The U.S. Access Board, the Federal agency responsible for implementing ADA regulations, has released new guidelines for providing accessible facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These guidelines come at a time when businesses in California and across the nation are already struggling to understand and comply with the plethora of often contradictory state and federal regulations. These recently proposed regulations change or eliminate some existing requirements and add some entirely new guidelines.
For example, under the new guidelines, single user restrooms must have a 60" wide and 60" deep clear area in the toilet corner. Current regulations have no such requirement. Any single user restroom being built or improved should now include, if at all possible, the new required clear area.
Though the regulations have not yet been implemented, the probability that they will be in the near future suggests that current efforts to provide compliant access should incorporate these new requirements as well as the existing requirements.
For more information, contact Kathi Finnerty or John McKinsey at Livingston & Mattesich.
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