ADA Upgrades to Bathrooms

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Every commercial property owner in the United States should be aware of the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  While the law is complex and has many facets, in general the law prohibits commercial properties from excluding people with disabilities from fully utilizing the property.  One of the requirements of the ADA is requiring the building to have one of more ADA compliant bathrooms.

While most people are familiar with the requirement of grab bars in bathrooms, they are not aware of requirements concerning turning radiuses for wheelchairs or the requirements for special plumbing fixtures including toilets and faucets.  Compliant toilets are required to be a certain height, while faucets are required to have lever handles.  In addition, there are a number of requirements for clearances around toilets, as well as requirements for counter top heights, protecting drainpipes, bath accessory types and mounting heights.  In many cases the installation of a ADA compliant bathroom in an existing commercial building is a major project and often requires that the entire are be completely redone, including the relocation of existing plumbing.  A commercial plumber can handle bringing your bathroom into ADA compliance.

Although the expense to provide ADA bathroom are significant, failure to meet this requirement will result in the property owner facing significant exposure legally from both the government, as well as individual citizens that may claim discrimination based upon a disability.  In addition, to local building departments enforcing the provisions of the ADA related to building, the United States Justice Department will at some point get involved as well.  Compliance with the provisions of the ADA is not only the law, but it is also the right thing to do!

Posted on Behalf of Kiddco Plumbing

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