Industrial facilities must have restrooms that are compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. A unisex, disability friendly bathroom won't be enough in most cases unless it is completely unfeasible to make existing restrooms compliant with ADA requirements—which is hard to justify in most renovations.

In addition, when renovating or modernizing restrooms from older buildings, smaller accessible toilet stalls are allowed only in situations where installing a larger ADA-compliant stall will cause plumbing code violations.

During any type of remodel or renovation, companies should always focus on redesigning restrooms to be functional, efficient, aesthetically appealing, and ADA compliant. This includes standardizing bathroom design across the facility and making sure each is compliant with ADA rules.

ADA Accessible Restroom: All You Need to Know

toilet bathroomADA requirements are fairly standard but are more stringent in some states than others. It's important that facilities familiarize themselves with federal, state, and local ADA requirements before committing to a renovation design. The following offers general guidance for understanding the rules surrounding ADA-compliant restrooms.

What is an ADA Compliant Restroom?

An ADA accessible restroom must provide the following:

  • Access to the sink that door cannot swing into
  • A toilet with heights and accessible surrounding space within ADA guidelines
  • Room for wheelchairs to turn within a stall. The door cannot swing into this area.
  • Grab bar available and accessible.

Do Your Facility Bathrooms Need to Be ADA-Compliant?

Older buildings may be exempted from ADA compliance in their restrooms in some cases. However, the bathrooms of your facility need to become ADA accessible if the building is under construction or renovation. This is true with whether the restrooms are public use or if they are common use for two or more people but exclude the general public.

How many ADA Restrooms Are Required?

To comply with the American Disabilities Act, you must first comply with the International Building Code and Plumbing Codes to determine how many restrooms you need. The occupancy load requires 100 gross square feet per person. For example, if you have a 1,500-square-foot space, the occupancy load is 15 people.

For 1–25 occupants, you need one male and one female restroom. The ADA requires at least one ADA-compliant restroom for each gender. Therefore, if your floor space is no more than 2,500 square feet, both restrooms will need to be compliant with the ADA.

If instead, your facility has a cluster of single-use restrooms, at least half of them must be ADA-compliant.

ADA Bathroom Requirements: Layout and Dimensions

ADA rules cover every aspect of the restroom layout, including:

. Doors

According to ADA regulations, doors may not swing within the 30-inch by 48-inch sink area. Stall doors may not swing into the space required for a wheelchair to maneuver.

. Stalls

The side walls of ADA-compliant stalls must be at least 16–18 inches from the center line of the toilet. There must be a minimum of 60 inches around the

sink restroom

side wall and 56 inches from the rear wall.

. Sinks & Faucets

Sinks may be mounted with the top rim no more than 34 inches above the floor. The floor space beneath the sink must be clear to facilitate a direct approach. There must be a minimum of 27 inches of knee clearance beneath the sink and all pipes must be covered. Faucets should be easily reached and operable with one hand. A force no greater than five pounds should be required to activate the faucet.

. Toilets

The standards provided by the ADA in 2010 for the dimensions of an accessible toilet are very clear. Toilet seats must be between 17–19 inches high and the center of the toilet must be at least 16–18 inches from the side walls of the stall. Ambulatory accessible toilets must be between 17–19 inches from the side wall.

Redesigning and Modernizing Old Bathrooms

The above information will help you to get started on developing ADA-compliant bathrooms for your facility. To ensure regulatory compliance, functionality, and aesthetic appeal in your renovation, it's best to consult an expert to assist with your project.

Base Construction has decades of experience redesigning restrooms to be aesthetically pleasing and ADA compliant across Southern California. We work with each customer to conduct an ideal renovation that meets their budget. Thanks to competitive costs, helpful customer service, and our willingness to work hard, our customers always come back to us for future projects.

We provide a full range of services, making us a one-stop shop for renovation projects. We can pour or modify industrial grade concrete slabs, fabricate and install structural steel, and install all plumbing, process piping, and mechanical equipment necessary. We can assist with every step of the process from design through completion.

Most projects only require two weeks to a month to complete, though larger renovations may take more time. We always do everything possible to keep project timelines as efficient and short as possible to minimize disruption of client operations.

Restroom renovation drawing architectRestroom Renovation at Base Construction

Established in 1998, Base Construction has successfully completed over 3000 projects in Southern California. For more information about ADA-compliant restroom or facility renovations, please request more information or contact us.