What is a panic bar, and when does a Burbank business need one?
A panic bar is the horizontal bar you push to open an exit door. Trade people also call it a push bar, a crash bar, an exit device, or panic hardware. The idea is simple: anyone inside can leave with one push, without a key, without turning a knob, and without knowing how the lock works. That is the whole point, and it is why the hardware is held to a stricter standard than an ordinary door lock.
Whether a particular door must have one depends on the building's use and how many people it is designed to hold. That is decided by the building and fire officials who review your space, not by a locksmith, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we do is install the hardware once you know what is required, repair it when it stops working, and tell you plainly when something on your door looks wrong for the way the room is used.
In Burbank, the doors that usually need this kind of hardware are the back and side exits of restaurants and retail shops, assembly rooms, offices with larger staff counts, warehouses and production space, and the stairwell and corridor doors in larger apartment buildings. If you are not sure which of your doors count, the safest first step is a walk-through. Call (213) 577-1366 and we will come look.
Why do exit doors fail, and what does a failing one look like?
Most panic hardware does not fail dramatically. It wears out slowly while people keep using it, and then one day a door will not open when it should, or will not stay locked when it should. Both are problems, and the first one is the serious one.
Exit devices sit on doors that get hit hundreds of times a week. Staff shoulder them open with a loaded cart, customers shove them, delivery crews prop them, and wind pulls them shut hard. Over the years the latch wears, the spring weakens, the mounting screws loosen in the door skin, and the strike plate shifts out of alignment. Add a door closer that is set too aggressively and the whole assembly takes a beating on every cycle.
- The bar sticks halfway down or does not spring back up on its own.
- The latch does not fully retract when you push, so you have to lean on the door.
- The door will not latch when it closes, which leaves your back exit unsecured overnight.
- The bar is loose, rattles, or has pulled away from the door face.
- Someone has chained, wedged, or screwed the door shut to stop theft. This is an egress problem, and we would rather fix the real cause.
- A cylinder or trim on the outside is damaged from a break-in attempt or a forced entry.
- The alarm on an alarmed exit device sounds with no cause, or does not sound at all.
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Call (213) 577-1366How does panic bar installation work, step by step?
Installation is more than bolting a bar on a door. The door, the frame, the closer, and the way the door is used all have to agree with the device. Here is how we run a typical job, whether it is a new installation or a replacement of old panic hardware.
- Talk through the door. We ask what the door is used for, who uses it, whether it is also an entry door, and whether anyone has told you it must meet a specific requirement.
- Inspect the door and frame. We check the material (hollow metal, aluminum storefront, or wood), the thickness, the condition of the edge and hinges, any existing preps from older hardware, and whether the door carries a fire rating label.
- Choose the device. We match the type of exit device to the door: surface rim device, vertical rod, concealed rod, or mortise style. We explain why we picked it and what the alternatives would mean.
- Prepare the door. If a previous device was removed, we deal with leftover holes, and we reinforce where needed so the mounting does not tear out of thin door skin.
- Mount the device and strike. We set the bar at a usable height, align the latch to the strike, and make sure the door closes and latches without being slammed.
- Set up the outside. Depending on your needs, the exterior gets a blank plate, a lever trim, or a keyed cylinder. We key it to your existing system if you have one.
- Test it properly. We cycle the device many times, push it the way a person in a hurry would, check the closer speed, and confirm the door latches itself every time.
- Walk you through it. We show you how to dog the bar down if that is appropriate for your door, how to spot early wear, and what not to do, such as propping or chaining the door.
Which exit device fits which door?
There is no single best exit device. The right one depends on the door and the use. We would rather explain the options than push a model, so here is how we think about them.
- Rim exit devices: the common choice for a single door. The latch sits on the door edge and catches a strike on the frame. Good for many back and side exits.
- Surface vertical rod devices: rods run to the top and bottom of the door. These suit pairs of doors where there is no center post, though the visible rods are a trade-off.
- Concealed vertical rod devices: the rods run inside the door, which looks cleaner. They need a door built for it, so they are often a better fit for new doors than for retrofits.
- Mortise exit devices: they use a heavier lock body set into the door edge and are often found on storefront and heavier commercial doors.
- Fire-rated exit hardware: if the door has a fire rating, the hardware must be listed for fire doors. A standard bar will not do, and we check for the door label before recommending anything.
- Alarmed or delayed exit devices: they sound when someone leaves through a door that should not be used casually. They are common where theft or unauthorized exit is a concern, but they must still release when pushed.
- Electrified exit devices: the bar still releases from inside, but the outside can be unlocked remotely or by credential. That ties into access control installation, and we coordinate the two so the door behaves as one system.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366How much does panic bar installation cost in Burbank?
We will not quote a number on a web page, because any number would be a guess about a door we have not seen. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost, so nothing in the estimate surprises you.
The biggest factor is the device itself. A basic rim device for a single steel door is a very different product from a fire-listed concealed-rod device for a pair of doors, or an electrified device wired into a credential reader. The second factor is the door. A solid, properly prepped steel door takes new hardware easily. A worn door with old holes, a thin skin, or a damaged edge needs reinforcement or repair first, and that is labor and material.
Other things that shift the estimate include whether the job is installation of something new or replacement of an existing device that already has the right preps, how many doors are involved, whether the exterior needs a keyed cylinder or trim, whether you want the cylinder keyed to an existing system, whether power or an alarm has to be connected, and whether the work is during business hours or an urgent after-hours call.
The lighter-cost route is often repair rather than replacement, when the device is sound and a worn latch, spring, or strike is the real problem. The more economical route is also usually to replace several matching devices in one visit, rather than coming back door by door. We tell you which situation you are in after we look, and you decide before we start work.
Should you repair your panic bar or replace it?
Panic bar repair makes sense when the body of the device is in good shape and one part has worn out. Common repairable problems are a weak spring, a worn latch, a loose mounting, a misaligned strike, or a trim that has been damaged. In those cases, a repair restores normal operation without the expense and disruption of new hardware.
Replacement is the better answer when the device is badly worn throughout, when parts are no longer available for an older model, when the door has been forced and the housing is bent, or when the device does not suit the door in the first place. We also lean toward replacement when a device has been repaired repeatedly and keeps coming back, because at that point you are paying to keep a failing part alive.
One rule we hold to: if a door will not open freely from the inside, we treat it as urgent. A stuck exit is not a nuisance, it is a safety problem, and it should not wait for a convenient week. If the fix can be done on the spot, we do it. If it needs parts we do not have on the van, we tell you what the door needs, and we help you decide how to run the space safely until it is back to normal.
Panic bars often work alongside other door hardware. If the door slams, drags, or never latches because of the closer, see our page on door closer repair. For a broader set of commercial hardware on the same door, such as hinges, locksets, and thresholds, see commercial door hardware.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What does exit hardware look like around Burbank?
Burbank is a working business city, and that shapes the exit hardware we see. Around the Media District, offices and production-related spaces tend to have a mix of public lobby doors, staff entrances, and back-of-house exits, often with credential readers on the entry side. In that kind of setting a panic bar on an exit door usually has to cooperate with access control: free exit from inside, controlled entry from outside. That is where an electrified exit device or a bar paired with a reader earns its place, and it is the kind of office and gate access hardware work media companies around the Media District tend to need.
Along Magnolia Boulevard and San Fernando Boulevard, the picture is different. Storefronts and small restaurants have a front door for customers and a rear door that opens to an alley or back lot. The back door is where we most often find a worn, chained, or improvised exit. If you operate in Magnolia Park or the South San Fernando Boulevard district, your back door deserves the same attention as the front. If your front glass door is the problem instead, our storefront lock repair page covers that side.
Downtown Burbank and the Golden State District add larger buildings and more doors per property. Mid-rise condos and large controlled-access apartment complexes in the area have stairwell, garage, and amenity doors that need dependable exit hardware, and the property manager has dozens of them to keep track of. We can survey the doors, list which devices are worn, and bring them back into line in an organized way rather than one emergency at a time.
Burbank's climate matters too. Summer valley heat swells wooden doors, and a swollen door can bind against its frame until the latch will not release cleanly. Dry Santa Ana winds coming down off the Verdugo foothills can slam an exit door hard enough to damage a closer or a latch. Properties in the hillside district get more sun and wind exposure than those on the flats. On the plus side, there is no salt-air corrosion this far inland, so hardware here tends to wear from use and heat rather than rust.
Our Burbank service area covers ZIP codes 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505, and 91506, and we come out from our Westwood storefront and mobile service vans, about 16 miles away. If you are locked out of a commercial space instead of fixing the exit, the page on business lockout service is the one you want.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for exit device work?
We have been in business since 1987. Exit hardware is a trade where experience shows, because the problems are rarely what the first glance suggests. A door that will not latch might be a strike issue, a closer issue, or a warped door, and knowing which takes years of seeing all three.
We run a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so most commercial parts and tools are on hand, and we are one company from the first phone call to the finished door. There is no dispatch middleman handing your job to whoever is free. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
Our line, (213) 577-1366, is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, which matters for exit hardware because a broken exit door does not wait for business hours. In a true after-hours emergency, such as a forced door or a device that has failed open, our emergency locksmith service is how we get the space secured first.
A note on credentials: California requires locksmith companies to hold a Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) locksmith company license, known as an LCO license. Ask any locksmith you consider for their license number before they start work. That is a fair question and you should expect a straight answer.
For the broader picture of what we do for businesses, including keying and general door work, see our commercial locksmith page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a panic bar, a push bar, and a crash bar?
In everyday use they mean the same thing: a horizontal bar on the inside of a door that you push to open it. Exit device and panic hardware are the more formal trade terms. The differences that matter are in the mechanism behind the bar, such as rim, vertical rod, or mortise, and in whether the device is rated for fire doors.
Does my Burbank business have to have a panic bar?
It depends on the type of building, how it is used, and how many people it is designed to hold. Building and fire officials make that call, not a locksmith. We can look at your doors, tell you what we see, install what you are required to have, and repair what you already have.
Can you repair my existing panic bar instead of replacing it?
Often, yes. If the device body is sound and the problem is a worn latch, weak spring, loose mounting, or a misaligned strike, repair is usually the more economical route. If the device is worn throughout, bent from a forced entry, or an obsolete model with no available parts, replacement makes more sense. We tell you which it is after inspecting the door.
Can a panic bar be installed on any door?
Not every door takes one without preparation. Thin or damaged doors may need reinforcement, a fire-rated door needs fire-listed hardware, and a door that is too narrow or poorly hung can cause problems. We inspect the door and frame first, then recommend a device that fits. Sometimes the answer is door repair before hardware.
Can the outside of a panic bar door still be locked?
Yes. The bar always releases from the inside, but the outside can be a blank plate with no entry, a lever trim, or a keyed cylinder. Electrified versions can also unlock from outside using a credential or remote signal. We choose the outside trim based on whether the door is meant for entry as well as exit.
Why does my emergency exit door not latch when it closes?
The usual causes are a strike plate that has shifted, a worn latch, a closer that is too weak to pull the door fully shut, or a door that has swollen or dropped on its hinges. In Burbank's summer heat, wooden doors can swell and bind. We check each of these rather than guessing, since the fix depends on the real cause.
Can you tie a panic bar into my access control system?
Yes, in many cases. An electrified exit device keeps free exit from inside while the outside is controlled by a reader or remote release. The door, power supply, and wiring all have to be right, so we look at the door first. Our access control installation service covers the entry side of the system.
Can you come after hours if my exit door is broken or has been forced?
Yes. Our phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If an exit door has been forced or will not open from the inside, call right away. We will work out how to get the space secure and the door safe to use.
Can you key a new panic bar to my existing keys?
If the exit device has a keyed outside cylinder, we can usually key it to match your current system, so you are not carrying yet another key. If you are building a larger key plan across several doors, we can discuss a master key system.
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Panic Bar Installation near Burbank
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.