Accessibility and Occupancy Requirements
What Candidates Must Know
Understand accessible routes, clear floor space, turning space, and reach ranges. Know that accessibility applies to the site arrival point through the building to the intended use. Understand occupancy classifications and how they affect egress, plumbing fixture counts, and accessibility. Know requirements for accessible parking, ramps, doors, and toilet rooms.
Traps to Watch
Questions often confuse accessible with adaptable and test that a route must be continuous and at least one accessible route must connect site arrival to the building entrance. Watch for ramp slope and landing requirements, door clear width, and maneuvering clearance on both sides of doors. Another trap is fixture counts: the number of accessible fixtures depends on total count, not occupancy alone.
Worked Example
A small café adds a raised seating platform. Rule of thumb: if the platform serves the public, an accessible route with a ramp or lift must reach it, and the route must not pass through a non-accessible area. If the rise is small, a sloped walkway may suffice, but the slope and landings must comply. "Staff will assist" is not an acceptable substitute for an accessible route.
Key Points
- Accessibility runs from site arrival to intended use.
- Accessible and adaptable are not the same.
- Ramps need compliant slopes, landings, and handrails.
- Doors need maneuvering clearance on both sides.
- Accessible fixture counts depend on total fixture counts.