Entrances, doors and gates: approach clearances

Chapter 4: Accessible Routes Entrances, Doors, and Gates entrances, access should be dispersed so that accessible entrances serve both types of traffic. Are closet doors and pantry doors required to comply? Requirements for doors, doorways, and gates in §404 apply to those that provide “user passage” (§206.5). Doors serving walk-in closets or pantries must comply. Doors to shallow closets or pantries, cabinets and other storage elements not providing user passage do not have to comply with provisions for doors, but must meet requirements for storage (§811), including those for clear floor space and operable parts. Is compliance on both sides of a door or gate required when it is usable only from one side? No, compliance is not required on both sides of those doors or gates that can be used in one direction only. Compliance is required only on the usable side. Examples include exit-only doors with no operating hardware on the exterior side or separate enter and exit fare gates in transit stations. However, if a door or gate is usable in both directions, even occasionally, such as exit-only doors that may automatically unlock in emergencies to be usable from both directions, then compliance on both sides is required. Can handrails or other elements overlap door maneuvering clearances? No, door maneuvering clearances must be free of any overlapping objects, even those providing knee and toe clearance, which can interfere with maneuvering at doors and doorways. However, door maneuvering clearances can be offset up to 8” from the face of the door or gate to accommodate wall thickness, casework, shelves, or other elements adjacent to doorways, including handrails. The door maneuvering clearance must be measured from the leading edge of such elements so that the full clearance is free of any obstruction. Is latch-side maneuvering clearance as specified in the Standards applicable to doors with panic bars? When latch-side clearance is required as part of the maneuvering clearances specified for a door, including on the push side of doors with a forward approach that have both a closer and latch, it must be provided at manual doors with panic bars as well. Latch- side clearance not only provides proper positioning at door hardware but also facilitates proceeding through doors against the force of closers. Are locks operated by keys prohibited due to the pinching or twisting of the wrist their operation typically requires? No, non-fixed portions of door or gate hardware, including keys and access cards, are not covered by the Standards, but those that can be used without pinching or turning 19