Accessible Design Standards

 

The 2010 ADA Standards set minimum requirements -- both scoping and technical -- for newly designed and constructed or altered State or local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

On Friday, July 23, 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder, US Department of Justice (DOJ) signed final regulations revising the Department’s ADA regulations, including its ADA Standards for Accessible Design. These regulations will be published in the Federal Register.

The DOJ’s Final Regulatory Impact Analysis will be posted on the ADA web page as soon as it is available http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm.

In general, these final rules will take effect 6 months after the date on which they are published in the Federal Register. Compliance with the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design is permitted after that date, but not required until 18 months after the date of publication.

DOJ's regulations allow covered entities the choice of following either the updated standards or the original standards during the first 18 months. After this period of time, use of the 2010 standards will become mandatory. In setting the effective dates, DOJ sought to allow sufficient time for transitioning to the updated standards so as not to disrupt design and construction projects already underway. DOJ's new rules also revise or supplement other sections of its ADA regulations, including those covering existing facilities, service animals, policies and programs, maintenance of accessible features, auxiliary aids and services, and effective communication.

The new rules and additional information are available on DOJ's ADA website.

Revised ADA Regulations Implementing Title II and Title III

 

These final rules will take effect March 15, 2011. Compliance with the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design is permitted as of September 15, 2010, but not required until March 15, 2012. The Department has prepared fact sheets identifying the major changes in the rules.

New Regulations can be obtained at: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm

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