Finding Your Way Through Accessibility Regulations

15 Minutes with the ICC Staff, Building Safety Journal, January-February 2004, provides a summary of many of the accessibility regulations and standards that may apply to building design. As a first step to navigating the maze of regulations and their acronyms, it is useful to recognize that broadly speaking, requirements break down into two categories: The regulations that establish a requirement to provide accessibility, and the standards a regulation points to for compliance. For example, according to the article:

• The International Building Code (IBC), Chapter 11, references ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) references both the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS).
• The Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHA) references the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines (FHAG).

It is important to know when which standards apply, and how they are enforced. For example: ICC/ANSI A117.1 applies wherever the International Building Code is in effect. It is enforced by the building department having jurisdiction. The ADA standards, ADAAG and UFAS, apply mostly to non-residential buildings, and the FHA's FHAG standards apply to housing. Enforcement of ADA and FHA requirements is through the Federal judicial system, not through building departments.

It is also helpful to know where standards originate from. The International Building Code comes from the International Code Council, an organization originating from the consolidation of the three legacy model code organizations in the US. The ADA and its standards come from the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for the FHAG standards. Confused yet?

Finally, in some cases, compliance with one standard can be relied on to ensure compliance with another. For example, compliance with ICC/ANSI A117.1 in the International Building Code is sufficient to ensure compliance with HUD's FHAG requirements. The International Code Council is also working to make its standards sufficient to ensure compliance with ADA requirements, though this is not the case at this time.

(Author's note: The article fails to mention other possible sources of accessibility requirements including for example Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the federal Architectural Barriers Act, and state or local accessibility requirements.)

More Information
The US Access Board Home Page is a good starting point for researching Federal accessibility laws.
The Access Board's About Page provides links to all key Federal accessibility laws.
The Access Board's FAQ Page is a good place to find answers to common questions regarding accessibility laws.
The ADA Home Page provide links to information specific to the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The US Department of Justice's A Guide to Disability Rights Laws provides 23 pages of reference information related to Federal accessibility laws.

Standards
ADA Standards for Accessible Design
Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards
Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
ICC/ANSI A117.1 can be order from the International Code Council's online store.