What is required for a business to make the entrance door accessible? It is very situational.
However, there are a few common inaccessible entrance features that our Accessibility Services team sees out in the field. “Here are my top four, how I would recommend addressing them, and the approximate cost to do so,” says our ADA Expert, Jimmy J. Zuehl.
Lack of clearances at a doorway for a wheelchair user to maneuver when pulling open or pushing open a door.
Sometimes, this is just a matter of relocating fixtures, furniture, or merchandise, which can have zero cost. At the very least, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires clearances of 60 inches perpendicular to the pull side of a door (including 18 inches parallel to the door beyond the latch) and 48 inches perpendicular to the push side of a door.
A design plan showing the dimensions needed for a door to be ADA compliant.
If more permanent or unmovable obstructions exist, installing an automatic or power-assisted door opener is helpful.
Sloping at the exterior and/or interior side of a doorway
The cost to level out a ground or floor surface will vary depending on the severity of the slope and the ground/floor surface materials. The ADA requires slopes within clearances at a doorway to be less than 1:48 (2.0 percent).
If leveling a ground or floor surface is not achievable, installing an automatic or power-assisted door opener would help make slopping at an entrance more accessible. In New York City, where I am located, an automatic or power-assisted door retrofit would cost approximately $7,500 to $10,000.
Steps at a doorway
Ideally, steps would be overcome with a permanent ramp that slopes not more than 1:12 (8.33 percent). The ADA also required that ramps have top and bottom level landing areas, handrails, and edge protection.
It is very hard to put a cost on a permanent ramp because it depends on the height, length, and materials. A basic permanent concrete ramp with pipe rail handrails is approximately $1,775 per foot.
Portable foldable wheelchair ramp to the front of a building
Furthermore, a fully compliant permanent ramp is sometimes impossible due to existing site constraints. If a permanent ramp is not achievable, a portable ramp can at least offer a greater level of accessibility than no ramp.
Portable ramps can be purchased on Amazon and cost anywhere between $100 and $1500, depending on their length and features.
Keep in mind that portable ramps often lack some accessibility features required by the ADA. But as previously said, they do offer a greater level of accessibility than no ramp at all.
Heavy doors that are difficult to pull or push open
The ADA and most building codes do not specify the maximum force required for pulling open or pushing open an exterior door (interior doors should open with a maximum force of 5.0 pounds). That said, 8.33 pounds is generally the limit we recommend for exterior doors. Most door forces can be adjusted by hand, using simple tools at zero cost.
Removing overhead door closers also makes a door easier to open and can be done by a handyman. In worst-case scenarios, we recommend an automatic or power-assisted door opener (as already discussed). As a side note, a luggage or fish scale (less than $10.00 on Amazon) is an easy way to measure the forces required for pulling open or pushing open a door.
