ADA Restroom Regulations

Clearances

• One of the most important requirements in the American with Disabilities Act for restrooms are the clearances required. All public restrooms are required to have a 32-inch door clearance to allow for wheel chairs to enter the room. Within the restroom a 5-foot diameter clear circle is required to allow for a wheelchair to turn around inside the restroom. In a small restroom with 6 stalls, at least one sink and one restroom stall are required to be ADA accessible and depending on the total number of sinks and toilet stalls, more may be required. A 30-inch by 48-inch clearance area is required at a sink to allow for a wheel chair to be able to use it.

Accessible Stalls

• ADA restroom regulations require the accessible stalls be able to accommodate a person in a wheel chair. This is accomplished by making the stall big enough to accommodate a wheel chair. An accessible stall shall have a 34-inch door opening, a 60-inch by 60-inch clear floor space inside the stall and grab bars on the side and behind the toilet to allow for transfer from the wheel chair to the toilet. The ADA also requires a 32-inch clearance on the side of the toilet with a 38-inch grab bar behind the toilet and a grab bar that extends past the toilet on the side wall by at least 24-inches.

Accessories

• ADA restroom regulations also require that controls, dispensers, mirrors, receptacles and other equipment provided in the restrooms be handicap accessible as well. The toilets in an accessible stall shall have a side flush activator on the wide side where the 32-inch clearance is. An accessible sink should be mounted with knee clearance of at least 27 inches and a minimum of 19-inches deep clearance underneath the sink. If one type of dispenser, such as a paper towel dispenser, is provided, then it has to comply with ADA restroom regulations for mounting height. If more then one type of dispenser is provided, then at least one of those dispensers needs to meet ADA restroom regulations.