by jbs082310 d3 — August 25, 2010—The newest accessibility standards to be enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will include means of egress requirements from the International Building Code (IBC). DOJ has adopted the 2004 ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines, which will be called the 2010 Accessibility Standards. The 2010 Accessibility standard references the Accessible Means of Egress section of the IBC developed by the International Code Council.
The new DOJ standards will take effect in approximately six months. Once implemented, designers will be able to use either the 1991 Standard or the 2010 Standard for about a year. In 2012, all facilities will have to comply with the 2010 Standards.
With the cooperation of the International Code Council, U.S. Access Board and other interested parties, the IBC and ICC A117.1-Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities are already extensively coordinated with the new federal regulations. A free comparison matrix of the 2006 IBC, 2003 A117.1, 1991 ADAAG and 2004 ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines is available on the ICC website.
The guidelines will be the enforceable DOJ standard for most buildings, including institutional, commercial, recreational, transportation and government facilities. The ABA/ADA standards are already adopted and used by the U.S. Government Service Administration, Postal Service, Department of Transportation and Department of Defense.
New requirements in the regulations address recreation and detention facilities, social service programs, and university housing. A fact sheet provides a summary of key changes.
