Shop door access rules
For a shop entrance in England, guidance gives a 1000 mm effective clear width, or 775 mm in an existing building, a threshold of no more than 15 mm and limits on door force. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own guidance.
5 minute read. Last updated November 2026.
How wide does a shop door need to be?
Approved Document M, Volume 2, gives a minimum effective clear width of 1000 mm for external doors to new buildings used by the general public, and 775 mm in an existing building. These are the figures for England. Wales publishes the same widths in its own Approved Document M.
| Door position | New building (mm) | Existing building (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| External door to a building used by the general public | 1000 | 775 |
| Straight-on approach | 800 | 750 |
| At right angles to an access route at least 1500 mm wide | 800 | 750 |
| At right angles to an access route at least 1200 mm wide | 825 | 775 |
Effective clear width is not the size of the door leaf. Approved Document M measures it at right angles to the wall, from the edge of the stop on the latch side to the nearest obstruction on the hinge side. That obstruction might be projecting furniture, the door or the stop. A door leaf 838 mm wide can give much less than that once it is open.
What threshold does a shop entrance need?
A shop entrance should be level, or have a threshold of no more than 15 mm in total if a raised threshold cannot be avoided. Any upstand over 5 mm should be chamfered or rounded. This is paragraph 2.7(e) in England, and the 15 mm limit also appears in the Welsh document.
The same English paragraph calls for a level landing of at least 1500 mm by 1500 mm, clear of door swings. Many existing shops open straight onto a pavement with a step, and that cannot always be fixed from inside the frontage. When we replace a frontage, we look at the threshold first, because a new shopfront is usually the best chance to deal with it.
How heavy can a shop door be to open?
In England, a manual entrance door should open with no more than 30 N at the leading edge from 0° to 30°, and no more than 22.5 N from 30° to 60°. Wales differs here. Its Approved Document M sets 20 N at the leading edge for manually operated entrance doors, so do not use the English figure in a Welsh shop.
Check these other points in Approved Document M as well:
- At least 300 mm of clear space on the pull side, beside the leading edge, unless the door is powered.
- Door furniture that can be used with one hand and limited dexterity, and that contrasts visually with the door.
- Glass doors made visible through manifestation, under the rules for glazing.
The document notes that self-closing devices on non-powered doors are unlikely to be openable by many people, and it prefers powered systems. On a heavy entrance door that is a practical answer as well as a compliance one.
What are the rules for automatic shop doors?
Approved Document M says automatic doors should open early enough and stay open long enough for safe passage, and should revert to manual control or fail safe open if power fails. Manual controls should sit 750 mm to 1000 mm above the floor, and 1400 mm back from the door if they are on the opening side.
Adding an automatic sliding door to a new frontage has a guide price of £2,495 to £4,495 plus VAT. A separate automatic sliding or swing entrance has a guide price of £3,895 to £11,995 plus VAT. BS EN 16005 is the standard for the safety of power operated pedestrian doorsets, and a powered door is covered by the workplace safety rules on trapping and maintenance.
Can a shop door open outwards onto the pavement?
In England and Wales, a door on premises that opens on a street must not open outwards, under section 153 of the Highways Act 1980, unless it is on a public building and has consent. The council can serve notice requiring it to be altered.
That sits awkwardly with fire safety. Article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 says emergency doors must open in the direction of escape, where needed to protect people from fire. Most small shops use the main door as an ordinary exit and the risk assessment decides whether it is an emergency door. If you need an outward-opening exit, setting the door back in a recess is one way to keep the leaf off the pavement. Agree the answer with building control and your fire risk assessor.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have matching fire safety rules in their own regulations, and their own roads law, so ask the council there.
What does the Equality Act mean for a shop door?
The Equality Act 2010 requires shops in England, Wales and Scotland to take reasonable steps so that physical features do not put disabled people at a substantial disadvantage. Section 20 says avoiding that disadvantage includes removing the feature, altering it, or providing a reasonable means of avoiding it. A physical feature includes the design of a building and the approach to it.
Schedule 2 says the duty is owed to disabled people generally, so you plan ahead and do not wait for a complaint. It does not require a step that would fundamentally alter the nature of the service.
The building rules and the Equality Act are separate, and meeting one does not prove the other.
| Nation | Building guidance | Equality duty |
|---|---|---|
| England | Approved Document M, Volume 2 | Equality Act 2010 |
| Wales | Approved Document M, Wales edition | Equality Act 2010 |
| Scotland | Technical Handbook, Non-domestic, Section 4 | Equality Act 2010 |
| Northern Ireland | Technical Booklet R | Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as it applies in Northern Ireland. The Equality Act does not extend there on this point |
How can I check my own shop door?
You can check the basics in ten minutes with a tape measure.
- Open the door fully and measure the clear gap, past any handle.
- Measure any step or threshold at its highest point.
- Stand on the pull side and check for 300 mm of clear wall beside the handle.
- Ask someone with limited grip or a pushchair to try the door.
- Check that glass doors are clearly marked at eye level and at waist level.
Put your width in the quote tool, or contact us about a new door. We check all of this at the free survey for new work.
Common questions
Does an old shop door have to be widened?
Building guidance applies when you do building work to which it relates. The Equality Act duty is separate and can apply to an existing door, depending on what is reasonable.
Is 775 mm wide enough for a new shop door?
The 775 mm figure in Approved Document M is for existing buildings. A new building used by the general public has a 1000 mm figure.
Are the door force figures the same in Wales?
No. England gives 30 N and 22.5 N across the opening arc, and the Welsh Approved Document M gives 20 N at the leading edge.
Do I need a ramp?
It depends on the level difference, the pavement and what is reasonable. Ask building control. Anything on a public pavement involves the highway authority.
Related services
Sources
- GOV.UK: Approved Document M, Volume 2, buildings other than dwellings
- Welsh Government: Approved Document M, access to and use of buildings
- Welsh Government: amendments to Approved Document M
- Highways Act 1980, section 153
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14
- Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, regulation 13
- Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, regulation 13
- Equality Act 2010, section 20
- Equality Act 2010, Schedule 2
- Equality Act 2010, section 217 (extent)
- nibusinessinfo: disabled access and facilities in business premises
- Department of Finance (Northern Ireland): building regulations technical booklets
- HSE: L24, Workplace health, safety and welfare, Approved Code of Practice (2013)
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