New standards are being issued under the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) according updated guidelines previously issued by the Board. Several different agencies are responsible for updating these standards, and action is still pending in some cases. This page explains which standards are in effect at this time according to facility type. Direct links to the standards and related information are included.
The ADA applies to facilities in the private sector (places of public accommodation and commercial facilities) and to state and local government facilities. Standards issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) apply to all ADA facilities except transportation facilities, which are subject to standards maintained by the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOJ is in the process of adopting new ADA standards, and further information on this update is available on DOJ’s website at www.ada.gov. DOT has adopted new ADA standards which apply to bus stops, rail stations, airports, and other transportation facilities.
| Facility | Standards to Follow | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Places of Public Accommodation and Commercial Facilities (private sector) | DOJ’s ADA Standards (1991, reprinted 1993) These standards are contained in DOJ’s title III regulation (28 CFR Part 36) as Appendix A |
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State and Local Government Facilities (except transportation facilities) | DOJ’s ADA Standards or UFAS DOJ’s title II regulation (28 CFR Part 35) allows use of the original ADA standards (with some exceptions) or the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) |
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Transportation Facilities | DOT’s ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities (updated) These standards took effect November 29, 2006, as indicated in a notice published by DOT |
The ABA applies to federally funded facilities. The General Services Administration (GSA) updated its ABA standards, which apply to most facilities covered by the ABA. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has adopted similar standards which cover postal facilities. The Department of Housing (HUD) and the Department of Defense are in the processing of adopting updated ABA standards. HUD’s standards apply to federally funded residential facilities, and DOD’s standards cover military facilities.
| Facility | Standards to Follow | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Federal Facilities (other than postal, housing, and military facilities) | GSA’s ABA Accessibility Standard (updated) Effective May 8, 2006 (February 6, 2007 for leased facilities) as indicated in GSA’s Facility Management Regulation (subpart c) |
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Postal Facilities | USPS’s ABA Accessibility Standard (updated, also known as the RE-4 Standards) PDF version Effective October 1, 2005 as indicated in a notice issued by USPS |
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Housing | UFAS HUD to replace UFAS with updated ABA standards |
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Military Facilities | UFAS DOD to replace UFAS with updated ABA standards |
Technical assistance on the ADA and ABA standards is available from the Board:
phone: 800-872-2253 (voice) or 800-993-2822 (TTY), weekdays 10 – 5:30 EST (Wed. 10 – 2)
e-mail: ta@access-board.gov
fax: 202-272-0081