California Accessibility

We are delighted to announce that our guide to adaca_cover_14Accessibility Compliance for California, is now available as an ebook on iTunes, Barnes & Nobel and Amazon.com.

ADA4CA is a digital guide to the state codes and federal standards that establish the requirements for accessibility compliance in California.
In addition to describing the requirements for accessibility compliance, the book also provides code references and graphic drawings and/or photographs to illustrate specific issues and requirements.
As an ebook, the codes, standards and illustration are available for viewing on smart phones, tablets and computers as a reference for architects, contractors and business owners.

 

29 Responses to California Accessibility

  1. Misty says:

    I have a suit currently filed against due to my service animal not being allowed in my subsidized apartment. I have a non-profit agency doing most of the work. They have informed me that it is very difficult to get interviews etc. from tenants regarding the case and have asked me to do further investigation myself. I am not capable of that kind of investigative work. Do you have a suggestion?

    Thanks Misty

    • Jennifer says:

      It is against the law for an apartment complex to disallow you from having a service animal live with you regardless weather or not they have a no pet policy, it is against the fair housing act. If you are disabled of any kind and need a service animal they have to accommodate you and cannot charge you a deposit for the service animal. Contact the Fair Housing and Employment office of CA.

      Jen
      Former Landlord
      Bachelors of Science Human Resource Management

  2. Dave Taylor says:

    My Senior Apt. Complex and those who live here and who are Wheelchair Bound do not have access(proper) to the Club House and Office. Neither are their any Handicapp accessible doorways to any of the buildings on these premises. The Laundry just has a single door that I know would be difficult if not impossible for those in larger, specialized Wheelchairs to gain entry in. The doors around here are all standard doors like you would find in any building. This is a HUD contracted Senior Complex and there are 90 persons living her. There are at least 6(or perhaps more) people who are Wheelchair bound. One in particular uses a large Wheelchair and she must have someone with her at all times helping her in and out of doors and buildings. I might add that I wote two letters regarding this to ADA Compliance at the U.S. Dept. of Justice. They simply forwarded my letters onto HUD. HUD then contacted me and asked “How was I injured?” I would like to state that I’m ambulatory. I have not lost the ability to get around. I do have diabetes and it greatlyaffected my vision at one time(Diabetic Retinopathy). The mailboxes that are outside which allow for oversized items(such as parcels and other oversized items) do not have legible numbers of the boxes on the tags(with the key). Some of these numbers are in Pencil. I have difficulty reading which box my package is in because of my vision impairment. Not all of the key tags have legible numbers.

  3. money says:

    This is a great post, thanks!

  4. Pryce Williams says:

    I am a contractor working on the interior of what will be a brewery with a tasting room. The hallway that leads to the bathrooms has a sloped/ramp section. The rise of this section is just under 6″ and the length of the ramp is approx. 50″. Under these circumstances are handrails required ??
    This project is in California

    Thank You

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      It’s difficult to say, without seeing the specifics of the situation – but from what you’ve described, it sounds as though it’s not compliant to begin with. The short story is that the California limit on ramps is 8.3% – and the ramp you’ve described is at 12%. The first item of business is to extend the ramp, to get the slope down to 8.3%. Once that’s done, yes you would need handrails on both sides.

      As an aside, if you can get it below 5%, it’s not considered a ramp – therefore no handrails.

  5. Chris Ithurburn says:

    I am currently working on a project in New York City. It is an existing pizza place that we are renovating, approximately 800 sf of public space. It currently has two existing non ADA baths. Is this something that is required to be remedied?

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      NY requirements will be different from California – and without seeing the specifics of the space, it’s difficult to say, but generally, you would be required to make “readily achievable” corrections – which would typically entail lever handle door hardware, lever handles on sinks, grab bars, toilet paper location, insulating pipes under sinks etc. The ADA doesn’t require that you turn the space upside down to make it compliant – but it does require that you make readily achievable corrections. Discuss w/ your local Building Department.

  6. Wendy says:

    I have an employee insisting that no one can use the handicap stalls in our restroom unless they are handicapped? Is this true?

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      Accessible parking stalls are the only thing I can think of, that are reserved exclusively for use by individuals with disabilities. If your employee believes that an accessible toilet stall should be exclusively used only by individuals with disabilities, you might ask them if they have a code reference, in either the CBC or the ADA that supports their position.

  7. Please forward any CASp inspectors contact information for New York. Thank you.

  8. William Hayes says:

    Owner wants to install Dyson Airblade AB 02 hand dryers. The technical page states ADA compliant but this job is in California and I’m not sure it meets California standards of ADA. The heights, top and bottom meet the code but how the hands go into the machine has me worried. Does anyone know if this has been a problem in California?

    Thanks

  9. Jessica says:

    I recently fell down a flight of stairs at my school (I luckily only sprained my foot) due to lack of grip on an outdoor staircase. The stairs are also missing chunks of concrete. I have talked to fellow students and teachers about this and they have also had small accidents due to these stairs. Is it legal for my school to not have grip on the stairs and if not what can I do to prevent future accidents and have these stairs fixed?

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      There are a number of specific requirements for stairs to comply with the ADA and the California Building Code. To address / correct these issues, we suggest that you:
      1. Have a friendly, low key meeting with the school administration to inform them of the issue and their responsibility to provide a safe facility that complies with the ADA and the California Building Code.
      2. Call your local building department.
      3. Call us.

  10. Janie Heinrich says:

    Just left 140 South Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The door is too heavy to open even though they proudly display handicap accessible. The elevators, they have two, one was not working when I went up to appointment. Both were no longer working when it came time to leave. No phone number or anything, just note stating they were not in service.

    Gentleman who cleans the offices was so kind to go and get the management lady who rode up on the elevator to get me. When the door opened she stated that the stairs are available. And I rode down with her stating that the sign on the third floor should have had a phone number.

    She came off the elevator and talked but truly doubt anything will change. She could not even assist me with the door. This is the second time I have told her that the downstairs door need a push button because they are much too heavy for a handicap person to access even though they proudly display handicap accessible sign on both huge glass doors.

    Please tell me, how I can be proactive in this matter?
    Sincerely,
    janie Heinrich

  11. Joanne says:

    I recently went to a concert at the Concord Pavillion in Concord, CA. I was with a disabled person, instead of parking us in the disabled parking, (they said was full, which it was not) they parked us up a hill. I had to drop off my passenger because she can not walk up or down hills due to her back. We then had to stand and wait almost 15 minutes for a golf cart to take us to the disabled entrance. That is when I saw there was plenty of disabled parking available. Who do I send my complaint to so this matter doesn’t happen to someone else.

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      I recommend that you start by contacting the Concord Pavilion management. If they are unresponsive, there is a list of attorney’s on our web site who specialize in ADA issues.

  12. Mike says:

    I had this guy come to my property which is a hotel and says

    No 250 sign
    No Clear Disability stripping
    No Curbside truncated dome
    No Van Access Signs

    The above is done but I don’t have truncated dome. I also have done my CASP inspection. But this guy came before my CASP inspection.

  13. Sal says:

    Hi,

    I went into the Building dept. at the City of San Diego for a permit on a minor interior remodel to a condominium. We are making slight adjustments to one of the bathrooms (2br / 2 ba) in the condo. And we were told by the plan checker that we are supposed to make the bathroom being altered accessible. This did not sound right to me… can you please shed some light?

    Thank you!

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      Pls. provide clarifications. Is this a private / residential condo? What floor is it on? Who owns the condominium complex? Is it a private developer / owner or is this by chance any sort of public housing?

      • Sal says:

        It is a private residential condo. Condominiums int he building are individually owned (not public housing/apartments) Its on a 4th story of a 13th story building. Thanks!

  14. Susan says:

    How would I go about filing an ADA complaint against an equine facility that offers a non-profit therapeutic riding program for people with disabilities but DOES not offer adequate parking for the loading and offloading of patients with walkers, wheel chairs and other devices?

  15. Tim Madson says:

    A Question?
    We have a 4 story office building with his and her bathrooms right across from the elevators. Do we need to make a men`s compliant bath and a women`s compliant on each floor or just one for each for the whole building?

    • Dwight Ashdown says:

      I’m quite sure that you need accessible restrooms on every other floor. That might be floors 1 & 3.

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