A person in a wheelchair needs more room to navigate a public restroom.
In 1990, congress passed the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), which required that newly constructed and renovated restrooms be accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA Standards for Accessible Design is a code that states the size of the bathroom needed to adequately accomodate a person in a wheelchair. If you are renovating or building a public restroom, you are required to follow these specific building codes or risk being out of compliance with this federal law.
Floor Space
An ADA standard compartment, or wheelchair accessible compartment, must be at least 60 inches wide in order to allow room for a standard size wheelchair in a bathroom stall. If the restroom has wall-mounted toilets, the stall must be at least 56 inches deep, or 59 inches deep if the toilets are floor-mounted. If there are six or more toilet compartments in the restroom, one must be a standard walk-in compartment that is ambulatory accessible. This stall must be at least 36 inches wide and can be the same depth as the adjoining stalls.
Grab Bars
All ADA accessible restrooms are required to have grab bars installed. They must be mounted between 33 inches and 36 inches from the finished floor and have a diameter between 1 1/4 inches and 1 1/2 inches. The bar must bear at least a 250 pound load.
Doors
Door locks and handles must be mounted no higher than 48 inches from the finished floor. The locks and handles must be easy to operate, even for someone with poor motor control. The doors should not require more than five pounds of force to open and have handles, locks and latches that can be easily operated with one hand.
Toilets
A toilet seat must be mounted between 17 inches and 19 inches from the finished floor. The toilet must also be offset diagonally from the door along the back wall. The toilet's centerline should be 18 inches from the side wall.
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