The short answer

It depends. If you're in the United States, the “Close Door” button in elevators often doesn’t work the way you might expect. But if you're outside the U.S., elevator “Close Door” buttons are more likely to function properly.

The long answer

As with many curious questions, the answer to whether elevator "Close Door" buttons work is, "It depends."

It depends on how old the elevator is, how that particular elevator was programmed, and the country in which the elevator is located. Let's start with the U.S.

Here's a breakdown of likely situations of when the "Close Door" button on elevators will and won’t function in the U.S.:

When elevator "Close Door" buttons won't work in the U.S.

❌ Won't function: The elevator was manufactured after 1990, and it's been less than three seconds since the door opened.

This is the most common reason why the elevator "Close Door" button is perceived as non-functional. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, and it included specific requirements to keep elevator doors open long enough for people with disabilities to get on and off.

Specifically the regulation states, "User activation of door close (or automatic operation) cannot reduce the initial opening time of doors (3 seconds minimum) or the minimum door signal timing." The “minimum door signal timing” is calculated based on the distance between the elevator call buttons and the elevator, at 1.5 seconds per foot of distance.

The ADA applies to elevators built after 1990, and since the lifespan of an elevator is about 25 years, most elevators today adhere to this three-second minimum. So if you press the elevator "Close Door" button immediately when you get on, it usually won’t work.

❌ Won't function: The button is broken or programmed to have a long delay.

If the "Close Door" button on an elevator is broken, it obviously won't function. And because there's already a delay, it's a hard to diagnose whether it's broken or just delayed.

Additionally some buildings program their elevators to have even longer delays. For example, this longer delay is common in hospitals, where it takes time for beds to be rolled through the doors.

When elevator "Close Door" buttons will work in the U.S.

✅ Will function: It's been more than three seconds.

My research suggests that if you wait longer than three seconds before pressing the elevator "Close Door" button, it should respond fairly quickly. I emphasize "fairly" here because there may still be a slight delay from the moment you press the button to the moment the door actually begins to close.

✅ Will function: You are a firefighter or other emergency responder, and you have a key to put the elevator into "Fire Service Mode."

The internet is littered with articles claiming that 80% of elevator "Close Door" buttons in the United States don't work, based on one Radiolab interview. However, this statistic is hard to believe when emergency personnel need to be able to use this button to operate the elevators in high stakes situations. The "Close Door" button should work when you have the key to put the elevator into "Fire Service Mode."

✅ Will function: You have a key to put the elevator into "Independent Service Mode."

Elevators also have a setting called "Independent Service Mode," often used by movers to ignore any other calls and have the elevator act as their personal lift. In most cases, the "Close Door" button will work in this mode.

✅ Will function: You are in a freight elevator.

Freight elevators are not required to adhere to ADA guidelines, so there is no three-second minimum window to prevent the "Close Door" button from working.

What about elevator "Close Door" buttons outside the U.S.?

If you're outside of the U.S., the ADA regulations do not apply to your elevators, so you have a better shot at closing the door before your foe enters.

There isn't a comprehensive resource showing which countries have functional elevator "Close Door" buttons, but here are a few countries' elevator settings I was able to find:

• United Kingdom: According to ​The Telegraph​, "Close Door" buttons work properly in the United Kingdom.

• Japan: Japan's elevators also have fully functional buttons, according to ​Reddit​.

• Australia: Australia may or may not have a built in delay for the button to work, according to the same Reddit thread, but I was not able to find corroborating evidence to confirm or deny.

In summary, the elevator "Close Door" button might or might not work, depending on various factors such as location, elevator programming, and whether the elevator is set to special modes. While many "Close Door" buttons in the U.S. seem useless due to ADA regulations, in other parts of the world, they might just do the job.

Check out some other curious questions:

Sources

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Do “close door” buttons in elevators really do anything? San Diego Reader. (2000, November 30). https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2000/nov/30/do-close-door-buttons-elevators-really-do-anything/

407.3.4 Door and Signal Timing. UpCodes. (n.d.). https://up.codes/s/door-and-signal-timing

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WNYC Studios. (2014, December 12). Buttons Not Buttons. Radiolab. https://radiolab.org/podcast/buttons-not-buttons

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