• Welcome to The Building Code Forum

    Your premier resource for building code knowledge.

    This forum remains free to the public thanks to the generous support of our Sawhorse Members and Corporate Sponsors. Their contributions help keep this community thriving and accessible.

    Want enhanced access to expert discussions and exclusive features? Learn more about the benefits here.

    Ready to upgrade? Log in and upgrade now.

Do All Offices Need To Be Accessible

What does CA say about a pocket or sliding door?
The maneuvering clearances would work for those types of doors, but unfortunately the design of the space would not allow for those types of doors. It's really just an unfortunate location in an oddly designed building.
 
CBC 202.4 exception #8 says there's an upper limit on how much your client needs to spend for accessible path of travel improvements.

As others have mentioned, your client will be responsible for ADA compliance regardless of whether or not compliance falls within the scope of alterations CBC-11B.

The IEBC includes this limit, too (20% of the total project cost), but I have never encountered anyone who interpreted that to means that after you've spent 20% you can construct NEW elements that aren't accessible. I'm pretty certain the 20% rule only applies to making existing, inaccessible elements more accessible.

California's language may be different.
 
The IEBC includes this limit, too (20% of the total project cost), but I have never encountered anyone who interpreted that to means that after you've spent 20% you can construct NEW elements that aren't accessible. I'm pretty certain the 20% rule only applies to making existing, inaccessible elements more accessible.

California's language may be different.
I agree, and I hope I made that clear when I referenced CBC 11B-202.3.
So if, in the office in question, the door and/or the wall within the door clearance is new, those components need to be accessible.
If however the alteration in the office was something else - for example, adding a wet bar in the office - and the doors and walls of the route that leads to the wet bar were existing and not yet accessible, then the 20% rule would apply the the existing door+wall configuration. The new wet bar, or any other feature that was new, would need to be accessible.
 
Back
Top