C2A-KS14 Flashcards
Knowledge of accessibility provisions of the California Building Code.
How do the accessibility provisions appear in the California Building Code?
The accessibility provisions are found in Chapter 11 and are divided into 2 Sections:
- 11A— Housing Accessibility
- 11B — Accessibility to Public Buildings, Public Accommodations, Commercial Buildings and Publicly Funded Housing
Note: Chapter 11 of the International Building Code is also the accessibility chapter (not broken into two parts) and California has created its own accessibility regulations.
A good publication for your reference library is California Accessibility Reference Manual — An Illustrated Guide to Title 24 and the ADA Requirements for Accessible Design and Construction published by Builder’s Book Inc. (Notice the incorrect use of Title 24 as they are really referring to Chapter 11 of the California Building Code).
What projects are expert from the accessibility provisions of the CBC?
Exemptions:
- Privately funded single family homes and duplexes
- Privately funded multi-family projects of three (3) or less units in a condominium project
What is the purpose of the California accessibility requirements?
It is the intent of the California Legislature that the building standards published in the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) relating to accessibility by people with
disabilities shall be used as minimum requirements to ensure that buildings, structures, and related facilities are accessible to, and functional for, every member of the public, so as to provide equal opportunity to access public accommodations.
Access is to be provided to, through, and within the buildings, without loss of function, space, or facility where the general public is concerned.
Why are the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) requirements more stringent than the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements?
-The regulations in California were developed by the Division of the State Architect, Access Compliance, eight years before the United States Congress passed the ADA.
-The current California Building Standards Code was written to provide a single code which would meet all of the most stringent requirements of the original California
Building Standards Code, as well as the 1991 Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.
Who is the building official?
- The “building official” is the officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of this code, or the building official’s duly authorized representative in accordance with state law.
- Local cities and counties have building officials who regulate construction in their jurisdiction. State funded construction on state property is often regulated by a state agency, such as the Division of the State Architect.
- Sometimes public construction has more than one building official — each has separate jurisdictional oversight responsibilities.
Can I get a waiver from the access requirements?
The California Building Standards Code says that you must get a final determination from the local building official that your project has an unreasonable hardship. This is rarely granted for new construction. Existing buildings undergoing alteration are sometimes allowed to depart from the literal requirements of the building code only
when equivalent facilitation is provided.
Can DSA help me settle a dispute I am having with my local building inspector who says I must provide access to my restaurant?
No, because DSA is a separate jurisdiction. By law, only the local building authority can make a final determination as to code enforcement issues.
Accessibility Provisions can be divided into three main categories (for the ease of remembering)
- Site Accessibility
- Building Accessibility
- Public Restrooms/Showers
Note: We will also look at accommodations for the sight impaired and hearing impaired
Sidewalks
No steps or abrupt level changes exceeding
1/2”
Sidewalks
Walkways min. width
48” (exception — clear width may be reduced to 36” if enforcing agency determines compliance would create undue hardship)
Sidewalks
Max. surface cross slope is
1/4”
Accessible parking / van parking
Parking Space minimum dimension
9’x18’ with 5’ wide no parking strip at typical parking stall
and
8’ wide no parking strip at van parking stall
Curb cuts
provide detectable warning strips, max. slope
8.33%
Passenger loading zones
When provided, passenger drop-off and loading zones are to be located on
accessible route of travel
Passenger loading zones
Where provided, 1 passenger drop-off and loading zone provides and access aisle which is at least
5’ wide and 20’ long adjacent and parallel to vehicle pull-up space
Building entrance
Accessibility to buildings or portions of buildings shall be provided for all occupancy classifications except
as modified or enhanced by this chapter (1103B.1 CBC)
Entrances & Exits
All entrances and exterior ground floor exit doors to buildings shall be
made accessible to persons with disabilities
Doors
Doorways shall have a minimum clear opening of
32” with the door open 90 degree, measured between the face of the door and the opposite stop
Doors
Every required exit doorway shall be not less than
3’-0” wide and not less than 6’-8” in Height
Doors
Level landing and clear area in direction of door swing to be minimum
60” in length
Stairs
Stairways shall have handrails on
each side
Exception:
Stairways 44” or less in width can have 1 handrail
Stairs
Stairways shall have at least 1 intermediate handrail for
Stairways required to be more than 88” wide shall have at least 1 intermediate handrail for each 88” of required width
Exception:
Stairways 44” or less in width can have 1 handrail
Stairs
Handrail height is
34” — 38” above the nosing of the tread
Stairs
Extending handrails extend a min. of
12” beyond the top of the nosing and 12” plus tread width beyond the bottom nosing
Stairs
Handrails projecting from a wall to have___space between wall and handrail
1 1/2”
Stairs
Handgrip portion of handrails to have a cross section of
1 1/4” to 1 1/2”
Stairs
Minimum depth of stair treads is
11”
Open risers are not permitted
Stairs
Nosings do not project more than ___ past the face of the riser below
1 1/2”
Ramps
A path of travel with a slope greater than ___ is considered a ramp
1:20 (5% gradient)
Ramps
The width of ramps is as required for stairways and exits. Pedestrian ramps have a minimum width of
48”
Ramps
Pedestrian ramps serving entrances to building where the ramp is the only exit discharge or serves an occupant load of 300 or more shall have a minimum width of
60”
Ramps
Ramps serving Group R occupancies shall have a ___ clear width when the occupant load is less than 60”
36”
Ramps
The maximum slope of ramps serving any exit way or slope in the path of travel is ___
1:12 (8.33% gradient)
Ramps
The minimum landing width is ___. The minimum landing length in the direction of ramp run is 60”
60”
Ramps
Cross slope of ramp surfaces not to be greater than ___
1:50 (2% slope)
Elevators
In buildings 2 or more stories in height, served by an elevator, or a building served by an elevator required by Chapter 11B, or a building served by an elevator required for accessibility by Section 109.1, all elevators shall accommodate a ___.
wheelchair
Note: Passenger elevators shall be accessible
Exceptions:
- When enforcing agency determines that compliance would create unreasonable hardship
- These provisions shall not apply to existing buildings when legal or physical constraints do not allow compliance without creating unreasonable hardship
Elevators
Minimum clear width for elevator doors is ___.
36” (when approved by building official, min. door width may be reduced to 32”)
Elevators
Elevator floor buttons are located no higher than ___ above the floor for side approach, ___ for front approach
- 54” above the floor for side approach
- 48” for front approach
Hardware
Exit doors shall be openable from
the inside without the use of a key or any special knowledge or effort (there are a few exceptions but beyond our scope)
Hardware
Locking/Latching Doors — if hand operated, to be operable with
a single effort (lever, panic bar, push/pull)
Hardware
Opening Hardware — hand activated door opening hardware shall be centered between
30” and 44” above floor
Drinking fountains
Drinking fountain to be ___ minimum in depth, with a knee space of ___ minimum in height, ___ in depth from the front, and 30” in width
Drinking fountain to be 18” minimum in depth, with a knee space of 27” minimum in height, 8” in depth from the front, and 30” in width
Drinking fountains
A toe clearance of ___ in height and ___ in depth from the front edge. A side approach drinking fountain is not acceptable
A toe clearance of 9” in height and 17” in depth from the front edge. A side approach drinking fountain is not acceptable
Urinals
Where urinals are provided, at least 1 shall provide a clear floor space of ___ in front of the urinal to allow for forward approach
30” x 48”
Urinals
Walls within ___ front and sides of urinal to be smooth, hard, and non-absorbent up
to ___ in height
Walls within 24” front and sides of urinal to be smooth, hard, and non-absorbent up
to 48” in height
Urinals
Flush control height to be maximum ___ above the floor
Flush control height to be maximum 44” above the floor
Lavatory
Provide clear floor space minimum ___ wide x ___ long, to allow for forward approach
Provide clear floor space minimum 30” wide x 48” long, to allow for forward approach
Lavatory
Height to counter surface to be ___ maximum
34”
Lavatory
Provide minimum ___ clearance from bottom of apron to floor, knee clearance under front lip to be minimum ___ high
Provide minimum 29” clearance from bottom of apron to floor, knee clearance under front lip to be minimum 27” high
Lavatory
Operation requirements
Faucets to be lever-operated, push type, or electronically operated
Lavatory
Maximum height of mirror is ___ to the bottom edge of the reflecting surface
40”
Toilet Facilities
There shall be a ___ minimum circular turning diameter. If door opens into this area, it
cannot encroach over ___
There shall be a 60” minimum circular turning diameter. If door opens into this area, it
cannot encroach over 12”
Toilet Facilities
Grab bar to withstand ___ lbs point load
Grab bar to withstand 250 lbs point load
Toilet Facilities
Grab bar, side wall — minimum length ___ with front end positioned ___ in front of the water closet
Grab bar, side wall — minimum length 42” with front end positioned 24” in front of the water closet
Toilet Facilities
Grab bar, rear wall — minimum length is 36”
Grab bar, rear wall — minimum length is ___
Toilet Facilities
Grab bar height is ___ above and parallel to the floor
Grab bar height is 33” above and parallel to the floor
Toilet Facilities
Grab bar cross section___ to ___ in diameter
Grab bar cross section 1 1/4” to 1 1/2” in diameter
Toilet Facilities
Toilet to be minimum 17” to 19” maximum in height
Toilet to be minimum 17” to 19” maximum in height
Sight Impaired
Building requirements
- Audible fire alarms
- Tactile warning strips at areas for low hanging overhead projections or changes in floor elevations
- Braille signage as required
Hearing Impaired
Building requirements
- Flashing strobe fire alarms
- Text telephone stations
- Assisted listening devices
True or false
The Building and Safety plan checker is reviewing the drawings for compliance with the accessibility provisions of the California Building Code and ADA,
False
The Building and Safety plan checker is only reviewing the drawings for compliance with the accessibility provisions of the California Building Code, Chapter IIA or 11B. They do not review for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: The local Building & Safety
Plan Checker is ONLY checking (in terms of
compliance) for compliance with the accessibility
requirements of the California Building Code. They are
not reviewing for ADA (to be discussed in Knowledge
Statement #25).
I’ve had two candidates in my seminar not fully
understand this at the end of the day (even though
we spent a lot of time on it earlier in the day).
Accessibility IS checked for, but only for compliance
with the California Building Code. So make sure you
are clear about this.
Corridors
Any corridor serving as a required exit for an occupant load more than 10 shall not be less than ___ in width
Any corridor serving as a required exit for an occupant load more than 10 shall not be less than 44” in width
Corridors
Any corridor serving as a required exit for an occupant load less than 10 shall not be less than ___ in width
Any corridor serving as a required exit for an occupant load less than 10 shall not be less than 36” in width
Corridors
Corridors and hallways on an accessible route over ___ must have a minimum ___ turning space
Corridors and hallways on an accessible route over 200’ must have a minimum 60”x60” turning space
