36 CFR Parts 1190 and 1191 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines - Preamble (Discussion of Comments and Changes)

Section 206.5 provides scoping requirements for doors, doorways, and gates. Revisions include:

• clarification of a provision covering doors and doorways in inaccessible transient lodging guest rooms in section 206.5.3 (located at 224.1.2 in the proposed rule)

• addition of a new exception from this requirement for shower and sauna doors (206.5.3, Exception)

This section also includes a provision for doors and doorways in residential dwelling units (206.5.4) that has been relocated from Chapter 11.

Comment. In transient lodging facilities, doors and doorways in inaccessible guest rooms are required to provide a clear width of at least 32 inches. This specification stems from the original ADAAG and is intended to afford some access to inaccessible guest rooms for visitation purposes. Clarification was requested on which types of doors this is intended to cover and whether it applies to shower doors.

Response. In the final rule, clarification has been added in 206.5.3 that the 32 inch minimum clearance applies to those doors "providing user passage" into and within guest rooms not required to be accessible. In addition, the Board has added an exception that exempts shower and sauna doors in inaccessible guest rooms from this requirement. Corresponding changes have been made to a similar provision in the scoping section for transient lodging facilities (224.1.2).