16 CFR 1211.19 - Statutory Labeling Requirement for Residential Garage Door Operators

Every garage door opener made in the United States since 1991 must carry a label. Section 1211.19 specifies what that label must say and where it must appear.

What this regulation says

16 CFR 1211.19 sets a mandatory labeling requirement for automatic residential garage door operators. It has two operative provisions.

Subsection (a) states the rule:

"Manufacturers selling automatic residential garage door operators in the U.S. after January 1, 1991 must clearly identify on any container of the system and on the system the month or week and year the system was manufactured" along with confirmation of compliance with regulatory requirements.

Both locations are required: the label must appear on the packaging and on the operator unit itself.

Subsection (b) provides the compliance path used by virtually all manufacturers:

"Displaying the UL logo or listing mark and complying with date marking rules under § 1211.18 on both the container and system satisfies these labeling obligations."

The date marking requirement under 1211.18 specifies how the manufacturing date is displayed. The UL listing mark, when properly applied, confirms compliance with the entrapment protection and other requirements of UL 325, which incorporate the CPSC's regulatory requirements.

When it applies

This requirement applies to residential garage door operators manufactured on or after January 1, 1991. It applies to the manufacturer. Both the product and its original packaging must carry the required information.

The labeling requirement applies throughout the product's manufacturing run. A manufacturer cannot retroactively apply the label; it must be present when the unit leaves the factory.

What this means for you

Check the manufacture date before buying used. The date marking on the operator unit tells you when the product was made. Operators made before 1993 predate the effective date of most safety requirements in Part 1211. An operator with no UL mark and no readable date should not be installed.

The UL mark is the compliance signal. When you see the UL listing mark on an opener, that mark is how the manufacturer certifies compliance with both the labeling requirement and the underlying safety standard.

Find the date on the unit, not just the box. The label must be on the operator itself, not only on the original packaging. The date is typically on a sticker or plate on the motor head unit.

Knowing your opener's age matters. If a technician or inspector asks when your opener was manufactured, the date marking on the unit provides that answer. Openers more than 15 to 20 years old may predate current safety features.

Full text and source

Read the full text of 16 CFR 1211.19 at https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1211.19. The full Part 1211 is at: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-1211

16 CFR 1211.19 applies to manufacturers of residential garage door operators. The requirement to mark both the unit and its container applies from the point of manufacture.