Where to Place a Mezuzah: Every Doorway in Your Home

A doorway requires a mezuzah when it meets these conditions: it is a doorway in a dwelling used by Jews, it has two doorposts and a lintel, the opening is at least 40 inches (10 tefachim) tall and wide enough for a person to walk through, and the room behind it is used for normal living (not a bathroom or storage closet smaller than 4 amot square).

In practice, almost every interior and exterior doorway in a Jewish home gets a mezuzah — bedrooms, dining room, living room, kitchen, hallways, and the front and back doors.

The mezuzah goes on the right side as you enter the room. To determine "entering," think about how the room is used: you enter a bedroom from the hallway, so the mezuzah goes on the right as you walk in from the hallway.

For pass-through hallways and rooms with no clear "entrance," the convention follows the direction of main traffic flow — usually from the front door inward.

Place the mezuzah at the bottom of the top third of the doorpost. For a standard 7-foot door, that puts the mezuzah roughly 56–60 inches from the floor.

If the doorway is unusually tall, the mezuzah should still be within reach — no higher than shoulder height of a tall adult.

For the full step-by-step including the bracha, see How to Hang a Mezuzah.

Both the front and back doors of the home require a mezuzah. The front door is the most important — many families purchase their finest mezuzah scroll and case for that doorway.

If your front door has a security door or storm door in front of it, the mezuzah goes on the main wooden or framed door, not the storm door.

Every bedroom requires a mezuzah, including children's bedrooms and guest rooms. The living room, dining room, family room, and den all need mezuzot.

The kitchen requires a mezuzah even though it's used for cooking — it counts as a normal living space.

An interior hallway with a defined doorway (doorposts and lintel) needs a mezuzah. If two rooms are separated by an open archway with no doorposts, no mezuzah is required.

If you have a wide opening with a header beam but no side posts, ask a Sofer — these cases are judged individually.

Bathrooms do NOT receive a mezuzah. The mezuzah contains G-d's name, and a bathroom is not an appropriate place.

Closets and storage rooms smaller than approximately 6 feet by 6 feet (4 amot by 4 amot) do not require a mezuzah. A walk-in closet larger than that does require one.

A laundry room used regularly counts as a normal room and requires a mezuzah.

An attached garage used regularly (parking, storage, workshop) requires a mezuzah on the doorway from the house into the garage, and ideally on the garage's exterior door as well.

A covered porch or screened-in lanai with proper doorposts requires a mezuzah. For homes in South Florida, see our Miami mezuzah placement guide for the rules on lanais, pool enclosures, and outdoor kitchens.

Renters and condo owners are obligated in mezuzah just like homeowners. If you rent in Miami, Aventura, or Sunny Isles, the mezuzot stay with you when you move — they belong to the resident, not the unit.

If you move into a new home and there are existing mezuzot, have them checked by a Sofer STaM before relying on them. Sun, humidity, and age can render scrolls pasul.

Rabbi Levi Backman, Certified Sofer STaM, does in-home placement consultations across Miami, Aventura, Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Surfside, Sunny Isles, and Hallandale. He maps every doorway in your home, marks the correct spot, and installs at the right angle and height.

WhatsApp 845-729-1459 to schedule. Hispanic Jewish community welcome — Rabbi Levi speaks Spanish.