2016 California Standards for Accessible Design Pocket Guide - Eff. Jan. 1, 2017

 Advisory 11B-221.3 Companion seats. The following advisory language clarifies the operational requirements of 28 CFR Part 36, Section 36.302(f)(4)(i).

People purchasing a ticket for an accessible seat may purchase up to three additional seats for their companions in the same row and these seats must be contiguous with the accessible seat. If contiguous seats have already been sold and are not available, the venue must offer other seats as close as possible to the accessible seat. If those seats are in a different price category, the venue is not required to modify the price and may charge the same price as it charges others for those seats. When designing, best practice is to locate wheelchair spaces in rows where seating for a  minimum of four is provided. Where two wheelchair spaces are provided adjacent to one another, one can be used as a companion seat.

Where a venue limits ticket sales to fewer than four tickets, those limits also apply to tickets for accessible seats. Similarly, when a venue allows the purchase of more than four tickets, that policy also applies to tickets for accessible seats, but only three companion seats must be contiguous with the accessible seat.

Many venues offer a group sales rate for groups of a pre-determined size. If a group includes one or more individuals who need accessible seating, the entire group should be seated together in an area that includes accessible seating. If it is not possible to seat the entire group together and the group must be split, the tickets should be allocated so that the individuals with disabilities are not isolated from others in their group.