2019 California Standards for Accessible Design Guide (effective January 1, 2020 with July 1, 2021 amendments)

TEST NO. 3 – UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS TEST

Unusual characteristics include sites located in a state or federally designated floodplain or coastal high-hazard areas and sites subject to other similar requirements of law or code that require the lowest floor or the lowest structural member of the lowest floor to be designed to a specified level at or above the base flood elevation. An accessible route to a building entrance is impractical due to unusual characteristics of the site when:

1. The original site characteristics result in a difference in finished grade elevation exceeding 30 inches (762 mm) and 10 percent measured between an entrance and all vehicular or pedestrian arrival points within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of the planned entrance; or
2. If there are no vehicular or pedestrian arrival points within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of the planned entrance, the unusual characteristics result in a difference in finished grade elevation exceeding 30 inches (762 mm) and 10 percent measured between an entrance and the closest vehicular or pedestrian arrival point.