ADA Standards
Whether you are designing, fabricating or installing signage, it is important to ensure that compliance with ADA regulations is maintained. Below is part of chapter 7 of the 2004 ADAAG detailing ADA sign requirements.
Update - July 23, 20110
On July 23, 2010 the DOJ announced the signing of the final regulations revising the ADA guidelines. The new regulations will follow the 2004 ADAAG and be know as the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Title III - Public Accommodations affect signage. There are no changes from the 2004 ADAAG which we have posted here. For a full explanation of how the process works, you can visit our blog.
Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines
703 Signs
703.1 General: Signs shall comply with 703. Where both visual and tactile
characters are required, either one sign with both visual and tactile characters,
or two separate signs, one with visual, and one with tactile characters, shall be
provided.
703.2 Raised Characters. Raised characters shall comply with 703.2 and
shall be duplicated in braille complying with 703.3. Raised characters shall be
installed in accordance with 703.4.
703.2.1 Depth. Raised characters shall be 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) minimum above
their background.
703.2.2 Case. Characters shall be uppercase.
703.2.3 Style. Characters shall be sans serif. Characters shall not be italic,
oblique, script, highly decorative, or of other unusual forms.
703.2.4 Character Proportions. Characters shall be selected from fonts where
the width of the uppercase letter “O” is 55 percent minimum and 110 percent
maximum of the height of the uppercase letter “I”.
703.2.5 Character Height. Character height measured vertically from the baseline
of the character shall be 5/8 inch (16 mm) minimum and 2 inches (51 mm) maxi-
mum based on the height of the uppercase letter “I”.
703.2.6 Stroke Thickness. Stroke thickness of the uppercase letter “I” shall be
15 percent maximum of the height of the character.
703.2.7 Character Spacing. Character spacing shall be measured between
the two closest points of adjacent raised characters within a message, exclud-
ing word spaces. Where characters have rectangular cross sections, spacing
between individual raised characters shall be 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) minimum and 4
times the raised character stroke width maximum. Where characters have other
cross sections, spacing between individual raised characters shall be 1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) minimum and 4 times the raised character stroke width maximum at
the base of the cross sections, and 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) minimum and 4 times the
raised character stroke width maximum at the top of the cross sections. Char-
acters shall be separated from raised borders and decorative elements 3/8 inch
(9.5 mm) minimum.
703.2.8 Line Spacing. Spacing between the baselines of separate lines of raised characters within a message shall be 135 percent minimum and 170 percent maximum of the raised character height.
703.3 Braille. Braille shall be contracted (Grade 2) and shall comply with 703.3 and 703.4.
703.3.1 Dimensions and Capitalization. Braille dots shall have a domed or rounded shape and shall comply with Table 703.3.1. The indication of an uppercase
letter or letters shall only be used before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters of the alphabet,
initials, and acronyms.
Download and view Chapter 7 detailing sign requirements of the 2004 ADAAG
Download and view the complete 2004 ADAAG
