Clearance at bottom of stair / door

[coolethan]

Greetings. I'm working on a private garage condo unit. Is there a minimal distance from the door to the stair? I have read 24".. however, why couldn't I just provide 12" on the push side? Also assuming handrail can't overlap into the clear space too?

Thanks!

 

[Yikes]

1. What jurisdiction (applicable code) is the project located in?
2. When you say "private garage" do you mean:

a. The condo project is privately funded, and not subject to being considered "public housing" under ADA?​

b. The garage is private, solely for the use of the residents, and will not include public parking / visitor parking / sales office parking / mixed use retail parking?​

c. The garage shown is exclusively for the use of that particular condo unit?​

d. The door we're seeing is leading from the inside of the condo unit (not a common area) into the garage?​

3. Is the condo considered a "covered multifamily dwelling" under the Fair Housing Act?
4. Is the doorway fire rated? If "yes", what device will you use to ensure the door closes?
5. Where did you read 24" was required?

 

[coolethan]

1. What jurisdiction (applicable code) is the project located in?

2021 International Building Code (IBC) / 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) w/ S-1 (Storage) Use Classification

2. When you say "private garage" do you mean:
a. The condo project is privately funded, and not subject to being considered "public housing" under ADA? - Correct. Each unit is sold to an individual and is considered private.
b. The garage is private, solely for the use of the residents, and will not include public parking / visitor parking / sales office parking / mixed use retail parking? The garage unit is private, however their is a private clubhouse on property - which I assume will meet ADA and all the typical code requirements. No sales, No Retail. Visitor parking only outside the gates at the club house.
c. The garage shown is exclusively for the use of that particular condo unit? Yes, It is one of many units that are within a gated property.
d. The door we're seeing is leading from the inside of the condo unit (not a common area) into the garage? Correct, door exit's to the drive aisle.
3. Is the condo considered a "covered multifamily dwelling" under the Fair Housing Act? No.. and sleeping in the unit is also prohibited.
4. Is the doorway fire rated? If "yes", what device will you use to ensure the door closes? No, the building has a Class 1 sprinkler and has a 2hr fire rated demising wall between units. Standard 1hr rated metal door with closer.
5. Where did you read 24" was required? I was from a note from past project.. and doesn't necessarily mean its valid.


Thanks for the help btw.

 

[Jay Smith]

Based on the answers above - This appears to be a door from the living space of a private dwelling unit to the private garage (this tenant only) attached to that private dwelling unit. It is not the primary entrance to the unit. This is not an accessible unit. It is a multistory unit (stairs are within the private dwelling unit). Is all of that true? If so, there is no code requirement for 24 inches or even 12 inches to the door jamb.

 

[coolethan]

Sorry, to clarify.. the door is on level 1 and the only exit outside of the unit (besides the adjacent garage door). The 4th wall (missing in photo) does not have any doors (just an exterior wall).

 

[Yikes]

Sorry, to clarify.. the door is on level 1 and the only exit outside of the unit (besides the adjacent garage door). The 4th wall (missing in photo) does not have any doors (just an exterior wall).

Sorry, are you saying:
(A) When the person leaves the condominium dwelling unit and goes out this door into the drive aisle, when they look up they see the sky?
Or
(B) they look up and see the lid of the garage?

 

[Yikes]

Or maybe your original question could be restated as: do I need the maneuvering clearances hinted at by the red dashed lines in the floor plan?
Is that what you are trying to ask?

 

[coolethan]

Sorry, are you saying:
(A) When the person leaves the condominium dwelling unit and goes out this door into the drive aisle, when they look up they see the sky?
Or
(B) they look up and see the lid of the garage?

When they leave the unit - through the single exit door by the stair, they are standing outside - on the drive aisle (which is drive between each of the buildings - that house 4-5 units per bldg).

 

[coolethan]

Or maybe your original question could be restated as: do I need the maneuvering clearances hinted at by the red dashed lines in the floor plan?
Is that what you are trying to ask?

Correct.. just trying to nail down the clearance requirement between the door and the bottom of the stair. Since the unit wont require ADA door clearances and considered residential, can the stair lowest tread / riser be located.. lets say, 12-18" from the door frame?

 

[Yikes]

As an industry convention, the red dashed lines on the doorway in the sketch you provided are typically used to identify additional clearances required by accessibility codes for persons with disabilities. Here in California, that is CBC 11A for privately funded housing and 11B for publicly funded housing. At exterior doors, we typically have 24” on the outdoor pull side of the door. That goes down to 18” for interior pull side.
For the interior push side of a door, it typically does not have extra clearance required unless that door is equipped with both a latch and a door closer, in which case the clearance is 12” for a distance of 4 feet back from the door.

Looking at your drawing, if the designer was being very intentional about meeting minimum code requirements (and wasn’t just copy/pasting without thinking),
1. The designer thinks there is some accessibility code that applies to this project. Have you researched this to see if the codes will require the door to be accessible?
2. You’ve said the door opens to the outdoors and you also said the door is rated and has a closer: Why does this door need to be fire rated? Why does it need a closer? Are the cars in the drive aisle going to hit it if it stays open? If you don’t need the closer, the 12” clearance goes away. Alternatively, if you want the door to close without a closer, you can use spring hinges and the 12” clearance goes away.

Lastly, if your designer really thinks the unit need to be accessible, you should also double check to make sure the code doesn’t;t require handrails extensions at the stairs that would interfere with the doorway. It’s probably unlikely inside a private dwelling unit, but we don’t have enough context from the info provided.

Please respond with your own analysis as to which accessibility codes and regs apply to the private condo. For example, you said FHA doesn’t apply to the project, but you also said you have 4-5 units per building, so it does apply in some way.

 

[coolethan]

As an industry convention, the red dashed lines on the doorway in the sketch you provided are typically used to identify additional clearances required by accessibility codes for persons with disabilities. Here in California, that is CBC 11A for privately funded housing and 11B for publicly funded housing. At exterior doors, we typically have 24” on the outdoor pull side of the door. That goes down to 18” for interior pull side.
For the interior push side of a door, it typically does not have extra clearance required unless that door is equipped with both a latch and a door closer, in which case the clearance is 12” for a distance of 4 feet back from the door.

Looking at your drawing, if the designer was being very intentional about meeting minimum code requirements (and wasn’t just copy/pasting without thinking),
1. The designer thinks there is some accessibility code that applies to this project. Have you researched this to see if the codes will require the door to be accessible?
2. You’ve said the door opens to the outdoors and you also said the door is rated and has a closer: Why does this door need to be fire rated? Why does it need a closer? Are the cars in the drive aisle going to hit it if it stays open? If you don’t need the closer, the 12” clearance goes away. Alternatively, if you want the door to close without a closer, you can use spring hinges and the 12” clearance goes away.

Lastly, if your designer really thinks the unit need to be accessible, you should also double check to make sure the code doesn’t;t require handrails extensions at the stairs that would interfere with the doorway. It’s probably unlikely inside a private dwelling unit, but we don’t have enough context from the info provided.

Please respond with your analysis as to which accessibility codes and regs apply to the private condo.

With regards to the door, the closer, door rating is a client preference. And yes the door red dashes is from the modeling.. not necessary a requirement, just a drafting convention typically used by the designer. The units don't have to be accessible.

The portions of public or privately funded apartments, condominiums, townhomes, and single-family dwellings used exclusively by residents and their guests are exempt from compliance with the Texas Accessibility Standards, per 68.30 (4). Texas Administrative Code (state.tx.us)

The 2021 IFC below has a requirement for the stair, however the door swings outwards and doesn't overlap the landing. The track of the overhead garage door will clear the 48" requirement as well.

If we reconfigure the stair to have 1 less tread, this will provide 12" of clearance from the door frame as well.

1011.6​

There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The width of landings, measured perpendicularly to the direction of travel, shall be not less than the width of stairways served. Every landing shall have a minimum depth, measured parallel to the direction of travel, equal to the width of the stairway or 48 inches (1219 mm), whichever is less. Doors opening onto a landing shall not reduce the landing to less than one-half the required width. When fully open, the door shall not project more than 7 inches (178 mm) into the required width of a landing. Where wheelchair spaces are required on the stairway landing in accordance with Section 1009.6.3, the wheelchair space shall not be located in the required width of the landing and doors shall not swing over the wheelchair spaces.

 

[redeyedfly]

The portions of public or privately funded apartments, condominiums, townhomes, and single-family dwellings used exclusively by residents and their guests are exempt from compliance with the Texas Accessibility Standards, per 68.30 (4). Texas Administrative Code (state.tx.us)

This will not get you out of FHA requirements. You may be subject to them with some units if there are 4 or more in a building.

 

[coolethan]

This will not get you out of FHA requirements. You may be subject to them with some units if there are 4 or more in a building.

Yes that is true and I will need to seek clarification, since this project is a little out of the ordinary. Thank you for the note.

 

[Yikes]

I agree with redeyefly. You will be subject to Fair Housing Act due to having 4 or more condos per building.
Fair Housing Act is not enforced by the building department during plan check, so don't expect this to be a plan check correction. Rathr enforcement occurs when you get sued for discrimination in civil court.
To avoid that, design per the Fair Housing Act Design Manual, found here: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/PDF/FAIRHOUSING/fairfull.pdf
PDF page 130 has this comment:


So you need to check out ANSI 4.13 (or its predecessor, since this was first published in 1998) to see what the clearance requirements are.
My guess is they are similar to the red dashed lines on your drawings.

Honestly, if I were you I'd get rid of the closer, and if the owner's preference is for the door to close automatically while avoiding strike side clearance issues, then use spring hinges instead of closers.

 

[Jay Smith]

I’m still not clear on the scope of this project, but multistory dwelling units in buildings without elevator service are not covered by FHA.

 

[Yikes]

I’m still not clear on the scope of this project, but multistory dwelling units in buildings without elevator service are not covered by FHA.

Right, and the OP has not clarified the full scope of the project. We don't know if the building has an elevator or not, because we've only seen one small portion of one room in one unit.
The project is subject to FHA; but whether that analysis indicates FHA compliance via zero CMD vs. via units that require an accessible primary level remains to be seen, based on elevators. Excerpt from FHA.



A few years ago I did a townhome project with zero CMDs. After completing the plans, the developer decided to add private residential elevators into the units do to his analysis of an emerging senior / retirement demographic that had cashed out their family homes. Suddenly we needed accessible primary levels, and the site had to be re-graded.

 

[Sifu]

What is the occupancy classification? You answered a question in post #3 by saying there is no sleeping in the unit? Is this a dwelling unit? I am confused.

 

[mark handler]

Per TAS, you need handrails on both sides of the stairs, and must extend 11-inches minimum, beyond the bottom stair tread



Architectural Barriers Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS)

TAS CHAPTER 5: GENERAL SITE AND BUILDING ELEMENTS

www.tdlr.texas.gov

505.2 Where Required. Handrails shall be provided on both sides of stairs and ramps.
505.10.3 Bottom Extension at Stairs. At the bottom of a stair flight, handrails shall extend at the slope of the stair flight for a horizontal distance at least equal to one tread depth beyond the last riser nosing. Extension shall return to a wall, guard, or the landing surface, or shall be continuous to the handrail of an adjacent stair flight.

 

[Yikes]

Per TAS, you need handrails on both sides of the stairs, and must extend 11-inches minimum, beyond the bottom stair tread

View attachment 14192

Architectural Barriers Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS)

TAS CHAPTER 5: GENERAL SITE AND BUILDING ELEMENTS

www.tdlr.texas.gov

505.2 Where Required. Handrails shall be provided on both sides of stairs and ramps.
505.10.3 Bottom Extension at Stairs. At the bottom of a stair flight, handrails shall extend at the slope of the stair flight for a horizontal distance at least equal to one tread depth beyond the last riser nosing. Extension shall return to a wall, guard, or the landing surface, or shall be continuous to the handrail of an adjacent stair flight.

Mark, I think the question is one of scoping. The original poster is suspicious that his drafter showed access compliance clearances inside a private housing multistory dwelling unit that might not be subject to TAS and might not be a Covered Multifamily Dwelling. If that's the case, then I believe IBC 1011.11 exc. #1 allows stairs that are inside private dwelling units to have handrail on only one side.