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Building Code Group Publishes Housing Accessibility Standards

WASHINGTON DC-HUD has embraced a newly published building code as the first legally acceptable way to comply with Federal regulations about disabled accessbility in apartments.

By Mike Cleary | Updated on November 08, 2000

WASHINGTON DC-Builders and apartment owners praised the publication of the first document that translates raw Federal rules about handicapped accessibility into building codes that regulators will accept.

The Code Requirements for Housing Accessibility dictates rules about everything from the placement of thermostats and light switches, to the width of hallways and confined room spaces where wheelchairs may have difficulty turning, to the location of grab bars. The rules cover all buildings with four or more apartments or condominiums. It applies to all units in buildings with elevators and all first-floor units in buildings without elevators.

The absence of clear-cut codes has worried owners, builders and rental management companies since the Fair Housing Act first established the accessibility guidelines for handicapped people in 1988.”The good intentions of many apartment professionals trying to comply with the Fair Housing Act’s requirements have been thwarted because of a lack of clear guidance from HUD,” says Ron Nickson, vice president of building codes for the National Multi Housing Council and National Apartment Association.

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