Guide · QR access
24-hour gym: how to organise access and safety
To open a gym 24 hours a day you need access control that lets in only members in good standing, emergency exits that are always free, cameras installed according to the privacy authority's rules and insurance that also covers the hours without staff. First, though, check the regional rules: in Campania, law 18/2013 requires at least one responsible instructor in facilities where physical activity takes place. How it applies to the uncovered hours has to be clarified before you invest.
Difficulty: Technician levelUpdated 25 October 2026
Emergency exits must always be openable from the inside, without keys or codes, even when the power fails: no access system can lock them. The turnstile cannot be the only way out. Cameras must never go in changing rooms, showers or toilets.
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24-hour gym without staff: the rules in Campania
Before taking staff off some time slots, read the regional law carefully. In Campania, law 18 of 2013, article 23, requires in public and private facilities where physical and sports activity takes place at least one responsible instructor, with a degree in sports science or an equivalent qualification and trained in sports first aid. The same article excludes free amateur activities.
How this rule fits with hours without staff depends on how the gym is organised and how the municipality and the Region apply it. 24-hour gyms often keep staff at peak times and leave members the night and early morning. A written opinion from the SUAP or a consultant before investing avoids nasty surprises.
The obligations of every sports facility remain: the policy in favour of users and instructors required by the same law, the medical certificate of those doing sport and the fire rules on exits. The access system helps to meet them, but each one has to be handled separately.
Gym access control: QR, badge and turnstile
The basis of a 24-hour gym is access control linked to memberships. Each member has a personal code that is activated at enrolment and stops opening on expiry. With the same system you create codes for instructors, cleaners and maintenance, valid only on certain days and at certain times, and every entry is logged.
The turnstile lets one person through at a time and is the simplest defence against two people entering on one code. Many turnstiles have an input to command opening and can be connected to a QR reader. A door with an electric lock costs less and is fine in small gyms, but on its own it does not stop two people entering together. There anti-passback and cameras help.
A QR code on the phone is convenient because there is nothing to hand out and the code can be revoked in an instant. A badge serves people who do not use a smartphone. Facial recognition and fingerprints, on the other hand, process biometric data, which the GDPR places among special categories of data, and the privacy authority has fined its use for employee attendance several times. QR and badges avoid the problem.
Video surveillance and privacy: the privacy authority's rules
You do not need the Garante's authorisation to install cameras: whoever installs them has to judge for themselves whether they are necessary and proportionate. People must be informed before they enter the filmed area, with a simplified sign that points to the full notice.
Images are kept only for the time needed. According to the Garante's FAQ, the more retention goes beyond 72 hours, the more it has to be justified, and in many cases a few days with automatic deletion are enough. Changing rooms, showers and toilets are excluded, and the shots must not take in the street or other people's property.
If employees work in the gym, cameras that can film them fall under article 4 of the Workers' Statute: you need a union agreement or, failing that, authorisation from the Labour Inspectorate. The entry log, on the other hand, counts as a tool for recording access and attendance, but it must still be explained in the privacy notice to employees and members.
When to stop and call a technician
- Electric locks, readers, turnstiles and power supplies must be connected by a company authorised under DM 37/2008 for letters A and B, which issues the declaration of conformity
- The door you want to control is also an emergency exit
- You want to open without staff and you do not yet have an opinion on regional law and insurance
- You have employees and need to install cameras
- You are offered facial recognition or fingerprints for entry
Frequently asked questions
Can you open a gym 24 hours a day without staff?
With personal access, cameras and an alarm system, the technical side can be solved. In Campania, though, regional law 18/2013 requires a responsible instructor: clarify with the municipality or a consultant first how it applies to the uncovered hours.
Which turnstile do I need for gym access control?
One that lets a single person through at a time and has an input for the opening command that you connect to the reader. In an emergency it must leave the way clear and must not be the only exit.
How long can I keep the camera recordings?
For the strictly necessary time, decided and justified by you. The Garante's FAQ asks for stronger justification beyond 72 hours, and for a gym a few days are usually enough.
Can I use facial recognition at the entrance?
It is processing of biometric data, with very strict rules and a high risk of fines. A QR code or a personal badge does the same job without these problems.
Do members have to download an app?
With the QR code on the phone, yes, an app carrying the gym's name. Anyone who does not use a smartphone can have a badge or a printed code.
Do you build access systems for gyms in Campania?
Yes, we build QR code access for gyms across Campania, with an app that carries the gym's name. We price on a quote, after a site visit.
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