Garage door safety eyes are designed and installed to protect people from becoming entrapped under a
closing garage door. The standards are set by Federal and State Legislation. Information can be found in
Current standards require that safety eye sensors be mounted not more than 6” inches above the floor
or ground. If the sensors are installed above 6” inches above the floor, they may not detect an individual
lying down on the garage floor under the closing door. The sensors should detect anything under the
closing door and the door should reverse and return to the fully open position.
Further the safety eye sensors should be no greater than 20’ feet apart and should be positioned within
6” inches of the path of the door.
It is recommended that the safety eye sensors be tested monthly on all commercial and residential
garage doors. To test the safety eye system, start the door closing then use a controlled obstruction to
break the safety eye beam. When the beam is broken, the garage door movement should reverse
direction and the garage door should return to the fully open position.
