How hard is it to design a commercial bathroom?
Turns out, it’s a lot more complicated than you might think. One of the reasons is that building owners must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Congress passed the ADA law in 1990 to prohibit discrimination and ensure equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation.
The law was updated in 2010 and provides extremely detailed directions for the design of commercial bathrooms. For example, if the toilet is floor-mounted, the accessible stall must be at least 59 inches deep by 60 inches wide.
No bathroom item has been left out. For instance, the toilet paper dispenser must be mounted at least 19 inches above the floor but under the side grab bar and the front edge of the dispenser must be 36 inches or less away from the back wall.
There’s even an ADA regulation for the bathroom coat hook. The law says it must be 48 inches above the floor or lower.
Know the Rules
If you’re a building owner and manager, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the ADA requirements. Failure to comply with any part of the law can result in significant penalties, including expensive fixes to retrofit your commercial bathroom.
Before you start designing an ADA-compliant bathroom floorplan, consider perusing the federal government’s website dedicated to this law https://www.ada.gov/.
You’ll notice on the website’s home page the enforcement actions against building owners that failed to comply with the ADA requirements, an indication that the federal government takes this seriously.
You can review the standards by viewing this ADA document and the technical assistance materials here.
If you have questions, you can call the U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA information line at 800-514-0301.
Get Help from the Pros
At Newton Distributing, we have experience creating floorplans that meet ADA requirements because we’ve helped clients navigate the law.
Start by using our form to create a layout of the partitions of your commercial bathroom. You can download it here: need link
If you are already familiar with ADA requirements, the quote form lets you fill out important details such as the mounting style and the width and depth of each stall.
Then, send us your layout. To get a fast and accurate quote for your bathroom stalls, you can fill out the form on the Newton Distributing website by clicking here need link. When you’re done, press the “submit” button. If you prefer, you can fax forms and drawings to us at 617-969-4071.
The staff of trained experts at Newton Distributing can help you figure out the other requirements for ADA compliance. Professionals who understand your commercial-bathroom project are available by phone to assist and provide you with a best-price guarantee at 877.837.7745.
