About The UL 325 Safety Standard for Gate Operators

The UL 325 is a safety standard for door, drapery, gate, louver, and window operators and systems. The standard was developed by underwriters laboratories Inc. in an open non-exclusionary process for manufacturers to use in designing products. This standard provides minimum requirements for the manufacture and installation of gate operators. It applies to electric operators for doors, draperies, gates, louvers, windows and other opening and closing appliances rated 600 volts or less. Products are tested by nationally recognized testing laboratories to ensure compliance to the standard. The gate operator is only one component of a UL 325 compliant installation. The standard requires specific installer responsibilities.

Install the gate operator only when:

• The operator is appropriate for the construction of the gate and the usage Class of the gate.
• All openings of a horizontal slide gate are guarded or screened from the bottom of the gate to a minimum of 4 feet (1.2m) above the ground to prevent a 2 ¼ inch (57.15mm) diameter sphere from passing through the openings anywhere in the gate, and in that portion of the adjacent fence that the gate covers in the open position.

• All exposed pinch points are eliminated or guarded and, guarding is supplied for exposed rollers.
• The operator is intended for installation only on gates used for vehicles. Pedestrians must be supplied with a separate access opening.
• The gate must be installed in a location so that enough clearance is supplied between the gate and adjacent structures when opening and closing to reduce the risk of entrapment.
• Swing gates shall not open into public access areas.
• The gate must be properly installed and work freely in both directions prior to the installation of the gate operator. Do not over tighten the operator clutch or pressure relief valve to compensate for a damaged gate.
• Controls must be at least 7 feet from the gate so that the user is prevented from coming in contact with the gate while operating the controls. Controls intended to be used to reset an operator after 2 sequential activations of the entrapment protection device or devices must be located in the line-of-sight of the gate. Outdoor or easily-accessible controls shall have a security feature to prevent unauthorized use.
• All warning signs must be installed where visible in the gate’s area.
• Warning signs must be on both sides of the gate.

New System Classifications

One of the highlights to emerge from the new UL 325 standard has been the introduction of new classifications, or groupings of various types of systems. An example of these new classifications can be seen in gate operators:

• Class I – Residential vehicular gate operator.
• Class II Commercial/general access vehicular gate operator.
• Class III Industrial/limited access vehicular gate operator.
• Class IV Restricted access vehicular gate operator.

According to the Florida Building 7th Edition 2020 the standard UL 325 is cited in the section 3110 Automatic Vehicular Gates, under the code 3110.4 as a Vehicular gate openers. However, UL 325 is also cited in the section 406 Motor Vehicle Related Occupancies. Under the code 406.3.5 Automatic garage door openers. The latest version of the standard UL 325 was updated with revisions through June, 2013 named as UL 325 Ed 6-2013 Standard For Door, Drapery, Gate, Louver, And Window Operators And Systems.

Here’s a helpful site on the topic by a third party:  https://www.ul325.com/