Understanding ADA Compliance / Application Scope and General Concept

Application Scope and General Concept

Application Scope

This accessibility checklist applies to the following building types:

Public buildings, commercial buildings, and publicly funded housing with the following group occupancies:

  • A - Assembly
  • B - Business
  • E - Educational
  • F - Factory/Industrial
  • H - Hazardous
  • I - Institutional
  • M - Mercantile
  • R - Residential (hotels, motels, inns, dormitories, resorts, homeless shelters, halfway houses, transient group homes, and similar places of transient lodging)
  • S - Storage
  • Outdoor occupancies - Parks and recreational areas, campsites, beach picnic areas, boat docks, and nature trails

For privately funded housing: Refer to Chapter 11-A of the California Building Code, Volume 1.

Code Reference

California Building Code, Volume 1, Chapters 10 and 11B

All requirements in this checklist are drawn from these chapters. The contents of all illustrations in this bulletin are taken directly from the California Building Code, Volume 1, Chapters 10 and 11B.

General Concept for New Buildings

The fundamental requirement for accessible design is to provide a path of travel from handicapped parking spaces to all accessible elements and spaces.

This path of travel includes:

  • Walks
  • Sidewalks
  • Curb ramps
  • Pedestrian ramps
  • Lobbies and corridors
  • Elevators
  • Sanitary facilities
  • Other improved areas
  • Necessary combinations thereof

The path of travel must provide free and unobstructed access to and from a particular area or location for pedestrians and/or wheelchair users.

For specific requirements on parking, exterior routes, building entrances, and facilities, see: