The Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) has outlined specific, minimum requirements all commercial restrooms need to adhere to. These apply to all commercial businesses and are not optional, so before you begin a commercial restroom renovation make sure you understand these requirements.

Here we’ve outlined the requirements your facility’s restroom must meet to be ADA compliant.

Restroom Size

• You must have a large amount of space around the sink, a minimum of a 30-inch by 48-inch area, and the restroom door cannot swing into this area. The measurement starts from the point where a person has 9-inch vertical clearance for their feet and 27-inch vertical clearance for their knees.
• You must have 16-18 inches between the stall walls and the center line of the toilet.
• A clear circle of at least 60 inches around the side wall and 56 inches from the rear wall to allow a wheelchair to turn (the door cannot swing into the minimum required area for wheelchair-accessible toilet compartments).
• A toilet seat height of 17-19 inches.

Sinks & Faucets

• Sinks shouldn’t be mounted higher than 34 inches from the floor.
• A knee clearance of 27 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 11 to 25 inches deep is required.
• Pipes under the sink must be insulated.
• Faucets should be lever-operated, push, touch, or electronically controlled.
• Faucets should be operable with a minimum amount of force (less than 5 pounds), and they should be usable with one hand without the need to tightly grasp, pinch, or twist the wrist.

Stalls

• Urinals cannot be hung more than 17 inches from the floor.
• Toilets must be 17 to 19 inches from the floor (measured from the floor to the top of the toilet seat).
• Grab bars located in stalls should be at least 36 inches long on the rear wall or 42 inches on the side wall and should be mounted 33-36 inches above the floor and they should be able to withstand at least 250 pounds of pressure.

Soap Dispensers, Hand Dryers, and Accessories

• Faucets and soap dispensers must meet ADA reach range and mounting height requirements.
• A 48-inch-high limitation is required for all accessories (except those mounted over obstructions), including lavatory fixtures, which are up to 20 inches deep. When the reach depth is over 20 inches deep, a reach range of 44 inches applies.
• Mirrors need to be mounted with the bottom edge of the reflecting surface no higher than 40 inches above the floor, with the top edge at a minimum of 74 inches from the floor.
• Trash cans located on the for create a barrier for those in wheelchairs and should be placed without accessories or dispensers mounted above it. A better solution is a recessed trash receptacle or combination paper towel dispenser/trash receptacle.
• Wall-mounted hand dryers save space, just make sure that they meet ADA protrusion requirements of no more than 4 inches from a wall.