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ada regulations

Regulations, Statutes, & Codes – in Terms of Access

Posted on February 14th, 2024

Explore the nuances of ADA and access codes with Janis Kent, Architect. Gain clarity on differences, implementations, and how federal and state regulations interact.

Service, Support, & Assistive Animals – and California

Posted on September 10th, 2021

There has long been discussion about the differences between Service Animals per the ADA Standards and Support Animals per FHA or even Service Animals under the Air Carrier Access Act. But in California, we like to be different.

Pop-Up Restaurants and What You Need to Know About Access

Posted on September 12th, 2020

Janis Kent, Architect, FAIA, CASp © September, 2020 With the continuation of our on-going plague, many restaurants are taking their seating area out to the public sidewalks, parking areas, and even onto the streets. While the concept of pop-up restaurants has been around for a while, it has evolved as a temporary outdoor add-on to existing […]

toilet rooms in California restaurants

Toilet Rooms in California Restaurants & Other Food Facilities

Posted on January 5th, 2020

Any restaurant that has on-site food consumption, regardless of size, is required to have toilet rooms for the public and consumers. This article is based on the revised code effective January 1, 2019 and incorporates some of the earlier requirements.

parking accessibility

The Van Accessible Parking Space – What Does It Need?

Posted on May 29th, 2019

The technical requirements for parking are straight-forward, yet according to annual statistics provided by the California Commission on Disability Access (CCDA), items related to parking make up 5 of the top 10 accessibility related lawsuits in the state.

Social Services ADA requirements

Social Service Center Establishments – What Are They?

Posted on March 20th, 2019

I have received a number of questions on how to treat multi-family residential facilities that also have offices and other services, and whether these are considered multi-use facilities. And of course the answer is – it depends.

The Gray Areas – What to do when you hit on one in the Access codes or ADA?

Posted on March 24th, 2016

While the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (ADAS) have a tremendous amount of information, they can not cover all specific items and occurrences…hence the gray areas. Presuming you have verified the Scoping Requirements in Chapter 2 which provides information on whether it applies to your specific facility, and additionally you have verified the definitions as listed in the Application and Administration provisions located in Chapter 1, which may better define specific words, and you still are at loss, there are other resources.

What is Not Transient Lodging – Alternatives & Access

Posted on September 14th, 2015

Aside from hotels, motels, and inns there are other types of vacation rentals that people use. Some fall under the definition of bed and breakfasts while others are considered short-term private rentals where people rent out their homes, or rooms within their homes whether thru an agent or thru online companies such as Airbnb.

Accessible Routes and Othe Pedestrian Ways

Accessible Routes and Other Pedestrian Ways

Posted on July 20th, 2015

Over the years people use various terminology referring to areas where pedestrian move – circulation path, accessible route, path of travel, and accessible means of egress. But the question is, are all of these terms inter-changeable or do they have some nuance of difference in their meaning? The answer is, they do overlap each other, but there is indeed differences between each of the terms. It would be good to understand the differences since the ADA Standards has further requirements for each of these categories and limits some of what we can do within each.

Which Code or Regulation Applies During the Course of a Project?

Posted on June 8th, 2015

Generally when we design a project, we know what codes and regulations apply. But what happens if the project was shelved for a while and suddenly comes alive? Or for that matter what happens if the project is under construction during the transition from the 1991 ADA to the 2010 ADA and it is an ADA requirement that was not previously regulated.