Entrance Door, Vestibule, and Route Through Display Fixtures
A 1,850 sq ft retail tenant is being renovated in a 1920s building. The main entrance has a pair of 36 in. doors; only the active leaf is used, and the measured clear opening is 31 1/2 in. because of a 1 3/4 in. door stop and a surface-mounted closer. Inside, a vestibule is 52 in. deep and 60 in. wide; the entrance door swings into the vestibule and leaves 26 in. beyond the door in its open position. The accessible route turns 90 degrees into the sales area through a 32 in. clear opening formed by display fixtures. At the rear, a 6 ft long ramp rises 5 1/2 in. to a stockroom and has no handrails. The store is 18 years old, and the owner is replacing finishes and the front door but not altering the ramp. The owner asks which conditions must be corrected and which can remain.
1. Evaluate the entrance door clear width and the vestibule dimensions. Identify the applicable requirements and state what must be corrected.
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The door clear opening is measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90 degrees, and the closer, hinges, and stop cannot reduce it below 32 in. (2010 ADA Standards 404.2.3). The measured 31.5 in. fails. The fix is not to ignore the stop: adjust or replace the stop, relocate the closer, or replace the leaf so the clear opening is at least 32 in. A 36 in. leaf can usually achieve 32 in., but the stop and closer here consume too much.
The vestibule must be checked as doors in series. Section 404.2.3.1 requires at least 48 in. between doors, plus the width of the door where the doors swing in the same direction, and the required clear space at each door must not overlap the other door's swing. A 52 in. deep vestibule with a door swinging into it is unlikely to satisfy that arrangement; the 26 in. beyond the open door confirms a pinch point. The vestibule must be reconfigured or the inner door relocated so the required clear space and door maneuvering clearances are maintained.
2. The 32 in. opening between display fixtures is the only route into the sales area. Is it acceptable? Explain how the route should be evaluated.
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A 32 in. opening is not an acceptable accessible route. Section 403.5.1 requires a continuous 36 in. minimum clear width, with limited exceptions for 32 in. at short pinch points only where the code expressly permits them. A single controlled opening formed by display fixtures is a permanent obstruction, not an allowed exception, so the route fails.
The route should be evaluated end to end: from the public sidewalk through the entrance, vestibule, sales floor, checkout, and any public amenities. Display fixtures must be rearranged to maintain 36 in. clear, and the route must provide required turning space at the 90-degree turn. The inspector should measure the narrowest point, not the aisle average, and should verify that the route does not pass through stockroom or employee-only areas. If the fixtures are movable, the store must still maintain the route in normal operation, not just on the day of inspection.
3. The rear ramp rises 5 1/2 in. over 6 ft and has no handrails. Must it be altered? Show the slope calculation and list any remaining ramp requirements.
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Slope = rise ÷ run = 5.5 in. ÷ 72 in. = 0.0764, or 1:13.1, which is flatter than the maximum 1:12 (8.33%). The slope itself is compliant.
Handrails are not required on both sides of a ramp where the rise is less than 6 in. (ADA 405.8, Exception), so the absence of handrails is not automatically a violation. However, the ramp must still have:
- a 36 in. minimum clear width;
- landings at the top and bottom that meet 405.7;
- edge protection where there is a drop-off, unless an exception applies;
- a compliant surface and no cross slope exceeding 1:48;
- level landings where the ramp connects to the route.
Because the owner is replacing finishes and the front door, the ramp may also be evaluated as part of the path of travel if the project triggers path-of-travel upgrades. The ramp can remain only if those features are present; the missing handrails alone do not fail it.