007-10: Physical Building Security and Access Control Rules and Regulations

Campus Facilities and Grounds
Section 007: Campus Facilities and Grounds Policies and Procedures

 007-10: Physical Building Security and Access Control Rules and Regulations

Campus Facilities and Grounds
Section 007: Campus Facilities and Grounds Rules and Regulations
Effective: 04/20/2010

Updated: 04/20/2025

These rules govern the control of keys for the Oregon State University Corvallis campus.

These rules apply to all Education and General use buildings, except:

  1. University Housing and Dining Services buildings (dorms and dining halls)
  2. Memorial Union, Student Experience Center and Cultural Centers
  3. Departmentally owned buildings not supported by the Access Lock and Key Shop

The University prioritizes the safety and security of all individuals within its community by safeguarding our facilities and surrounding areas. The University strives to enhance the management of entry to buildings and other facilities by:

  1. Granting Card/Key access only to individuals with a continual business need.
  2. Conducting quarterly key audits.
  3. Maintaining Card/Key access database.
  4. Ensuring all Access Lock and Key Shop rules and regulations are upheld.

The objective of the Physical Security and Access Control Rules and Regulations are to ensure an appropriate level of protection and safety for the University while simultaneously maximizing accessibility for the campus community. In order to foster a safe, friendly and inviting campus atmosphere, the University will regulate entry into its facilities to achieve the following:

  1. Promote and maintain the safety and security of university employees, students and visitors.
  2. Safeguard the integrity of university research activities.
  3. Provide access control and proper safety and security protocols for routine campus activities such as construction and renovation projects.
  4. Take proactive measures to help decrease the opportunities for incidents, reduce crime and equip authorities with the necessary resources and insights to aid in investigations and enforcement efforts.
  5. Protect University property and assets.
  6. Protect and secure University records and other sensitive information.
  7. Protect the integrity and reliability of university systems and associated infrastructure to ensure the dependability and continuity of operations.

All university keys are the property of Oregon State University. The OSU Facilities Services Access Lock and Key Shop is responsible for the issuance, maintenance and inventory of all keys and exterior door security hardware for Education and General use buildings.

At the request of an authorized Key Authorizer via the online key request process and reviewed against all rules and regulations, keys may be issued by the OSU Facilities Services Access Lock and Key Shop.

All keys are required to be assigned to an individual, not a department, organization, or committee, etc.  The individual the keys are issued to is considered the borrower. The borrower is responsible for all keys assigned to them, and keys shall not be loaned or given to any other individual for temporary use or as a shared asset. All keys must be surrendered at the request of the Access Lock and Key Shop, the authorizing department, the Department of Public Safety, or upon leaving the university. The key issuance confirmation states the responsibilities of the key borrower. Upon issuance, the borrower agrees to follow the Physical Building Security and Access Control Rules and Regulations.

Departmental Responsibility:

  1. Maintain and update the department's key authorizers list. 
  2. Ensure any keys that are no longer needed are promptly returned to the Access Lock and Key Shop.
  3. Request card access removal when access is no longer needed for the individual.
  4. Prohibit shared assets such as shared keys or duplicate keys issued to the same individual.
  5. Report all keys that have not been returned or are lost to the Access Lock and Key Shop and the Department of Public Safety immediately. See Building Key Rues and Regulations 7-011

Exterior Doors:

  1. No exterior building keys will be issued or authorized for buildings with exterior building entry card access.

  1. Exterior door access is only granted to authorized and approved personnel who have a continual need to access the building outside of normal building hours.

  1. Authorizing departments may be charged costs associated with re-keying the building if keys are lost or not returned by the borrower.

  1. Refusal to return a key upon request is considered theft of university property and may result in disciplinary action up to and including arrest.
  2. For the safety and security of all building occupants, exterior doors are never to be propped open.

Construction and Renovation Projects:

  1. Facilities Services Access Lock and Key Shop is responsible for the door hardware and security devices in Educational and General use spaces.  Prior to the installation of door hardware and security devices, any contractor hired must contact the Access Lock and Key Shop via the Project Manager for approval.
  2. New construction projects or major renovation projects must be equipped with the approved electronic device for the OSU access control system per the OSU Design and Construction Standards for all building entries.
  3. University locks shall not be replaced with non-university-issued locks without the written permission of the Facilities Services Access Lock and Key Shop. Locks replaced without authorization will be removed, and the department will be charged all costs related to the removal and replacement.

Borrower:

  1. It is the responsibility of the department or key borrower to report any malfunctioning locks or other security hardware to the Facilities Services Work Coordination Center.
  2. Damaged keys must be returned to the Access Lock and Key Shop to receive a replacement without the need for a new key request.
  3. Report all keys that have not been returned or are lost to the Access Lock and Key Shop and the Department of Public Safety immediately. See Building Key Rules and Regulations 7-011.
  4. Key or card access requests do not grant after-hours building privileges, please refer to the Department of Public Safety “After-hours building access” policy.

The following actions are in violation of the Physical Building Security and Access Control Rules and Regulations:

  1. Loaning University keys.
  2. Sharing University keys or using departmental/unit shared key assets.
  3. Duplication of University keys.
  4. Altering of university keys, locks and security hardware.
  5. Admitting unauthorized persons into a building.
  6. Failure to return the University key when requested by the OSU Access Lock and Key Shop, Department of Public Safety, authorizing department, or upon leaving the university.

Violations of these rules may result in disciplinary action and individuals may be responsible for damage and/or replacement costs.

Education and training in key and access rules, and the key issuance process will be provided at no cost to departments by the Facilities Services Access Lock and Key Shop.