Some ADA Regulations for Doors and Doorways
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was by H. W. Bush so that the disabled would be able to live a reasonably normal life in their own communities. This comprehensive act has gone a long ways in making life more livable for millions of American citizens.
One of the industries that has been changed by this act is the door industry. There are very specific regulations governing commercial door access into and within buildings. Here are some easy to understand requirements for ADA compliant doors and doorways:
DOORWAY MEASUREMENTS:
When the door is open at 90% angle, the clearance between the hinge side of the door and the edge of the door stopper should be a minimum of 32 inches and a maximum of 48 inches.
The height of the door opening from the floor or threshold to the bottom of the top side of the frame should be 80 inches.
Max depth of the doorway should be 24 inches.
TWO DOORS IN SERIES:
The minimum space between two hinged or pivoted doors in series shall be 48 in (1220 mm) plus the width of any door swinging into the space. Doors in series shall swing either in the same direction or away from the space between the doors.
DOUBLE LEAF DOORWAY:
If doorways have two independently operated door leaves, then at least one leaf, the active leaf, shall meet ADA specifications.
HARDWARE:
There should be no hardware on the door above 48 inches.
And no projections into the opening below 34 inches.
Bottom 10 inches of door must be smooth.
When sliding doors are fully open, hardware must be accessible from both sides.
Operating devices need to be easy to grasp with one hand; they should not require tight grasping, tight pinching or twisting to operate.
THRESHOLDS:
Thresholds should not exceed ¾ inch in height for exterior sliding doors or ½ inch for other doors.
A ¼ to ½ inch threshold must be beveled at a slope equaling 1:2. The slope must not be steeper than 1:48. Greater than ½ inch requires a ramp.
CLOSING SPEEDS:
From an open position of 70 degrees it should take 3 seconds to move to 3 inches from the latch measured at the leading edge of the door.
REVOLVING DOORS OR TURNSTILES:
Neither a revolving door nor a turnstile should be the only means of passage at an accessible entrance or along an accessible route. An accessible gate or door designed to accomidate the disabled needs to be provided next to a turnstile or withing 10 feet of a revolving door.
THIS INFORMATION IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ADA DOORS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ...
• call The Door Doctors at (303) 408-2702,
• or email us.
