The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets out which signs in a building must be accessible and exactly how they have to be made. The rules cover raised characters, braille, mounting height, location at doors, contrast and character sizes. This guide explains ADA signage requirements in plain terms: which signs are covered, the technical specifications for tactile and visual signs, where tactile signs go, and the questions to ask a sign company. It is based on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and the U.S. Access Board’s guide to them. It is general guidance, not legal advice, and state and local codes can add their own requirements.
Which signs the ADA Standards cover
Section 216 of the 2010 Standards decides which signs have to comply. The Access Board explains that some signs are always required, such as those identifying certain accessible elements and spaces, while others, including room numbers and room labels, are covered only where they are provided. The rules apply to each type of content on a sign, so one sign can carry text that must be tactile and visual, text that only has to be visual and text that is exempt.
The Access Board groups signs like this:
- Permanent rooms and spaces (§216.2): room and floor numbers or letters, room names, and labels for restrooms, conference rooms, mechanical rooms and similar spaces. These must be visual and tactile.
- Directional and informational signs (§216.3): signs that point to spaces or give information about them, such as hours of operation or rules of conduct. These must meet visual requirements but do not have to be tactile.
- Means of egress (§216.4): doors at exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge need tactile and visual signs.
- Accessibility symbols (§216.5 to §216.11): certain spaces and elements must be identified with the International Symbol of Accessibility, the International Symbol of TTY or the International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss.
Some signs are exempt from the visual and tactile requirements altogether. The Access Board lists temporary signs posted for seven days or less, building addresses and directories, occupant and company names and logos, menus, seat and row designations in assembly areas, and signs in non-public areas of detention or correctional facilities.
ADA sign requirements for tactile signs
Tactile signs have raised characters with the same text repeated in Grade 2 braille. Section 703.2 and 703.3 of the Standards set the specifications. The table summarizes the main figures as the Access Board states them.
| Requirement | ADA specification |
|---|---|
| Raised character depth | Raised 1/32 inch minimum |
| Case and style | Uppercase, sans serif; no italic, oblique, script or highly decorative forms |
| Raised character height | 1/2 inch minimum to 2 inches maximum, based on the uppercase “I”; 5/8 inch minimum where the raised characters also serve as the visual characters |
| Stroke thickness | 15% maximum of the character height (uppercase “I”) |
| Character width | Uppercase “O” 55% to 110% of the height of the uppercase “I” |
| Line spacing | 135% to 170% of the character height |
| Braille | Contracted (Grade 2), domed or rounded dots, placed below the entire raised text |
| Braille separation | 3/8 inch minimum from raised characters and from raised borders or decorative elements |
| Braille dot height and diameter | 0.025 to 0.037 inch high; 0.059 to 0.063 inch diameter |
| Finish and contrast | Non-glare finish; light-on-dark or dark-on-light contrast (does not apply to braille) |
If the visual characters are provided on a separate sign, the Access Board notes that the tactile sign does not have to meet the finish and contrast requirements, and its raised characters can be 1/2 inch high instead of 5/8 inch. The Standards do not set a minimum contrast level, but the Access Board points out that the higher the contrast, the better, especially for people with low vision.
Pictograms
Pictograms are not required, apart from the accessibility symbols. Where a pictogram is used to label a permanent room or space, such as a restroom, the Access Board explains that the pictogram field must be at least 6 inches high, the pictogram itself does not have to be raised, and the raised text and braille descriptor goes directly below the field.
Mounting height and location of tactile signs
Section 703.4 fixes where tactile signs go, so people who are blind or have low vision can find them by touch. The Access Board summarizes the rules:
- The baseline of the lowest tactile character must be at least 48 inches above the finished floor or ground, and the baseline of the highest tactile character no more than 60 inches above it.
- A clear floor space of at least 18 by 18 inches must be centered on the tactile characters, beyond the arc of any door swing between the closed position and 45 degrees open.
- At a single door, the sign goes alongside the door on the latch side. It is allowed on the push side of a door with a closer and no hold-open device.
- If there is no wall space on the latch side, the sign goes on the nearest adjacent wall.
- At double doors with one active leaf, the sign goes on the inactive leaf; where both leaves are active, it goes to the right of the doors.
Visual character requirements
Signs that only need to be visual, such as directional and informational signs, still have specifications under section 703.5. The Access Board lists them: non-glare finish and light-on-dark or dark-on-light contrast; conventional upper or lowercase characters with no italic, script or highly decorative forms; stroke thickness of 10% to 30% of the character height; character spacing of 10% to 35% of the character height; line spacing of 135% to 170%; and characters at least 40 inches above the floor.
Minimum character height depends on how high the sign is and how far away people read it. For characters 40 to 70 inches above the floor, the minimum is 5/8 inch where the viewing distance is under 6 feet, plus 1/8 inch for each foot beyond 6 feet. Above 70 inches and up to 10 feet, the minimum is 2 inches for viewing distances under 15 feet, and above 10 feet it is 3 inches for distances under 21 feet, each increasing by 1/8 inch per extra foot. Overhead signs above circulation paths must leave at least 80 inches of headroom.
ADA signage and other codes
The 2010 Standards are the federal baseline, but they are not the only rules. The Access Board notes that life safety and building codes address exit signs, and that the International Building Code requires directions to accessible means of egress and instructions at areas of refuge. Many states and cities adopt their own accessibility codes as well, so check with the local building department before a sign schedule is finalized. Our guide to sign permits covers the permit side, and our wayfinding design guide explains how accessible signs fit into a full sign system.
Questions to ask an ADA sign supplier
- Which signs on the schedule are tactile, visual only or exempt, and how did you decide?
- How are the raised characters and braille made, and do they meet the 703.2 and 703.3 dimensions?
- Will installers set the tactile characters between 48 and 60 inches and on the latch side of each door?
- Have you checked state and local requirements as well as the federal Standards?
Our directory lists ADA and braille sign makers, along with architectural signage companies and wayfinding signage specialists who handle full building sign packages.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice, 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (sections 216, 307 and 703).
- U.S. Access Board, Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, Chapter 7: Signs.