff and a keypad on a storeroom.
- Fob or card: one per person, canceled in software when lost.
- Keypad: no credential to lose, less tied to one person.
- Phone credential: no card to issue, a phone is needed.
- Reader plus keypad: for doors that need two steps.
Rules that match how you work
The rules are the point of access control. A closing manager can enter at any hour. A line cook can open the back door only during a shift. A contractor's fob can stop working on Friday. The log shows who opened the storeroom and when, which settles many arguments.
Doors in new Queen Creek buildings
Queen Creek is filling in with new buildings. Town Economic Development Commission minutes put a manufacturing facility about half complete in April 2025 and, in July 2025, noted one hotel with a second expected to break ground soon. The Commission's FY26 work plan included carrying out the Town Center/Downtown Core Plan. Those projects add offices, back-of-house doors and storerooms that benefit from controlled entry.
In a new tenant space, each space needs its own building permit application, and only a commercial contractor approved by the Town may do the construction work. We coordinate door hardware with your general contractor so the rough-in happens before walls close.
From first walkthrough to working doors
- A walkthrough of each door, frame and exit path.
- A door list with the lock, reader and rules for each.
- Wiring, hardware and controller install, timed around your hours.
- Enrolling your staff, setting schedules and testing every door, including loss of power.
- Service calls after that, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Often paired with
A security camera at the same door shows who the fob belongs to, so readers and cameras usually go in together. Both need structured cabling behind them. Everything else we do here is listed on Enzo in Queen Creek.
