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ADA Door & Accessible Route Requirements — Widths & Clearances

Doors and accessible routes are governed by Sections 402–404 of the 2010 ADA Standards. The number everyone remembers is the 32-inch clear opening — measured from the face of the door to the stop, with the door open 90 degrees.

Requirement	2010 ADA Standard	Section
Clear opening width	32 in. minimum (typically a 36-in. door)	§404.2.3
Accessible route width	36 in. continuous (may narrow to 32 in. for up to 24 in. of length)	§403.5.1
Front-approach pull-side clearance	60 in. deep × door width + 18 in. beside the latch	§404.2.4, Table 404.2.4.1
Threshold height	1/2 in. maximum, beveled above 1/4 in.	§404.2.5
Opening force (interior)	5 lbf maximum for interior hinged doors	§404.2.9
Hardware	Operable with one hand, no tight grasping/pinching/twisting, 34–48 in. above floor (lever, push, loop)	§404.2.7
Closing speed	Closers adjusted to 5 seconds minimum from 90° to 12°	§404.2.8

Worth knowing

Maneuvering clearances vary by approach direction — Table 404.2.4.1 has eight cases; front pull-side is the most demanding.
Round door knobs fail §404.2.7 — levers are the standard fix.
Running slope of an accessible route steeper than 1:20 makes it a ramp with all ramp requirements.
The 2010 Standards are federal civil-rights requirements (DOJ) and apply alongside — not instead of — your local building code and ICC A117.1 where adopted.

Source: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (U.S. Department of Justice, public domain) — read the full standard at ada.gov. Your local building code (and ICC A117.1 where adopted) applies in addition — find it on your jurisdiction page.

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