Disabled Access Regulations

All buildings in California are required to meet the accesibility requirements of the California Building Code. The local Building Department only plan checks and inspects for State compliance. Compliance with the California Building Code (CBC) does NOT necessarily meen that the design also automatically meets compliance with Federal ADA requirements.

CBC Chapter 10 contains general accesibility requirements that apply to most occupancies.  Chapter 11A contains regulations pretaining to multifamily buildings and Chapter 11B contains regulations for Commercial and Industrial buildings.

Checklists

• Summary of Disabled Access Regulations for Commercial B,M,F & S Occupancies
• ADA Reasonable Accommodation Checklist[1]  
• H/C Accessibility Disabled Access Hardship Form  

Reference

• California Department of State Architect (DSA) Accessibility Website
  • California Access Compliance Reference Manual
• Universal Design – Better Accessibility for All (DSA)
• Status of California Accessibility Code Certification for ADA Compliance[2]
• ADA and ABA Federal Accessibility Guidelines[3]
• ADA Figures - Index  - pictographs of ramps, parking, restrooms, etc.
• ADA Americans with Disabilities Act Homepage - Dept. of Justice (DoJ)
• Accessibility Links - Dept. of the State Architect (DSA) 

For Questions regarding Accessibility in privately-owned buildings in San Jose,  contact a Building Inspector at (408) 535-3555.

[1] ALL Business Owners should keep a completed copy of this (or a similar) checklist in their company file, along with what they have done to remedy any discrepancies, to demonstrate that non-discrimination of the disabled has been taken into consideration by the company.   (Federal Dept. of Justice [DoJ] Recommendation)

[2] until the California version is Certified for ADA Compliance.    It is the Owner’s and Architect’s responsibility to ensure the building complies with all applicable Codes and Laws.

[3] ALL publicly-owned buildings must comply with Federal ADA requirements.