The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires business owners to modify their bathrooms to accommodate individuals with disabilities. ADA-compliant restrooms must feature easy access to the sink and toilet as well as an accessible grab bar and sufficient space for wheelchairs to turn within the stall. When constructing or renovating your facility, it is important to understand all of the ADA requirements to ensure your bathroom is compliant.
How Many ADA Bathrooms are Required?
For buildings with occupancy loads between 1 and 25 people, the ADA requires at least one male ADA bathroom and one female ADA bathroom. If your building has clusters of single-use bathrooms, which is common for office spaces, then at least half of those bathrooms need to meet ADA requirements.
What are the Minimum Dimensions for a ADA Bathroom?
An ADA bathroom must have at least 60 inches in diameter of clear floor space for turning a wheelchair or mobility device. Ensure that there is enough clear space to facilitate a forward or parallel approach to each element in the bathroom. For a forward approach, clear floor space needs to measure 30 inches wide by 48 inches deep, while a parallel approach requires 48 inches wide by 30 inches deep.
Other important dimensions include:
Doors
Bathroom doors can swing inward or outward. If the door swings inward, it cannot enter the 30-inch by 48-inch clearance space needed to access the sink and toilet. The door itself must be a minimum of 32 inches wide and the depth should not exceed 24 inches. If the bathroom features a stall with the toilet opposite to the stall entrance, the door should swing outward.
Stalls
Stalls should have at least 16-18 inches of space from the sidewall to the toilet. There should also be a minimum of 56 inches of clear floor space from the rear wall and 60 inches from the sidewall to meet clearance requirements.
Sinks and Faucets
Sinks can be placed at a height no higher than 34 inches. They must extend at least 17 inches from the back wall to allow for toe clearance and must have a minimum of 27 inches of knee clearance beneath the sink. To ensure proper access to the faucet, the space between the edge of the counter and the sink bowl should not be wider than 2 inches. The faucet must be easy to use without requiring strong force or wrist movements to turn it on.
Toilets
Toilets must be installed no further than 16-17 inches from the sidewall, as this allows a person to reach grab bars. For ambulatory bathrooms, the toilet cannot be further than 17-19 inches from the sidewall.
ADA Bathroom Projects at Base Construction
Whether you are constructing a new bathroom or renovating an old one, it’s crucial to ensure your restrooms are compliant with all ADA requirements. At Base Construction, we provide contracting services for facility owners in the Los Angeles, California region. We have the skills and experience to construct ADA-compliant restrooms based on your facilities’ needs.
To learn more about ADA-compliant restrooms, or to get started on your bathroom renovation, contact us today.