Automatic entrance systems are a standard feature of modern commercial construction — required by ADA in many occupancies, expected by building users in virtually all of them. But "automatic door" covers a wide range of systems with very different performance characteristics, cost profiles, and installation requirements. This guide breaks down the major types, what ADA compliance actually requires, realistic cost ranges, and what to know before you spec or bid an automatic entrance scope.
Why Automatic Entrances Matter More Than People Think
An automatic entrance system isn't just a convenience feature. For many building types — healthcare facilities, senior living communities, hotels, grocery stores, high-traffic retail — it's a core functional element that sees thousands of activations per day. The wrong system choice shows up quickly: excessive energy loss from slow-closing doors, maintenance calls from over-specified mechanical components in a dirty industrial environment, or an ADA complaint from a door that technically opens but doesn't meet the force and timing requirements the standard actually requires.
Getting the entrance system right means understanding the traffic pattern, the interior/exterior pressure differential, the building's energy performance goals, the aesthetic requirements, and the code obligations. All of these feed into system selection before you write a spec or solicit bids.
Types of Automatic Entrance Systems
Automatic Sliding Doors
Automatic sliding doors are the most common automatic entrance type in commercial construction. They consist of two sliding panels — one or both of which move laterally on a track when triggered by a motion sensor, presence sensor, or push-button activator. They are highly accessible because they require no physical effort to operate, provide a wide clear opening, and can be programmed with adjustable opening width and speed.
Sliding door systems are well-suited to high-traffic applications: retail entries, grocery stores, hospital main entries, and hotel lobbies. They perform best in locations where there is not a significant pressure differential between interior and exterior, since they are not as effective at sealing against pressure as a swinging door system.
Automatic Swinging Doors
Automatic swinging doors use a low-energy or full-energy electric operator to push a standard swinging door leaf open when activated. They are commonly used in applications where the door needs to maintain a tighter air seal when closed — healthcare corridors, pharmacy entries, and back-of-house areas where pressure control matters.
Low-energy swing door operators (the most common commercial type) are governed by ANSI/BHMA A156.19, which sets maximum opening force, opening speed, and sensor requirements. Full-energy operators — used in higher-traffic applications — fall under ANSI/BHMA A156.10 and have stricter safety requirements including presence detection.
Revolving Doors
Revolving doors are the highest-performance option for energy efficiency at a busy entrance, because they maintain a continuous air lock between exterior and interior — there is never a direct opening between the two environments, so no conditioned air escapes and no unconditioned air enters during normal use.
Automatic revolving doors add a sensor system that manages rotation speed and can stop the door if an obstruction is detected. They are common in hotel lobbies, corporate headquarters, and large retail entrances where the energy savings justify the cost premium. They must be flanked by accessible swing-door bypass panels to comply with ADA, since revolving doors themselves are not considered accessible.
Automatic Folding Doors
Folding door systems — sometimes called bi-fold or accordion automatic doors — provide a very wide opening in a compact header space. When open, the panels fold against the jambs, creating a clear span that can be significantly wider than what a sliding system achieves in the same rough opening. They are used in applications where maximizing the open width matters: airport retail, large-format grocery, stadium concourse entries.
Low-Energy Automatic Doors
Low-energy automatic door operators are a category distinction, not a separate door type. A low-energy operator can be applied to a swinging door, a sliding door, or other configurations. The key characteristics are reduced opening force, reduced opening speed, and a push-plate or sensor activation method. They are commonly used in accessible restroom entries, secondary commercial entries, and locations where full-energy (high-speed, motion-activated) operation is not required.
Low-energy operators offer a cost-effective way to provide accessible entry in locations that don't see high traffic volume.
ADA Compliance Requirements for Automatic Entrances
The ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010 ADA Standards) and the Florida Building Code both address automatic door compliance. The key requirements:
Maneuvering Clearance
Accessible automatic doors must have compliant maneuvering clearance on both sides of the opening, per ADA Section 404. For sliding doors, this typically means a minimum 60" clear floor space perpendicular to the door on the latch side. For swinging doors, the required clearance varies by approach direction and door swing.
Opening Width
ADA requires a minimum 32" clear opening width for accessible doors, measured between the face of the door and the stop when the door is open 90 degrees. Most automatic sliding systems provide 36" or wider clear openings as a standard configuration, which exceeds this minimum.
Opening Speed and Force
For low-energy automatic doors, ANSI/BHMA A156.19 requires that the door not open faster than 3 seconds from start of opening to 90 degrees, and that the opening force on the door not exceed 15 lbf at any point during the opening cycle. These parameters must be field-verified after installation — factory settings can drift over time, particularly as a door operator ages.
Sensor Requirements
Full-energy automatic doors must have presence-detection sensors that prevent the door from closing on a person in the opening. Low-energy doors must have sensors that prevent the door from opening if a person is standing in the swing path. These sensor requirements are specified in ANSI/BHMA A156.10 and A156.19 respectively.
Signage
Automatic doors activated by push-plate must have the International Symbol of Accessibility and a "Push to Open" or equivalent text at the activation device location. Motion-activated doors typically do not require push-plate signage, but must have compliant sensor placement.
Cost Ranges by System Type
| System Type | Installed Cost Range | Best Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Energy Swing | By scope | Secondary entries, restrooms, low-traffic ADA access |
| Full-Energy Swing | By scope | Healthcare corridors, pharmacy, pressure-controlled areas |
| Automatic Sliding | By scope | Retail, grocery, hospital main entries, hotel lobbies |
| Automatic Folding | By scope | Wide-span entries, airports, large retail, stadiums |
| Revolving Door | By scope | Hotel lobbies, corporate HQ, energy-critical main entries |
These ranges reflect installed cost in Florida markets as of 2026 and include operator, glass, frame, header, sensors, controls, and labor. They do not include structural modifications to the rough opening, electrical rough-in by other trades, or floor slab work.
Manufacturers ACG Works With
ACG installs automatic entrance systems from Allegion, one of the leading manufacturers of commercial entrance systems in North America. Allegion's product lines cover the full range of commercial automatic entrance applications — from low-energy swing operators to high-traffic sliding systems — and are widely specified by architects on Florida commercial projects.
Allegion automatic entrances integrate with their broader door hardware and security ecosystem, which is relevant on projects where access control, electrified hardware, and automatic entrance activation need to communicate. Working with a single manufacturer for the full entrance package simplifies the coordination between the door, the operator, and the access control system.
For projects specifying other manufacturers or requiring a competitive bid on operator selection, ACG can evaluate the full range of options that meet the project's performance and compliance requirements. See our services page for a full overview of the entrance systems and door hardware we install.
Specifying Automatic Entrances: What to Include in Your Drawings
A well-specified automatic entrance scope requires several pieces of information that are often missing from early-stage drawings. Before you put the scope out to bid, confirm that your drawings include: rough opening dimensions (width and height), header depth available for the operator, activation method (motion sensor, push plate, or both), glass specification (tempered, laminated, impact-rated for Florida coastal locations), finish and hardware schedule, and power source location.
For Florida coastal projects in wind-borne debris regions, confirm that the automatic sliding or swinging door system you're specifying carries a Florida Product Approval for the applicable wind zone. Not all automatic entrance systems are rated for HVHZ or wind-borne debris regions — this is a spec-stage decision, not a submittal-stage fix.
ACG's Scope Engine can help you generate a preliminary entrance system scope and cost range before final drawings are complete. Use our contact page to send us plans and get a complete bid package within 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are automatic doors required by the ADA?
The ADA does not universally require automatic doors, but it does require that accessible entrances provide compliant access. In practice, for buildings with high foot traffic or serving populations with mobility challenges — healthcare, senior living, retail — automatic doors are typically the most reliable way to meet the ADA's maneuvering clearance and opening force requirements. Some occupancy types and local codes go further and specifically require automatic doors at primary accessible entries.
What is a low-energy automatic door?
A low-energy automatic door uses an operator that moves the door slowly enough that a person struck by it would not be seriously injured. The governing standard is ANSI/BHMA A156.19. Low-energy systems are activated by push-plate or presence sensor, and are distinct from full-energy systems (ANSI/BHMA A156.10), which are motion-activated and move faster. Most building-entry automatic doors in typical commercial construction are low-energy systems.
Do automatic doors need to be impact-rated in Florida?
In wind-borne debris regions under the Florida Building Code — which covers much of coastal Florida — glazed automatic entrance systems must carry a Florida Product Approval demonstrating compliance with the applicable wind load and impact resistance requirements. HVHZ projects (Miami-Dade and Broward) additionally require a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA). Not all automatic door systems are available with these approvals — confirm approval status before specifying.