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Americans with Disabilities Act

Accessibility Standards

This document provides a comparison between the 2004 ADA Accessibility Guidelines, the original ADA Standards, and the International Building Code (2003 edition). The comparison is ordered according to the format and sequence of the ADA Accessibility Guidelines, which the Board published in the Federal Register on July 23, 2004 (column 1). Corresponding provisions in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Standards for Accessible Design* (column 2), which are based on the original ADA Accessibility Guidelines, and the International Building Code** (column 3) are reordered for side-by-side comparison.

The appendix to this analysis contains requirements that were added to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) by the Access Board, subsequent to the DOJ adoption of the Standards for Accessible Design in 1994, through September 2002. The material in the appendix has not been incorporated in the Department of Justice accessibility standards and therefore is not enforceable. It is referenced here to indicate the source of the corresponding new ADAAG requirements.

This comparison was prepared by Brian Black of BDBlack Codes, Perry, N.Y., under a contract with the Board.

*28 CFR Part 36, App. A, July 1, 1994 Edition.

**International Code Council (ICC) 2003 International Building Code and 2004 Supplement (referencing ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003) Copyright© 2004, International Code Council, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Sections in this column are prefaced by ‘IBC’ or ‘ANSI’ to indicate the source as the International Building Code or ICC/ANSI A117.1 standard. For further information, visit the International Code Council’s website at www.iccsafe.org.

Technical Assistance

Contact the Access Board for guidance on these standards: