ADA Shop Talk Episode 033 – We’re Back! Nuthin’ But Code Questions

We are back in the studio this week and loaded with code questions for you.

Questions answered this episode:

Jose – How more effective and wise it is to use a 2-foot level in lieu of a 4-foot level please advise I look forward to attending your seminar once again thank you.

DOJ Survey Tools and Techniques

ADA National Network Recommend Tools

Tolerance Info ETA

US Access Board – Dimensional Tolerances in Construction and for Surface Accessibility

David – Hi guys. A couple quick questions regarding accessible pools in California. Do Title II university dorms with pool facilities need to comply with the pool access requirement? And what about Title III apartments (available only to tenants and their guests)? Do the requirements for apartments change if the apartment complex is state owned?

Philip – Hello Paul and Mark I really enjoy your show and appreciate all the time and effort you both put into it. My question concerns platform lifts. A restaurant in Ca is building a raised outdoor deck with a bar and dining area. Vertical access is being provided with a platform lift. The lift has an 11% threshold ramp with a 24? run and a 2.5?rise to enter the platform lift. (see attached photo) Citing CBC 11B-410.7 I wrote a correction notice to provide a minimum 60?X60? landing with a maximum 1/2? rise for the threshold to enter the lift. The architect and lift installer responded citing CBC 11B-410.1 which states platform lifts shall comply with ASME A18.1. Section 2.1.5.1 allows a threshold ramp with a rise of 1 in 8 for heights up to 3?. This is a clear conflict with the CBC- 11B requirements and I believe the building code trumps ASME A18.1, but why does the code refer to conflicting documents? What are your thoughts? Thanks Phil

Jun -An existing metal stair has 3? wide C-channels on both sides of treads & risers. The width of the treads is 40?, which makes the width of the stair assembly itself to be 46? wide, which is greater than 44? min. required for a means of egress stair. However, if you only include the walking surface by itself, the width of stair seems to be less than 44? min. Which way of measuring is more reasonable (?) Widths of many existing stairs (especially in old pre-ADA buildings) often fall between 40? and 46?.

Andrew  – In one of my recent plan reviews for a new hotel, I commented on the entry door of a guest room required to have mobility features being in series with the bathroom door. The response from the architect was that from his research this only applied to egress doors and also attached an excerpt from Appendix B to Part 36, Analysis and Commentary on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design to show how the three guest room layouts they provided as examples all had this configuration. The commentary did not specifically mention doors in series. These figures provided for example do occasionally have oversights, so I am reluctant to base my decision on the figure provided. In this specific instance, he would have to reconfigure the bathroom to use a sliding door, because the wall it would slide into is a plumbing wall (water closet). However, 11B-404.1 states “Doors, doorways, and gates that are part of an accessible route shall comply with Section 11B-404.” There are no exceptions provided that I can see. Do you have a position on this?

Lorena – Accessories: seat covers, located behind a toilet above the grab bar does not meet the clear floor space. When writing a correction how do you address this? In 305 it doesn’t specifically state Accessories.

Damon – I have a designer who has submitted for a permit here in. He would like to build a 3 unit condominium building and a 2 Unit condominium building on one property.  1102A.3.1 states that “the minimum number of accessible units shall be calculated using the total number of all multistory dwelling units in buildings on a site which are subject to this section.”  The designer claims that he is exempt from having to meet these requirements because he does not have more than 4 condos in any one building.  I feel we should be requiring one accessible unit due to 5 units being submitted for the site.  What do you guys think?

Building Standards for the Implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 1025 (Accessibility of Multistory Dwelling Units)

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