The Handicap Building Code for the Handrails in a Shower

Americans with Disabilities Act

• The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which was signed at the White House on July 26, 1990, mandates construction standards that allows the disabled to participate as fully as possible in U.S. society. These standards primarily come from the International Residential Code, or IRC, which was created by the International Code Council to standardize multiple building codes and eliminate confusion and conflicting rules. The ADA standards apply only to commercial structures, such as hostels or health clubs. Disabled homeowners or those interested in marketing to the handicapped can implement these specifications in private residences.

Positions

• For adults, shower handrails, known in codes as grab bars, must be in a horizontal position that ranges between 33 inches and 36 inches above the finished floor surface of the shower, as measured to the top of the gripping surface. For children, the horizontal position must be between 18 and 27 inches high. The bars or any adjacent surfaces must have rounded edges and no sharp or abrasive parts. They must remain stationary within their fittings and allow gripping without obstructing clear floor space.

Sizes

• Grab bars need an outside diameter of between 1.25 to 2 inches if they have circular cross sections. If their sections are non-circular, the outside perimeter dimension must be between 4 and 4.8 inches, with a cross-section dimension of 2 inches maximum. The space between the bar and the wall must be 1.5 inches and the space for projections below and at the end of the bar must be a minimum 1.5 inches. Space above the bar and any projections must be a minimum of 12 inches. However, if the projections are shower fittings or other grab bars, the spaces can be a minimum of 1.5 inches.

Other

• The bar must have enough strength to allow for up to 250 pounds of force applied to any part of the bar, or any of its fasteners, mounts or supports. Grab bars must not obstruct controls, faucets or shower spray units. Neither the bars nor shower fixtures can block the transfer of individuals from wheelchairs to shower seats. They must also not block the movement of wheelchairs in enclosures that allow such access.