This animation explains requirements for accessible toilet rooms in the ADA and ABA standards.
Accessible toilet rooms must be on an accessible route and have compliant doors so that people
with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, can enter the space.
Required clearances provide sufficient room to enter, clear the door, turn around, and
close and lock the door.
The clear floor space required at water closets accommodates a variety of transfers, including
side transfers.
Transfer techniques vary among users based on personal preferences and abilities,
room layout, and other factors.
Grab bars on the side and rear walls are critical for transfer.
Flush controls must be located on the open side of the water closet.
Clearances are also required at lavatories and other elements, including soap dispensers,
towel dispensers, and hand dryers.
The standards include criteria for the usability of faucet controls and other operable parts.
Door maneuvering clearances provide room to approach and open doors and to exit the space.
The size of single-user toilet rooms is determined by room layout, configuration of fixtures,
the swing of doors, and other factors.
Water closets can be located in any corner of the room so that one side is open and unobstructed.
The lavatory must be located outside the water closet clearance.
This keeps the space beside the water closet open for side transfers.
The lavatory clear floor space, however, can overlap the water closet clearance.
Lavatories can be recessed so that they remain outside the water closet clearance.
To accommodate this configuration, the rear grab bar at the water closet is permitted
to be shortened from 36 inches to 24 inches minimum.
The maneuvering clearance required at doors is configured according to the swing and approach.
This space must be clear of any obstructions but can overlap other clearances.
Doors can swing into fixture clearances only if clear floor space at least 30 by 48 inches
is available beyond the swing.
This ensures sufficient space to clear the door when entering the room.
The location and orientation of this space is not further specified,
but it should be positioned so that it can be easily accessed.
Turning Space is required within the room.
Turning space must be either a 60 inch diameter circle or a t-shape.
This space can overlap fixture and door maneuvering clearances.
Doors can swing into the turning space under any condition.
Rooms with doors that swing out ususally can be smaller since less maneuvering clearance
is required on the push side of doors.
On the push side, a strike side clearance of at least 12 inches is required for a forward
approach if the door has both a closer and latch.
Otherwise, no strike side clearance is required on the push side.
Where doors swing out, turning space may further determine the minimum size of the room.
Lavatories and other fixtures with knee and toe space
can overlap a portion of the turning space.
These requirments apply to all types of room layouts.
For example, in the case of a room with a lavatory opposite the water closet
the same requirements apply, including:
Minimum clearances at the water closet and the lavatory, and any other provided fixtures;
Door maneuvering clearance unobstructed by any fixtures;
Location of the door swing outside fixture clearances
(unless wheelchair space beyond the door swing is provided in the room)
and turning space, which can overlap fixture and door clearances and the arc of the door swing.
These requirements apply equally to other layouts.
In this example, the door swing can overlap fixture clearances because wheelchair space
is available beyond the door swing.
Access is required to multi-user toilet rooms where provided,
even if other accessible restrooms are available.
At least one lavatory must be accessible.
A compliant urinal is required where more than one urinal is provided.
At least one toilet compartment must be wheelchair accessible in all multi-user restrooms.
The compartment opening is offset from the water closet to provide space for entry and
positioning for transfer.
Toe clearance below one side partition and the front partition
provides additional maneuvering space.
A second compartment is required in rooms with six or more toilet compartments or a
combined total of six or more compartments and urinals.
This compartment is designed for people with disabilities who are ambulatory.
It features a self-closing door that swings out and parallel grab bars
that provide support on both sides.
Further guidance on accessible toilet rooms and other requirements in
the ADA and ABA standards is available from the U.S. Access Board.
This animation was developed by the U.S. Access Board in cooperation with the federal agencies
that issue the ADA and ABA standards.