2013 California Standards for Accessible Design Pocket Guide

11B-703.5 Visual characters.

Visual characters shall comply with Section 11B-703.5.

Exception: Where visual characters comply with Section 11B-703.2 _|Signs; Raised Characters|_ and are accompanied by Braille complying with Section 11B-703.3, they shall not be required to comply with Sections 11B-703.5.2 through 11B-703.5.6, 11B-703.5.8 _|Stroke Thickness|_ and 11B-703.5.9 _|Line Spacing|_.

[2010 ADAS] EXCEPTION:  Where visual characters comply with 703.2 and are accompanied by braille complying with 703.3, they shall not be required to comply with 703.5.2 through 703.5.9.

11B-703.5.1 Finish and contrast.

Characters and their background shall have a non-glare finish. Characters shall contrast with their background with either light characters on a dark background or dark characters on a light background.

11B-703.5.2 Case.

Characters shall be uppercase or lowercase or a combination of both.

11B-703.5.3 Style.

Characters shall be conventional in form. Characters shall not be italic, oblique, script, highly decorative, or of other unusual forms.  [S.H.  Visual character style not addressed by 2010 and earlier versions of CBC, or by 1991 ADAAG, unless the visual characters were also tactile.]

11B-703.5.4 Character proportions.

Characters shall be selected from fonts where the width of the uppercase letter “O” is 60 percent minimum and 110 percent maximum of the height of the uppercase letter “I”.

[2010 ADAS] 703.5.4 Character Proportions.  Characters shall be selected from fonts where the width of the uppercase letter "O" is 55 percent minimum and 110 percent maximum of the height of the uppercase letter "I".

11B-703.5.5 Character height.

Minimum character height shall comply with Table 11B-703.5.5. Viewing distance shall be measured as the horizontal distance between the character and an obstruction preventing further approach towards the sign. Character height shall be based on the uppercase letter “I”.

Exception:  Where provided, floor plans providing emergency procedures information in accordance with Title 19 shall not be required to comply with Section 11B-703.5.5.

TABLE 11B-703.5.5

VISUAL CHARACTER HEIGHT

11B-703.5.6 Height from finish floor or ground.

Visual characters shall be 40 inches (1016 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground.

Exceptions:

1.      Visual characters indicating elevator car controls shall not be required to comply with Section 11B-703.5.6.

2.      Floor-level exit signs complying with Chapter 10, Section 1011.7 shall not be required to comply with Section 11B-703.5.6.

3.      Where provided, floor plans providing emergency procedures information in accordance with Title 19 shall not be required to comply with Section 11B-703.5.6

11B-703.5.7 Stroke thickness.

Stroke thickness of the uppercase letter “I” shall be 10 percent minimum and 20 percent maximum of the height of the character.

[2010 ADAS] 703.5.7 Stroke Thickness.  Stroke thickness of the uppercase letter "I" shall be 10 percent minimum and 30 percent maximum of the height of the character.

11B-703.5.8 Character spacing.

Character spacing shall be measured between the two closest points of adjacent characters, excluding word spaces. Spacing between individual characters shall be 10 percent minimum and 35 percent maximum of character height.  [S.H.  Visual character spacing not addressed by 2010 and earlier versions of CBC, or by 1991 ADAAG.]

11B-703.5.9 Line spacing .

Spacing between the baselines of separate lines of characters within a message shall be 135 percent minimum and 170 percent maximum of the character height.  [S.H.  Visual character line spacing not addressed by 2010 and earlier versions of CBC, or by 1991 ADAAG.]

11B-703.5.10 Format.

Text shall be in a horizontal format.