ADA: 2010 Standards for Accessible Design

I promise my next blog post will be more fun and bloggy (yes I made that word up)! 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has adopted revised ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act) standards.  Continue to use the 1991 regulations until March 14, 2012.  Beginning March 15, 2011, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design go into effect and must be implemented in all new construction, remodels and in some cases certain portions must be updated retroactively in existing facilities where feasible.  The DOJ has published an extensive "Analysis and Commentary on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design" which is available at http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm along with the full published documents recorded on September 15th.  Below is my partial summary of the changes in starting with changes I feel affects most typical clients the most.  Please note that in some cases local regulations may remain more strict - the strictest regulation always applies!

• 2004 ADAAG Guidelines are adopted into the code.  See http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/about/. 
• 308.3 Reach Ranges.  The maximum height for side reach gets lowered to 48" (from 54").  The low reach range is raised to 15" (from (9"). Think mailboxes, paper towel dispensers, light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, etc.  Obstructions and other elements may alter these requirements.
• 406 Handrails.  There are a lot of changes here but for the most part the rules become more flexible.  If you are a contractor you should read this section on the ada.gov handout because it is too long/technical for me to summarize here! See page 93 of "Analysis and Commentary on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design or the full implementation document.
• 404.1, 404.2.5 Thresholds at Doorways.  Maximum threshold height at accessible route doorways is reduced to 1/2" (up to 3/4" was formerly allowed for sliding doors).  The 2010 Standards do have an exception for existing and altered thresholds that do not exceed 3/4" if they are beveled on each side (1:2 bevel).
• 216.8 Multiple Single-User Toilet Rooms.  Where multiple single-user toilet rooms are clustered in a single location, 50% (down from 100%) are required to be accessible.
• 604 Water Closet locations - greater flexibility is now being offered for the placement of the water closet with a range of 16-18".  Note that when a range is given tolerances above/below the range are not acceptable!
• 604.2 Rear Grab Bar. There is now greater flexibility with regards to this grab bar.  In some cases a shorter grab bar may be acceptable (exception 1). But I don't foresee this happening in most projects with the new toilet clearance requirements.
• 604.3 Water Closet Clearance.  Lavatories can no longer be placed within the water closet clearance space! Plan on 5' from the corner next to the water closet to the edge of the lavatory. See sketches below.
• Urinals!   Men's toilet rooms with only one urinal will no longer be required to provide an accessible urinal.  BUT check your local codes as they may still require an accessible urinal (and I think this is an easy and nice practice in most scenarios).
• 603.2.3 Exception 2 Toilet Room Doors now allowed to swing into the clearance of any fixture provided a clear floor space is provided within the room clear of the door swing.  
• 604.7 Toilet Paper Dispensers.   2010 Standards now require the dispenser to be located 7-9" (min/max) in front of the water closet measured at the centerline of the dispenser.  Paper outlet must be located 15"-48" aff.  Note that many large toilet paper dispensers will not be able to comply with these standards due to the grab bar location.
• 607.6 & 608.6 Shower Spray Controls.  Accessible bathtubs & shower compartments now required to have an on/off control and deliver water that is 120 degrees F maximum which will require controlling the temperature at each accessible shower/bath.
• 403.3 Cross Slope Walking Surfaces.  The maximum cross slope for walking surfaces is changed to 1:48 (1:50 in the old standard).
• 206.4.1 Public Entrances. Increased standard to 60% of public entrances being accessible (from 50%). Note that your building code may require more!
• 203, 206 & 215 Common Use Circulation Paths in Employee Work Areas.  Employee work areas get a little more tricky with the addition of circulation paths (prior standards only required employee areas to be designed so that persons with disabilities can "approach, enter and exit the areas."  This section has a lot of exceptions and requirements so I won't go into detail here - but this is something to discuss with your architect during the preliminary phase on future projects!
• 215.3 Visible Alarms in employee work areas - formerly visible alarms were not required in employee work areas.
• 208.2.4 Van Accessible Parking Spaces.  Increase in the required number of van accessible spaces to one in every six accessible spaces (up from 1 in every eight).
• 218, 810.5, 705.1 and 705.2 Detectable Warnings.  No longer required at curb ramps, hazardous vehicular areas or reflecting pools.  Now only required at transit platform edges. Diameter and spacing requirements have changed.

Okay - that's it for this blog!  I'm sorry to overwhelm you.  Some more changes include big changes to transient lodging so if you're in the hospitality business you should definitely look that up. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or your architect.  Don't forget that the strictest rule applies - Building Code vs. ADA vs. other adopted codes!

NOTE: Local codes may dictate a different layout in your jurisdiction.  For example, check to ensure that the turning space is allowed to include the knee and toe space in your jurisdiction!