A117.1 Section 1103
Lesson 9 covered Accessible units, the highest built-in tier A117.1 defines: full accessibility from day one, in every room on the accessible route. This lesson covers Type A units under Section 1103. This course treats Type A as the "adaptable" tier, because several features are built so they can be finished or changed later. A Type A unit is still a robust, near-complete accessible spec, not a watered-down one, but it is built with somewhat more design latitude than an Accessible unit. GCHS's own field work is mostly single-family homeowner modifications built to the Accessible standard, but Type A shows up on larger rehabilitation and new-construction projects with several units, where a jurisdiction's adopted code requires a share of the units to meet this tier instead. Knowing where Type A's numbers match Accessible units and where they genuinely differ keeps an estimate or an inspection accurate on that kind of project.
Section 1103 repeats the pattern Lesson 9 covered almost word for word. A Type A unit's primary entrance sits on an accessible route from public and common areas (1103.2), all rooms served by an accessible route provide a turning space (1103.3.2), and doors and doorways go to Section 404 (1103.5). Section 1103 carries its own exception lists, as Section 1102 does, and they differ in small ways. For example, Type A's door list adds an exterior sliding door threshold allowance, covered next, and its turning-space exception for toilet rooms and bathrooms points to Section 1103.11.2 rather than 1102.11.2.
General Section 404.2.4 limits door thresholds to 1/2 inch, with a 3/4 inch beveled allowance only for existing or altered thresholds. For a new Type A unit, Section 1103.5 adds an exception that lets a threshold at an exterior sliding door be 3/4 inch maximum if it is beveled with a slope no steeper than 1:2. That is a genuine, citable allowance at one location, not a loosening of the threshold rule everywhere in the unit. Type B units have the same allowance (Section 1104.5.2.2), but the Accessible unit door exceptions do not list it.
A Type A unit's water closet clearance is 60 inches minimum wide by 56 inches minimum deep (1103.11.2.4.2 and 1103.11.2.4.3), matching the general Section 604.3 figures Accessible units use. There is one narrow allowance: a lavatory no more than 24 inches deep may sit on the rear wall, at least 18 inches from the water closet centerline, if the clearance at the water closet is increased to 66 inches measured from the rear wall. Apart from that, an estimator sizing a Type A bathroom should not expect any relief on the clearance dimension itself. The main difference between the two unit types is somewhere else.
That difference is the water closet seat height. Accessible units follow the general Section 604.4 range of 17 to 19 inches. Type A units instead have their own range, 15 to 19 inches, set out in its own Section 1103.11.2.4.5 rather than by cross-referencing the general water closet section. The minimum drops two inches lower for Type A. This is a real difference GCHS staff should be able to name on sight: identical clearance, but a wider allowable seat height range because Type A's minimum starts lower.
Type A writes its own kitchen section, but its clearance numbers are not smaller than Section 804's. The minimum clearance between opposing base cabinets, countertops, appliances, or walls in the work area is 40 inches. Where counters, appliances, or cabinets are on three contiguous sides, the minimum is 60 inches, with an exception where an island meets the 40 inch rule. Those match the 40 and 60 inch figures Accessible units get from Section 804. What differs in Type A is the set of allowances built around them, covered next. An estimator pricing a Type A kitchen should cite 1103.12, not 804.
Section 1103.12.3 requires at least one accessible work surface 30 inches minimum in length, the same length Section 804.3 uses, though a space with no cooktop or conventional range needs none. The work surface top may be at most 34 inches high, and the front of a kitchen sink at most 34 inches, measured to the higher of the rim or counter surface, which is the same 34 inch cap Sections 902.4 and 606.3 use. What Type A adds is an alternative. A counter or sink that is adjustable between 29 and 36 inches, or that can be relocated within that range without cutting the counter or damaging adjacent cabinets, walls, doors, or structure, is permitted, with rough-in plumbing that allows a sink at 29 inches. Type A also permits cabinetry under the work surface and under the sink if it can be removed without replacing the surface or sink, the floor finish extends under it, and the walls behind it are finished. Those options matter on a rehab project where a single unit may serve more than one resident over time.
For bathtubs and showers, Type A units reference the same general Section 607 and 608 provisions Accessible units use, so the dimensions themselves do not change. What Type A permits that an Accessible unit typically would not need is removable cabinetry or countertops around those fixtures. An Accessible unit is generally built with the open space already in place; a Type A unit can be built with a cabinet or countertop installed that gets removed later if a resident needs the fuller clearance, which is part of what makes the tier "adaptable" rather than fixed.
Where an Accessible unit's fixtures carry grab bars (Sections 604.5, 607.4, and 608.3 at water closets, tubs, and showers), Section 1103.11.1 requires a Type A unit only to provide reinforcement for their future installation, in every toilet and bathing facility. Reinforcement is not required in a room containing only a lavatory and a water closet if that room does not hold the only lavatory or water closet on the accessible level, and a few other narrow exceptions apply.
Entrance, route, and turning space: same pattern as Accessible units, each with its own exception list (Sec.1103). Exterior sliding-door threshold: 3/4 in. max if beveled no steeper than 1:2 (1103.5), also allowed for Type B and not listed for Accessible units. Water closet clearance: 60 in. min wide x 56 in. min deep, matching Accessible units; a lavatory up to 24 in. deep may sit on the rear wall if the clearance is 66 in. deep. Water closet seat height: 15-19 in. under Type A's own Sec.1103.11.2.4.5, versus the general 17-19 in. Sec.604.4 number Accessible units use. Kitchen clearance under Sec.1103.12: 40 in. min, 60 in. min for U-shaped kitchens (island exception applies), the same figures as Sec.804; 30 in. min work surface length; work surface and sink 34 in. max (29-36 in. adjustable range permitted); removable cabinetry allowed under the work surface and sink. Bathing fixtures: same Sec.607/608 dimensions as Accessible units, with removable cabinetry or countertops permitted. Grab bars: reinforcement only (1103.11.1).
Why this matters for GCHS
Most GCHS accessibility modifications are single-family homes built to the Accessible standard, but on a larger rehab or new-construction project with several units, some of those units may be required to meet the Type A tier instead. A GCHS estimator or inspector who treats Type A as "the same as Accessible" will get the water closet clearance right but can miss the allowances Type A adds, such as removable cabinetry, adjustable-height counters, and reinforcement rather than installed grab bars. Flagging the seat height difference matters too: a fixture installed at 16 inches fails an Accessible unit's 17-19 inch range but is well within Type A's own 15-19 inch range, so getting the unit type right before checking the number is the first step, not an afterthought.
1. Under Section 1103, how does the entrance, route, and turning-space pattern for Type A units compare to Accessible units?
2. For a new Type A unit, what does Section 1103.5 allow at exterior sliding doors that the general 1/2 inch threshold limit in Section 404 does not?
3. What is the water closet clearance required in a Type A unit under Section 1103?
4. What is the water closet seat height range for a Type A unit under Section 1103.11.2.4.5?
5. A GCHS estimator is scoping a multi-unit rehab building where the units will be built to the Type A standard. The plans show a water closet seat at 16 inches. Does this comply?
6. Under Section 1103.12, what is the minimum clearance between opposing counters, appliances, or walls in a Type A kitchen?
7. What minimum clearance applies to a U-shaped Type A kitchen, and what exception applies?
8. What is the minimum length of the accessible work surface required in a Type A kitchen?
9. What is the maximum sink or counter height in a Type A kitchen, and what adjustable range is permitted as an alternative?
10. How do Type A bathing fixture (bathtub and shower) dimensions compare to Accessible units?
11. A GCHS inspector reviewing a Type A unit's bathroom finds a removable base cabinet installed under a sink where an Accessible unit would need a permanently open knee space. Is this acceptable for Type A?
12. Which statement best describes Type A units relative to Accessible units?
13. GCHS is estimating a larger rehab project with several units required to meet the Type A standard. Which of the following is a real difference from the Accessible-unit spec the estimator should flag?
14. How do Type A's kitchen clearances (40 in., and 60 in. for U-shaped kitchens) compare with the Section 804 clearances an Accessible unit uses?