The Van-Accessible Stall That Wasn't
A 1990s office building is being renovated on the ground floor. The architect's drawings show a men's restroom with two water closets: one standard stall and one designated accessible stall measuring 60 inches wide by 58 inches deep. The door swings into the stall and, when open, leaves 40 inches of clear space beyond the door's swing. The lavatory is 29 inches above the finished floor with a 26-inch knee clearance, and the pipes are exposed. The client insists the plan meets ADA because the stall is wider than the 60-inch minimum and the lavatory is within the 34-inch maximum. The plan reviewer flags the project. The contractor has already ordered fixtures.
1. Evaluate the stall dimensions and layout. Does the plan comply? What is the controlling issue?
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Width alone does not establish compliance. The controlling issue is clear floor space inside the stall and the door swing. An accessible stall must provide a clear area at least 60 inches wide and 56 inches deep if the water closet is centered and the door swings out, or 60 inches deep if the water closet is positioned at the rear and a 60-inch turning space is provided within the stall. When the door swings into the stall, the door swing may not encroach on the required clear floor space - the 60-inch turning circle must remain unobstructed. Here the door swings in and leaves only 40 inches beyond the swing, so the usable clear depth collapses well below 56 inches. The stall fails. The fix is to reverse the door to swing out (into the compartment-adjacent space, if that space is not a required egress path or is otherwise acceptable) or to reconfigure so the water closet sits at the rear with a full 60-inch turning circle clear of the swing. Simply being "wider than 60" does not cure an obstructed turning space.
2. Evaluate the lavatory. What must change, and what is the reasoning?
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The lavatory rim height at 29 inches is within the 34-inch maximum measured to the top of the rim, so height is not the problem. The problem is knee and toe clearance plus pipe protection. A forward-approach lavatory must provide knee clearance at least 27 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 11 inches deep at the 27-inch height, tapering to 8 inches deep at 9 inches above the floor for toe clearance. A 26-inch knee clearance is one inch short of the 27-inch minimum - noncompliant. In addition, exposed supply and drain pipes under the lavatory must be insulated or otherwise protected to prevent contact burns and abrasion; bare pipes fail. The remedy: raise or shim the lavatory so the knee clearance reaches 27 inches, and install an insulated wrap or protective cover on the P-trap and supply lines. Note that the knee-clearance measurement is taken at the front edge of the fixture, and any apron or shroud must not reduce the required clearances.
3. The contractor has ordered fixtures and wants to proceed. How should the reviewer document and sequence the correction?
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Document the deficiencies as separate line items with the specific requirement cited, the measured condition, and the required correction: (1) stall door swing encroaching on the required clear floor space - reverse swing or reconfigure; (2) knee clearance 26 inches vs. 27 inches minimum - raise fixture; (3) unprotected drain and supply pipes - insulate. Issue a plan-review comment letter before permit issuance rather than relying on field correction later; the fixtures are not yet installed, so the cheapest fix is at the drawing stage. Because the work is an alteration to an existing facility, also confirm whether the project triggers path-of-travel upgrades to the restroom entrance and the route to it; if the alteration affects the usability of the restroom, the route should be evaluated. Require a revised drawing resubmittal and a field verification after installation, and record the final measurements in the inspection report so the file shows the corrected dimensions, not just the original deficiency.