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

Comment. Requirements for handrails in the proposed rule applied only to those provided along ramps and stairs. The handrail requirements in section 505 address specifications for continuity, height, clearance, gripping surface, cross section, fittings, and extensions. The Board sought comment on whether these requirements should also be applied to handrails that are provided along portions of circulation paths without ramps or stairs (Question 20). The few comments that addressed this question supported the inclusion of such a requirement.

Response. In the final rule, the Board has included a requirement at section 403.6 that handrails, where provided along walking surfaces not treated as a ramp (i.e., those with running slopes no steeper than 1:20), meet the technical criteria in section 505. The Board has included provisions in section 505 that exempt walking surfaces from requirements for handrails on both sides and from requirements for handrail extensions.