Accessibility: CBC Chapters 11A and 11B, ADA, and Fair Housing
Two California chapters, three federal layers
CBC Chapter 11A governs housing, primarily covered multifamily dwellings and other residential occupancies; Chapter 11B governs public accommodations, commercial facilities, and public buildings. Overlaid are the 2010 ADA Standards (Titles II and III), the federal Fair Housing Act design requirements, and Section 504. Where standards differ, the stricter governs, and the CBC is often stricter than the ADA - for example, in requiring every single-occupant toilet room to be accessible.
Numbers to know
Accessible route 36 in clear; running slope maximum 1:20 and cross slope maximum 1:48; ramps maximum 1:12 with 30 in of rise per run and 60 in landings; doors 32 in clear with maneuvering clearance; turning space 60 in diameter or T-shaped; reach ranges 15 to 48 in; protruding objects limited to 4 in between 27 and 80 in; accessible stalls 9 ft with a 5 ft aisle and van stalls 11 ft with an 8 ft aisle; one accessible space per 25 and one van space per 6.
Existing buildings
Chapter 11B Division III requires path-of-travel upgrades when alterations occur, but caps the required spending at 20 percent of the project cost, with technical infeasibility as an escape valve.
Fair housing
Buildings of four or more units first occupied after March 13, 1991 must satisfy seven design requirements: an accessible building entrance on an accessible route, accessible common-use areas, usable doors, an accessible route into and through the unit, accessible switches and controls, reinforced bathroom walls for grab bars, and usable kitchens and bathrooms.
Traps
Applying 11B to a dwelling unit; forgetting 1:20 is the threshold between a walk and a ramp; importing the ADA 20 percent cap where the CBC does not permit it; overlooking the seventh fair housing requirement.