Toilet rooms: fixture and transfer clearances

Chapter 6: Plumbing Elements and Facilities Toilet Rooms Unisex (Single-Use or Family) Toilet Rooms [§213.2] Where multi-user toilet rooms are provided, accessible unisex toilet rooms cannot serve as a substitute for access to multi-user rooms, except in alterations where making multi-user rooms comply is not technically feasible (§213.2, Ex. 1). Otherwise, where multi-user and unisex restrooms are provided, both types must comply. Providing an accessible unisex toilet room in addition to multi- user toilet rooms is helpful for those who use personal care assistants of the opposite sex. The International Building Code (IBC) requires accessible unisex or “family” toilet rooms in assembly and mercantile occupancies where a total of six or more toilet fixtures for each sex is required (§1108.2.1 in the 2000 IBC and §1109.2.1 in later editions). The ADA Standards require that unisex toilet rooms, where provided, have privacy latches and contain at most one lavatory, one water closet, and one urinal (or a second water closet) (§213.2.1). Medical Care and Long-Term Care Facilities [§223.1, §805.4] In licensed medical care and long-term care facilities, toilet rooms that are part of accessible patient or resident sleeping rooms, excluding critical or intensive care patient sleeping rooms, must comply (§223.1, Ex., §805.4). The Standards cover independent accessibility and do not address design for use that is assisted by medical or resident care personnel. Features for assisted use that conflict with the Standards can be provided in those toilet rooms serving rooms not required to comply with the Standards. Otherwise any departure from the Standards must be based on the provision for “equivalent facilitation” (§103) which permits alternatives to specified requirements that provide substantially equivalent or greater accessibility and usability. This means that the alternative solution is just as, if not more, effective than what is required by the Standards in terms of accessibility, usability, convenience, and reliability for people with disabilities. Toilet Room Location The Standards specify the location of toilet rooms in two instances: • Where toilet rooms are provided in multi-story facilities that are exempt from the requirement for vertical access between stories (§206.2.3, Ex. 1 or 2), a toilet room must be provided on a story that is connected to an accessible entrance by an accessible route (§213.1). Toilet rooms on other stories must fully comply as well. • In alterations where it is technically infeasible to make men’s and women’s rooms comply, an accessible unisex toilet room is permitted as an alternative if it is located in the same area and on the same floor as the existing toilet rooms (§213.2, Ex. 1). 2