Commercial space failing fire-marshal inspection? New build needing single-action egress hardware? Old Detex showing its age and the bar wobbles? We install Detex, Von Duprin, and Sargent panic devices on commercial doors across PSL, Stuart, Jensen Beach, and the Treasure Coast.
Panic bar / panic device installation in Port St. Lucie - Detex 10 / 20 / 22 series, Von Duprin 33 / 88 series, Sargent 80 series, Adams Rite for aluminum storefronts.
Cost: $420-720 per single door including hardware and labor. Double-door electrified setups 1.6-2.5x.
Florida Fire Code (FFPC 7th Ed / NFPA 101) compliance work - we coordinate with local fire marshal on inspection-driven retrofits.
The PSL fire marshal walked your storefront, your church fellowship hall, or your Treasure Coast Square retail unit and left a deficiency notice: any room with occupancy load over 50 needs panic hardware on the egress door. You have 30 days. A general contractor will quote you $1,200 plus 'parts to be determined' and ghost you for two weeks.
Doctor Lockout installs Detex Value-Series, Detex Advantex, Von Duprin 99 series, Von Duprin 22 series, Sargent 8800 and 8900 series, and Adams Rite 8000 panic devices to the actual code requirements - 32-inch clear width, mounted 34-48 inches off the floor, less than 15 lbf to operate, fail-safe in the egress direction. We pull the permit if PSL requires one and we are on the inspection.
Panic bar installation $420-720 including hardware. Call (772) 284-5142 for code-compliant install scheduled around your business hours.
NFPA 101 and Florida Building Code spec'd: 32-inch clear width, 34-48 inch mounting height, less than 15 lbf operation.
Detex Value-Series and Advantex, Von Duprin 99 and 22, Sargent 8800 and 8900, Adams Rite 8000 - rim and surface vertical rod.
Hardware plus labor plus strike plus mounting. Quote held on the phone, no on-site upcharge for templating or drilling.
Outside trim with night latch keyway lets staff lock and unlock from outside without compromising egress from inside.
Standard hollow-metal door with existing prep is a 90-minute install. New prep on unprepped door is a 3-hour install.
We notify the PSL fire marshal's office when the install is complete to schedule re-inspection.
General contractors install panic bars between framing jobs. They do not know UL listings, they do not size strikes for rim vs vertical-rod, and they will mount a Grade 2 commercial panic on a fire-rated door which will fail re-inspection. Doctor Lockout does panic hardware as a daily job.
Fire-rated openings get UL-listed fire panic hardware. Egress-only openings get standard panic. We do not mix them up.
Single doors get rim panics. Double doors get rim plus removable mullion, or surface vertical rod on each leaf.
Retail wants hex dogging for daytime push-through. Schools want no dogging for security. We configure per use case.
Some PSL commercial occupancies need a building permit for hardware change. We handle the paperwork.
Florida Fire Code requires single-action egress hardware on every door in the path of egress from an occupied commercial space. "Single-action" means a customer or employee can exit in one motion without thinking. The most common failures:
If your space has any of these and you're due for a fire-marshal inspection, the panic bar retrofit is what you'll be asked for.
The four series we install most in PSL:
Detex 10 / 20 / 22. Surface-mounted rim devices, common on older commercial and small business storefronts. Detex Advantex / Value Series for budget retrofits. ECL-230 series for exit alarms with audible warning. $180-380 hardware.
Von Duprin 33 / 88 / 98 / 99. Industry standard, found on a lot of school / institutional / mid-grade commercial work. 88 series is the most common modern install. 99 series for higher-security or electrified retrofits. $260-580 hardware.
Sargent 80 series. Specified on many PSL government buildings, schools, hospitals. 8800 series for surface mount, 8700 for concealed vertical rod. $240-550 hardware.
Adams Rite (aluminum storefront). For the all-glass aluminum-framed doors common at Treasure Coast plazas - Tradition Square, the PGA Boulevard strip, Riverwalk. MS1850S mortise paired with Adams Rite panic devices. $180-420 hardware.
We carry common hardware on the van; specialty / electrified versions get ordered in (2-5 day lead time).
| Service | Typical Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surface-mount panic bar single door (Detex / Von Duprin) | $420 - $720 | Includes hardware ($180-380) + labor. |
| Surface-mount panic bar double door | $720 - $1,280 | Two devices + coordinator if needed. |
| Concealed vertical rod panic device | $680 - $1,160 | More complex install, higher hardware cost. |
| Electrified panic bar with REX / monitoring | $880 - $1,640 | Plus cable run cost. |
| Adams Rite panic + storefront mortise retrofit | $580 - $980 | For aluminum-framed glass doors. |
| Exit alarm panic device (Detex ECL-230) | $520 - $820 | Audible alarm on unauthorized egress. |
| Existing panic bar service / rebuild | $140 - $320 | Replace springs, adjust latching, no full hardware swap. |
| Decision | Doctor Lockout | National security integrator | Handyman / general contractor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire code compliance experience | Yes - weekly installs | Yes - usually 2-3x cost | Limited |
| Hardware in stock on van | Yes (common series) | No - ordered in | No |
| Same-day install (single door) | Yes for stock hardware | 1-2 week lead | Varies |
| Coordinates with fire marshal re-inspect | Yes free for our jobs | Yes - quoted separately | No |
| Pulls permit when required | Yes | Yes | Sometimes |
| Hardware at MSRP (no markup) | Yes | Often 20-40% over MSRP | Varies |
Real person on the phone in under 2 rings. Locksmith on-site in 15-30 minutes. Honest price before any tools come out.
Call (772) 284-5142Florida Fire Code requires single-action egress hardware on every door in a path of egress from occupied commercial space. If your fire marshal inspection has flagged the door, or you're a new build, or you've added occupancy that pushes you over the 50-occupant threshold for outward-swinging doors, panic bar retrofit is the required fix.
$420-720 for a standard single door including hardware (Detex / Von Duprin / Sargent surface-mount) and labor. Double doors 1.6-2.5x. Electrified panic bars with REX (request-to-exit) wiring and monitoring run $880-1640 per door including cable runs.
Single surface-mount: 1-2 hours per door. Double door with coordinator: 2-3 hours. Electrified install with REX wiring and door contact: 3-5 hours per door including running cable to your access control panel. We schedule around your business hours and most PSL plaza tenants do install on Saturdays or after closing.
If you have or want access control (Brivo, OpenPath, Verkada, etc.), we install the electrified version of the panic bar plus a REX (request-to-exit) sensor and door contact, wired back to your access controller. We work with all the common platforms.
Generally no for like-for-like replacement on an existing certificate-of-occupancy commercial space. Permit is required for new builds, change of occupancy classification, or life-safety system additions. We tell you upfront if your specific job needs a permit and we pull it if needed.
Mostly yes. Florida residential code doesn't require panic devices on single-family homes. Multi-family (apartments, condos) above a certain occupancy threshold may require them on common-area egress doors. We have done some specialty residential installs (panic rooms, school buildings on residential lots), but 95% of our panic bar work is commercial.
Panic bar work clusters along US-1, PSL Boulevard, the Tradition Square / Tradition Centre Drive corridor, St Lucie West Boulevard, and the older Treasure Coast plazas in Stuart, Jensen Beach, and Port Salerno. Industrial accounts in the PSL Industrial Park off Range Line Rd.
Last updated: 2026-05-18
