There’s a reason access-controlled openings are one of the most common points of failure during inspections. The hardware may be correct, the fire rating may be in place, and the door may function perfectly, but if the wiring pathway is improvised, inconsistent, or not compliant with the frame’s listing, the entire opening can fail. And once you fail an inspection, you’re not just fixing an opening. You’re fixing the schedule, the budget, and the relationship with the owner.
Most inspection issues don’t show up because a team made a reckless decision. They show up because the pathway inside the frame wasn’t defined early enough to avoid guesswork in the field. That lack of clarity becomes the root cause of holes drilled in the wrong spot, wires installed without protection, or penetrations that weren’t part of the original fire-rated assembly.
Inspection problems at the door almost always start long before the inspector arrives.
Why Inspections Fail at the Door
Access-controlled doors bring together power, low-voltage wiring, fire ratings, hardware, life safety codes, and multiple trades. Each of those elements has standards and clear definition. The wiring pathway does not. Everyone that touches the opening seems to bring their own approach to the solution. This lack of common rules and expectations is where things start to fall apart.
Inspectors routinely flag openings when:
- Holes have been drilled through the frame outside the tested pattern
- Fire-rated frames are compromised by oversized or unprotected penetrations
- Wires run through the frame without sleeves, conduit, or approved routing
- The pathway doesn’t match the submittals or the system design
- Last-minute fixes create inconsistencies from one opening to the next
None of these issues look major in the moment. But to an AHJ reviewing a life-safety opening, any deviation from the listed assembly is a red flag.
And once the wall is closed, the frame is grouted, and finishing is underway, there’s very little room to correct those mistakes without significant disruption.
The Hidden Risks of Improvised Pathways
On most projects, electricians and integrators improvise because no one defined the pathway during design. This leads to wiring routes that vary from frame to frame, holes drilled wherever the installer can reach, and penetrations that violate fire ratings. Improvised routing introduces risks that may not be apparent at first: fire-rated frames lose their listing when holes are placed incorrectly, wires are crammed into narrow cavities, and last-minute field modifications become unavoidable when adding new devices or replacing hardware. While the door may appear to work, the inspection process and long-term reliability suffer.
How Frame Frog Helps Ensure a Clean Pass
Frame Frog eliminates improvisation by giving projects a standardized, UL fire-rated wiring pathway directly inside the frame. That consistency is what inspectors want to see: a predictable, documented method used the same way on every opening.
Frame Frog’s design removes the need for field drilling by providing built-in funnel ports, internal routing walls, and clear separation between internal and external paths. Each port was part of the UL fire test, which means its placement, size, and function are all within the listed configuration.
Because the system is standardized:
- Inspectors know exactly what they’re looking at
- Fire ratings stay intact
- There’s no guesswork about where wires should be
- Installers follow the same method from opening to opening
- AHJs can sign off with confidence
Frame Frog works whether it’s welded into the frame at the factory or installed in the field later in the project. The pathway stays consistent either way, which is what matters during inspection.
<H2> Fewer Delays, Faster Turnover, More Confidence <H2>
When the pathway is defined and standardized, projects experience smoother inspections and cleaner turnover. Installers no longer have to guess where wires go, trades coordinate efficiently, and the risk of last-minute drilling or noncompliant modifications is minimized. Clear pathways reduce RFIs, simplify punch lists, and allow project teams to deliver openings that pass inspection on the first attempt. With Frame Frog in place, inspections become predictable rather than a gamble, schedules remain on track, and owners get a final product they can trust.