21 May Is Your Commercial Overhead Door ADA Compliant?
Able-bodied business owners have no problem doing the usual day-to-day tasks like driving, walking, running errands, and so on. However, many individuals in your community aren’t as fortunate. As someone who owns a business, you need to be sensitive to and aware of all potential needs. In fact, you are mandated by the law to make sure that anyone can access your establishment through a commercial overhead door or any other kind of entrance.
People with disabilities control $1 trillion in the country’s total annual income, making them the fastest-growing minority in the United States. They deserve to enter a business or shop just like anyone else. Because of that, the American with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was passed.
What is the ADA?
Signed into law in 1990, the ADA ensures that all people with disabilities are given the same access to public establishments and services that able-bodied people have. The legislation lays out various regulations to help business owners maintain accessibility, including guidelines for handrails, stairwells, interior signage, what type of commercial overhead door to use for which facility, and so on.
All owners of public facilities are required to make sure their properties are 100% ADA compliant. Failure to follow ADA guidelines will make them subject to different penalties and fines. Given that, here are some of the guidelines for commercial doors to help you determine if yours comply with ADA standards:
Door Specifications
Doors that are ADA-compliant should be wide enough to allow wheelchairs through. The law requires at least 32 inches of width for entryways, a distance that’s measured between the opposite doorstop when the door is open 90 degrees and the door’s face.
The clearance around doors has to be 30 inches in length. However, doors that do not require full passage to access a room are exempted, such as an entryway into a closet that is less than 2 feet in depth. Such doors have a minimum width of 20 inches.
Access
When it comes to access, a building that only has one entrance up a flight of stairs and has no wheelchair ramp violates the law. If needed, any exterior entryways should be connected to public transportation stops via a wheelchair ramp. They also need to be connected to passenger loading areas, accessible parking, as well as sidewalks and public streets.
Closers and Handles
Federal law covers a door’s locks, latches, pulls, and even the opening force and closing speed. Any hardware should be made into a shape that will be easy for grasping using one hand. It should not require any wrist-twisting or tight pinching to open and close.
When mounting hardware, it should not be over 48 inches above the ground. The law calls for a commercial overhead door with closer that takes at least three seconds before it shuts to within three inches of the latch. Meanwhile, the standard maximum opening force for doors is five pounds.
The above information just goes over a few of the different ADA guidelines for commercial doors. The regulations actually go into greater detail and cover so many more elements when it comes to commercial overhead door usage and design that you should take note of.
If you need more details about the ADA standards for your business, including those concerning a possible commercial overhead door, we suggest you reach out to a reliable supplier today to see what’s available.
With years of experience in the commercial door and dock industry, Frontier Pacific is ready and equipped to meet all your commercial door needs. Give us a call today to find out how we can install, upgrade, repair or maintain your commercial doors to make your business even better.