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Requirement
1. Accessible building entrance on an accessible route
Under section 100.205(a), covered multifamily dwellings
shall be designed and constructed to have at least one building entrance
on an accessible route, unless it is impractical to do so because of terrain
or unusual characteristics of the site.
Guideline
•(1) Building entrance. Each building on a site
shall have at least one building entrance on an accessible route unless
prohibited by the terrain, as provided in paragraphs (2)(a)(i) or (2)(a)(ii),
or unusual characteristics of the site, as provided in paragraph (2)(b).
This guideline applies both to a single building on a site and to multiple
buildings on a site.
•(a) Separate ground floor unit entrances. When
a ground floor unit of a building has a separate entrance, each such ground
floor unit shall be served by an
accessible route, except for any unit where the terrain or unusual characteristics
of the site prohibit the provision of an accessible route to the entrance
of that unit.
•(b) Multiple entrances. Only one entrance is
required to be accessible to any one ground floor of a building, except
in cases where an individual dwelling unit has a separate exterior entrance,
or where the building contains clusters of dwelling units, with each cluster
sharing a different exterior entrance. In these cases, more than one entrance
may be required to be accessible, as determined by analysis of the site.
In every case, the accessible entrance should be on an accessible route
to the covered dwelling units it serves.
•(2) Site impracticality. Covered multifamily
dwellings with elevators shall be designed and constructed to provide
at least one accessible entrance on an accessible route, regardless of
terrain or unusual characteristics of the site. Covered multifamily dwellings
without elevators shall be designed and constructed to provide at least
one accessible entrance on an accessible route unless terrain or unusual
characteristics of the site are such that the following conditions are
found to exist:
•(a) Site impracticality due to terrain. There
are two alternative tests for determining site impracticality due to terrain:
the individual building test provided in paragraph (i), or the site analysis
test provided in paragraph (ii). These tests may be used as follows.
•A site with a single building having a common entrance for all units
may be analyzed only as described in paragraph (i).
•All other sites, including a site with a single
building having multiple entrances serving either individual dwelling
units or clusters of dwelling units, may be analyzed using the methodology
in either paragraph (i) or paragraph (ii). For these sites for which either
test is applicable, regardless of which test is selected, at least 20%
of the total ground floor units in nonelevator buildings, on any site,
must comply with the guidelines. •(i) Individual building test. It
is impractical to provide an accessible entrance served by an accessible
route when the terrain of the site is such that:
•(A) the slopes of the undisturbed site measured between the planned
entrance and all vehicular or pedestrian arrival points within 50 feet
of the planned entrance exceed 10 percent; and •(B) the slopes of
the planned finished grade measured between the entrance and all vehicular
or pedestrian arrival points within 50 feet of the planned entrance also
exceed 10 percent.
If there are no vehicular or pedestrian arrival points
within 50 feet of the planned entrance, the slope for the purposes of
this paragraph (i) will be measured to the closest vehicular or pedestrian
arrival point.
For purposes of these guidelines, vehicular or pedestrian arrival points
include public or resident parking areas; public transportation stops;
passenger loading zones; and public streets or sidewalks. To determine
site impracticality, the slope would be measured at ground level from
the point of the planned entrance on a straight line to
•(i) each vehicular or pedestrian arrival point that is within 50
feet of the planned entrance, or •(ii) if there are no vehicular
or pedestrian arrival points within that specified area, the vehicular
or pedestrian arrival point closest to the planned entrance. In the case
of sidewalks, the closest point to the entrance will be where a public
sidewalk entering the site intersects with the sidewalk to the entrance.
In the case of resident parking areas, the closest point to the planned
entrance will be measured from the entry point to the parking area that
is located closest to the planned entrance.
•(ii) Site analysis test. Alternatively, for a
site having multiple buildings, or a site with a single building with
multiple entrances, impracticality of providing an accessible entrance
served by an accessible route can be established by the following steps:
•(A) The percentage of the total buildable area of the undisturbed
site with a natural grade less than 10% slope shall be calculated. The
analysis of the existing slope (before grading) shall be done on a topographic
survey with two foot (2') contour intervals with slope determination made
between each successive interval. The accuracy of the slope analysis shall
be certified by a professional licensed engineer, landscape architect,
architect or surveyor. •(B) To determine the practicality of providing
accessibility to planned multifamily dwellings based on the topography
of the existing natural terrain, the minimum percentage of ground floor
units to be made accessible should equal the percentage of the total buildable
area (not including floodplains, wetlands, or other restricted use areas)
of the undisturbed site that has an existing natural grade of less than
10% slope. •(C) In addition to the percentage established in paragraph
(B), all ground floor units in a building, or ground floor units served
by a particular entrance, shall be made accessible if the entrance to
the units is on an accessible route, defined as a walkway with a slope
between the planned entrance and a pedestrian or vehicular arrival point
that is no greater than 8.33%
•(b) Site impracticality due to unusual characteristics. Unusual
characteristics include sites located in a federally-designated floodplain
or coastal high-hazard area and sites subject to other similar requirements
of law or code that the lowest floor or the lowest structural member of
the lowest floor must be raised to a specified level at or above the base
flood elevation. An accessible route to a building entrance is impractical
due to unusual characteristics of the site when:
•(i) the unusual site characteristics result in a difference in finished
grade elevation exceeding 30 inches and 10 percent measured between an
entrance and all vehicular or pedestrian arrival points within 50 feet
of the planned entrance; or •(ii) if there are no vehicular or pedestrian
arrival points within 50 feet of the planned entrance, the unusual characteristics
result in a difference in finished grade elevation exceeding 30 inches
and 10 percent measured between an entrance and the closest vehicular
or pedestrian arrival point.
•(3) Exceptions to site impracticality . Regardless
of site considerations described in paragraphs (1) and (2), an accessible
entrance on an accessible route is practical when:
•(a) There is an elevator connecting the parking area with the dwelling
units on a ground floor. (In this case, those dwelling units on the ground
floor served by an elevator, and at least one of each type of public and
common use areas, would be subject to these guidelines.) However:
•(i) Where a building elevator is provided only as a means of creating
an accessible route to dwelling units on a ground floor, the building
is not considered an elevator building for purposes of these guidelines;
hence, only the ground floor dwelling units would be covered. •(ii)
If the building elevator is provided as a means of access to dwelling
units other than dwelling units on a ground floor, then the building is
an elevator building which is a covered multifamily dwelling, and the
elevator in that building must provide accessibility to all dwelling units
in the building, regardless of the slope of the natural terrain; or
•(b) An elevated walkway is planned between a building entrance and
a vehicular or pedestrian arrival point and the planned walkway has a
slope no greater than 10 percent.
•(4) Accessible entrance. An entrance that complies with ANSI 4.14
meets section 100.205(a). •(5) Accessible route. An accessible route
that complies with ANSI 4.3 would meet section 100.205(a). If the slope
of the finished grade between covered multifamily dwellings and a public
or common use facility (including parking) exceeds 8.33%, or where other
physical barriers (natural or manmade) or legal restrictions, all of which
are outside the control of the owner, prevent the installation of an accessible
pedestrian route, an acceptable alternative is to provide access via a
vehicular route, so long as necessary site provisions such as parking
spaces and curb ramps are provided at the public or common use facility.
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