Section 404.1/Accessible Doors, Doorways, and Gates
ICC ANSI A117.1 Section 404 covers accessible door requirements including clear width, maneuvering clearance, hardware, closing speed, and threshold height.
Doors on accessible routes must provide a minimum clear opening width of 32 inches measured between the face of the door and the opposite stop when the door is open 90 degrees. For pairs of doors, at least one active leaf must provide the 32-inch clear width. The maximum door opening force is 5 pounds for interior hinged doors (fire doors are exempt from the force limit but must have the minimum opening force allowed by the fire rating). Closing speed must be at least 5 seconds from 90 degrees to 12 degrees of closure. Door hardware must be operable with one hand without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting (lever handles, push bars, panic hardware). Round knobs do not comply. Thresholds at doorways must be 1/2 inch maximum for sliding doors and 3/4 inch maximum for other doors, with beveled edges no steeper than 1:2. Maneuvering clearances per Table 404.2.3.2 must be provided on both sides of every door based on approach direction and door swing.
Why this section exists
Doors are the most critical access points on any accessible route. A wheelchair user needs adequate clear width to pass through, maneuvering space to position and operate the door, hardware that can be operated with limited hand dexterity, and a threshold that does not impede the wheelchair. The maneuvering clearances account for the wheelchair turning radius and the need to reach the handle, pull the door open, and move through the opening. The 5-pound opening force limit addresses users with upper body weakness. ICC A117.1 provides the technical details referenced by the IBC and ADA Section 404.
What plan reviewers look for
Plan reviewers check the door schedule for clear opening width (32 inches minimum), hardware type (lever handles or accessible equivalent), closer setting, and threshold height. On the floor plan, they verify maneuvering clearances at every door on the accessible route, checking the approach direction (front, latch side, or hinge side) against the clearance table. Common conflicts include furniture, adjacent walls, or other door swings that encroach on the maneuvering space. For accessible toilet rooms, they verify the door does not swing into the required clear floor space at fixtures.