2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Section 403
Walking Surfaces on Accessible Routes
The slope, cross slope, width, and surface requirements for the concrete walkways, sidewalks, and entrances that form an accessible route.
Who needs it
Sidewalk and flatwork contractors, site designers, general contractors on commercial and public projects, and property owners with public accommodations.
What the test involves
A walking surface on an accessible route may not have a running slope steeper than 1:20, which is 5 percent; anything steeper is a ramp and must meet the separate ramp requirements, where the maximum slope is 1:12. Cross slope may not exceed 1:48. The requirements also address minimum clear width, passing spaces, changes in level, surface stability and slip resistance, and openings in the surface such as grates. Because these are federal civil rights requirements rather than a construction guide, non-compliant work is a legal exposure and not merely a punch-list item.
Common misconceptions
- The cross slope limit is the one most often blown on poured sidewalks. Sloping a walk generously for drainage is exactly how a compliant design becomes non-compliant concrete.
- 'Close enough' does not exist here. The tolerances are measured, and a finished surface that exceeds them typically has to be removed and replaced.
- These requirements are federal and apply independently of whether the local building department inspected and approved the work.
Official source
We summarize scope and purpose only. The full text belongs to the issuing body — read it at the official source. U.S. Access Board / U.S. Department of Justice