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

603 Toilet and Bathing Rooms

Section 603 covers toilet and bathing rooms and includes requirements for clear floor space, wheelchair turning space, permitted overlaps of various space requirements, and doors. Doors are not permitted to swing into clear floor space or clearance required for any fixture except under certain conditions (603.2.3). The Board has added clarification to this requirement, previously located in an advisory note, that doors are permitted to swing into the required wheelchair turning space.

The guidelines specify that accessible mirrors be mounted so that the bottom edge of the reflecting surface is no higher than 40 inches (603.3). The ANSI A117.1‒2003 standard contains a new requirement that specifies a height of 35 inches maximum for accessible mirrors not located above a lavatory or counter top. This specification was adopted to accommodate persons of short stature. The Board has included a similar requirement in the final rule.