Learn more about the recent changes to A117.1 sign contrast regulations here.
Due to federal ADA regulations, businesses operating in public buildings need to provide accessible features, including signage, to allow everyone the opportunity to travel safely within that space.
How Do ADA Standards Apply to Signs?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. Businesses must provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access the goods or services that they offer.
The language of the ADA itself is broad and, in fact, the word “sign” does not appear itself in the ADA. Instead, signs are just one of the communications features that makes a building or facility usable to individuals with disabilities.
ADA standards require that certain elements and spaces be identified by accessible signs. These accessible signs must be installed in a location that can be easily located and read by users, including those with low vision, and must provide information using:
- Visual Characters
- Tactile (raised) Characters
- Braille
Not all spaces require signs to be installed, for instance if room functions are changing or temporary. However, if signs are installed, they must meet ADA visual and tactile requirements.
Signs Excluded from ADA Requirements
Some types of signs are exempt and not required to meet visual and tactile requirements:
- Temporary (posted for 7 days or less)
- Building addresses and directories
- Occupant names and company names and logos
- Menus posted on a wall
- Seat or row designations in assembly areas
- Signs in non-public areas of detention or correctional facilities
ADA Standards and Rules
Since the ADA’s passage in 1990, several organizations and stakeholders have worked to understand and apply the general language of the ADA into specific standards and rules that ensure accessibility.
Key ADA-related standards include the below, which were adopted independently and have been updated on their own schedules:
- The US Department of Justice’s 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Section 703
The federal rules for signs that apply to all public facilities, except public transportation facilities - The US Department of Transportation’s 2006 ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities, Section 703
The federal rules for signs that applies to public transportation facilities - The International Code Council’s 2017 A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, Section 703
The rules for signs that are usually incorporated into the version of the International Building Code that is municipally adopted into a city’s ordinances
Because three governing organizations have provided insights into how ADA requirements are structured, in some cases, the language of the standards overlaps and may have slightly different regulations that address the same topic.
Plus, federal law does not preclude additional state or local regulations that meet or exceed the stringency of the federal requirements. The federal rules describe the minimum that must be accomplished to meet the obligation of compliance. For example, if an A117.1 regulation calls for more than the 2010 USDOJ standards, your sign will not be rejected by an inspector because it is too accessible.
