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How many violations can you see?

Yankee Chronicler

Yankee Chronicler

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Oct 17, 2023
Messages
3,587
Location
New England
I had a medical appointment today in a fairly new (first occupancy 2021) office condo. Whuile there I used the rest room. See how many accessibility violations you can spot in these two photos:

1755114553188.png

1755114591836.png

Things you can't really see in the photos:
  • The water closet is standard height, not accessible height
  • The privacy function in the door hardware is activated by a small thumbturn in the handle. Requires tight grasping, pinching, and twisting of the wrist to operate. The locket on the door from the building lobby to the waiting room uses the same design thumbturn. The exterior door serving the lobby has a conventional deadbolt with a conventional thumbturn.
  • This state added a requirement that single-occupant toilet rooms must have a call-for-aid pull switch, with an annunciator in a normally visible location. Not here.
There's lots more. See what you can pick up.
 
If this were in California, not mentioning what you mentioned in the post:
  1. Door handle doesn't return to door.
  2. No accessible coat hook visible.
  3. Door maneuvering clearance not provided.
  4. Wall surface / coverings.
  5. Maneuvering clearances around toilet not provided.
  6. Flush handle on wrong site of toilet.
  7. Toilet paper dispenser appears too close to the toilet.
  8. Mirror seems too high.
  9. Rear grab bar not long enough and not positioned properly.
  10. Side grab bar likely not positioned properly.
 
Mr. Inspector said:
The shelfing is aloud in the maneuvering clearances around toilet
Click to expand...
The way I read code, shelving only counts if it's attached to the wall (like a dispenser). The shelving here I consider a piece of furniture.

Regardless, the lav is too close to the toilet, so the maneuvering clearance still isn't provided.
 
No tape measure in the picture to reference, but to toilet looks too far away from the side wall, in addition to all the other things mentioned...
 
Is the turn around space provided? The room looks tight.

If the International Plumbing Code is applicable, I see a violation with that, too.
 
arwat23 said:
If this were in California, not mentioning what you mentioned in the post:
  1. Door handle doesn't return to door.
  2. No accessible coat hook visible.
  3. Door maneuvering clearance not provided.
  4. Wall surface / coverings.
  5. Maneuvering clearances around toilet not provided.
  6. Flush handle on wrong site of toilet.
  7. Toilet paper dispenser appears too close to the toilet.
  8. Mirror seems too high.
  9. Rear grab bar not long enough and not positioned properly.
  10. Side grab bar likely not positioned properly.
Click to expand...
A very extensive list, and if I can add insult to injury by referencing 216.3 and 703.5.3, the informational sign behind the toilet has the word "Please" in
11. italic and
12. (cursive) script
 
I wasn't clever enough to count ceiling tiles or otherwise measure the room dimensions. My bad.

Yes, the IPC is used in this state. Based on the date of construction, that would have been the 2015 IPC (we skipped over 2018)
 
arwat23 said:
If this were in California, not mentioning what you mentioned in the post:
  1. Door handle doesn't return to door.
  2. No accessible coat hook visible.
  3. Door maneuvering clearance not provided.
  4. Wall surface / coverings.
  5. Maneuvering clearances around toilet not provided.
  6. Flush handle on wrong site of toilet.
  7. Toilet paper dispenser appears too close to the toilet.
  8. Mirror seems too high.
  9. Rear grab bar not long enough and not positioned properly.
  10. Side grab bar likely not positioned properly.
Click to expand...

Wall surface?

Is that a California thing?
 
Yankee Chronicler said:
Wall surface?

Is that a California thing?
Click to expand...
It's a IBC 1210.2.2 thing. Not exactly accessibility. I'll be honest, I read the title, saw the photos, and just started typing. Didn't realize this was restricted to accessibility violations. Didn't even realize this was posted in the accessibility code category lol. Blame my insomnia on that one.
 
arwat23 said:
The way I read code, shelving only counts if it's attached to the wall (like a dispenser). The shelving here I consider a piece of furniture.
Click to expand...

Where do you get this? Does it say this in the commentary? I don't see the difference if this same shelfing was hung on the wall at the same place. Seems to me the toilet would be more accessible if the shelfs were movable rather that attached to the wall at that spot.
 
Last edited:
arwat23 said:
If this were in California, not mentioning what you mentioned in the post:
  1. Door handle doesn't return to door.
  2. No accessible coat hook visible.
  3. Door maneuvering clearance not provided.
  4. Wall surface / coverings.
  5. Maneuvering clearances around toilet not provided.
  6. Flush handle on wrong site of toilet.
  7. Toilet paper dispenser appears too close to the toilet.
  8. Mirror seems too high.
  9. Rear grab bar not long enough and not positioned properly.
  10. Side grab bar likely not positioned properly.
Click to expand...
How did I miss how close the lav is....Definitely not 60"
 
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