(a) Car Doors and Gates.

1. (1) Requirement for Door or Gates.

   A door or gate shall be provided at each entrance to the car.

2. (2) Type of Doors.

   Doors shall be of the horizontally or vertically sliding type.

3. (3) Type of Gates.

   Gates shall be either of the horizontally or vertically sliding type, subject to the requirements given under Sections 1604.18(a)(5) and 1604.18(a)(9). Scissor type gates shall be prohibited.

4. (4) Strength of Doors, Gates, and Their Guides, Guide Shoes, Tracks, and Hangers.

   Doors and gates and their guides, guide shoes, tracks, and hangers shall be so designed, constructed, and installed that when the fully closed door or gate is subjected to a force of 75 pounds, applied on an area of 1-foot square at right angles to, and approximately at the center of, the door or gate, it will not deflect beyond the line of the car sill. When subjected to a force of 250 pounds similarly applied, doors and vertically sliding gates shall not break or be permanently deformed and shall not be displaced from their guides or tracks. Where multisection doors or gates are used, each panel shall withstand the forces specified.

5. (5) Sliding Doors and Gates.

   1. (A) Vertically sliding gates shall be of the balanced counterweighted type or the biparting counterbalanced type.
   2. (B) Gates or doors shall be of a design which will reject a ball 1 ½ inches in diameter.
   3. (C) Doors or gates shall guard the full width and height of the car entrance opening.
   4. (D) Balanced counterweighted doors or gates may be either single or multiple section, and may slide either up or down to open.

   Sliding doors or gates shall conform to the following requirements:

6. (6) Weights for Closing or Balancing Doors or Gates.

   Weights used to close or balance doors or gates shall be located outside the car enclosure and shall run in guides or be boxed in. Guides shall be of metal, and the bottom of the guides or boxes shall be so constructed as to retain the weight if the suspension member fails.

7. (7) Suspension Members.

   Suspension members of vertically sliding car doors or gates, and of weights used with car doors or gates, shall have a factor of safety of not less than five.

8. (8) Manual Opening of Car Doors or Gates.

   Car doors or gates shall be arranged so that when the car is stopped they may be opened by hand from inside the car, subject to the requirements of Section 1604.18(b)(3).

9. (9) Number of Entrances Permitted.

   There shall be not more than two entrances to the car.

   Exception: Special building arrangements requiring more than two entrances and accepted by the division before construction is begun.

(b) Car Door Gate Electric Contacts.

1. (1) Location of Car Door or Gate Electric Contacts.

   Car door or gate electric contacts shall be so located that they are not readily accessible from the inside of the car.

2. (2) General Design Requirements.

   1. (A) Car door or gate electric contacts shall be positively opened by a lever or other device attached to, and operated by, the door or gate.
   2. (B) Car door or gate electric contacts shall be maintained in the open position by the action of gravity or by a restrained compression spring, or both, or by positive mechanical means.

   Car door or gate electric contacts shall conform to the following requirements:

3. (3) Mechanical Lock of Car Door on Side Opposite Building or Other Structure.

   A mechanical lock shall be provided to prevent opening of the car gate on the side opposite the building or structure, unless the car is at the ground level landing or equivalent.

4. (4) Closed Position of Car Doors or Gates.

   1. (A) Horizontally sliding doors or gates shall be considered to be in the closed position when the clear open space between the leading edge of the door or gate and the nearest face of the jamb does not exceed 2 inches.
   2. (B) Vertically sliding counterweighted doors or gates shall be considered to be in the closed position when the clear open space between the leading edge of the door or gate and the car platform sill does not exceed 2 inches.
   3. (C) Horizontally sliding biparting doors, or vertically sliding biparting counterbalanced doors, shall be considered to be in the closed position when the door panels are within 2 inches of contact with each other.

   Car doors or gates shall be considered to be in the closed position under the conditions as follows:

Car doors or gates shall be provided with car door or gate electric contacts.