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2012 TAS Chapter 4

Lesson 4: Doors, doorways, and maneuvering clearances

Clear width, and why maneuvering clearance depends on which side of the door you're checking · 14 practice questions

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Lesson 3 got the accessible route as far as the building entrance. This lesson picks up there: a door has to be wide enough to pass through and has to have room in front of and behind it for a wheelchair user to actually operate it, two separate requirements that are easy to check individually and easy to miss together.

Clear width

Section 404.2.3 requires a minimum clear width of 32 inches at a door opening. For a swinging door it is measured between the face of the door and the stop, with the door held open 90 degrees. This is a clear opening measurement, not the door leaf's nominal size, so a "36-inch door" on a set of drawings does not automatically satisfy this section once the door's thickness and the door stop are accounted for. Where the opening is more than 24 inches deep, the clear opening has to be 36 inches minimum. Nothing may project into the clear width below 34 inches above the floor, and projections between 34 and 80 inches are limited to 4 inches. A narrower opening than the leaf's nominal width is one of the most common gaps between what a drawing shows and what a field measurement finds.

Maneuvering clearance: why it is not one number

Section 404.2.4 sets maneuvering clearance on both sides of a door, and Table 404.2.4.1 changes the required clearance depending on which side a wheelchair user approaches from and whether the door swings toward or away from them. A front approach on the pull side needs 60 inches of clearance perpendicular to the doorway and 18 inches parallel to it, beyond the latch side. A front approach on the push side needs 48 inches perpendicular and 0 inches parallel, with 12 inches added parallel if the door has both a closer and a latch. From the latch side, a pull approach needs 48 by 24 inches (6 inches more perpendicular if there is a closer) and a push approach needs 42 by 24 inches (6 more with a closer). From the hinge side, a push approach needs 42 by 22 inches (6 more perpendicular with a closer and latch), and the pull-side rows are 60 by 36 and 54 by 42 inches, so read the table row that fits the door. The practical point: maneuvering clearance depends on which side of the door and which direction of swing is being looked at, so each door on a plan set needs its clearance checked against the specific configuration drawn, not a single memorized figure.

Why the pull side needs more room

A wheelchair user pulling a door open toward themselves has to back the chair away from the door's swing path while still holding the door, then maneuver forward through the opening, all without the door swinging shut on them partway through. That sequence needs more room than pushing a door open (where the user's own body already clears the swing path as the door moves away from them), which is why, for the same approach direction, Table 404.2.4.1 asks for more room on the pull side than on the push side: from the front, 60 inches versus 48 perpendicular; from the latch side, 48 versus 42. An evaluator who checks only the push side of a door and assumes the pull side is "close enough" is checking the easier case and skipping the harder one.

Doorway thresholds

Beyond clear width and maneuvering clearance, Section 404.2.5 limits a threshold at a doorway to 1/2 inch high maximum, and raised thresholds and changes in level at doorways have to meet 302 and 303. That means a change in level over 1/4 inch has to be beveled, with a slope no steeper than 1:2, and one over 1/2 inch is not a threshold at all but has to be ramped. An exception lets existing or altered thresholds stay up to 3/4 inch high if they have a beveled edge on each side, no steeper than 1:2. A threshold that is technically low enough to comply can still fail in the field if it is not beveled correctly, since the bevel is what actually lets a caster roll over it rather than catch on it.

Doors in series

Where two hinged or pivoted doors are close together, a vestibule with an outer and inner door, for instance, Section 404.2.6 requires the distance between them to be 48 inches minimum plus the width of any doors swinging into the space. That distance is checked in addition to each door's own clearances, not assumed to be adequate just because each individual door meets its own figures. Someone operating both doors in sequence needs enough room between them to clear the first door's swing before addressing the second, exactly the kind of gap that shows up only when the two doors are considered together rather than as two separate, individually-compliant openings.

Why this matters for GCHS's own work

GCHS already evaluates properties for TAS, ADA, and Section 504 compliance as part of its existing service lines. The specific numbers in this lesson, the 32-inch clear width and the direction-dependent maneuvering clearances, are exactly the kind of finding that shows up repeatedly in a TAS deficiency list, precisely because they are easy to get subtly wrong on a drawing and easy to miss in a walkthrough that only glances at door width without checking the clearance in front of and behind it.

Door clear width and maneuvering clearance A door opening labeled 32 inches minimum clear width, measured with the door open 90 degrees, alongside a diagram of the front pull-side approach requiring 60 inches of clearance perpendicular to the doorway and 18 inches parallel to it past the latch side, one of the maneuvering-clearance configurations in Section 404.2.4. Clear width (404.2.3) 32 in. min., door open 90° Clear opening, not the leaf's nominal size Front pull-side approach (404.2.4) 60 in. perpendicular to doorway 18 in. parallel, past latch side
Clear width and maneuvering clearance are two separate, both-required checks; a compliant door width with no room to maneuver in front of it still fails.

Practice questions

1. What is the minimum clear width at a door opening under Section 404.2.3, and how is it measured?

  1. 36 inches, measured as the door leaf's nominal width with the door closed
  2. 28 inches, measured between the door face and the stop with the door closed
  3. 32 inches, measured with the door held open 90 degrees
  4. 24 inches, measured diagonally across the opening at its widest point

2. Why doesn't a "36-inch door" on a drawing automatically satisfy the 32-inch clear width requirement?

  1. Because door width is not addressed by TAS and is left to local building codes instead
  2. It always satisfies it, since nominal leaf size and clear width are the same thing under TAS
  3. The door's thickness and stop reduce the actual clear opening below the leaf size
  4. Because 36 inches is smaller than the 32-inch minimum once the door is measured while closed

3. Which section of TAS sets maneuvering clearance requirements on both sides of a door?

  1. Section 404.2.4
  2. Section 304.3
  3. Section 405.2
  4. Section 208.2

4. Does Section 404.2.4 set one single maneuvering clearance figure for all doors?

  1. No, maneuvering clearance is required only on accessible ramps, not at doors or gates
  2. Yes, one figure applies, but only for exterior doors on the accessible route into a building
  3. Yes, 60 by 18 inches applies to every door regardless of its configuration or direction of swing
  4. No, the clearance depends on the approach side and the door's direction of swing

5. For a front approach on the pull side, what clearance does Section 404.2.4 require?

  1. 32 inches perpendicular, 12 inches parallel
  2. 18 inches perpendicular, 60 inches parallel
  3. No clearance is required on the pull side
  4. 60 inches perpendicular to the doorway, 18 inches parallel to it past the latch side

6. Why does a front approach on the pull side need more maneuvering clearance than a front approach on the push side?

  1. The user must back away from the swing path while holding the door, then go through
  2. Pull-side doors are never permitted on accessible routes, since the swing crosses the route
  3. Pull-side doors are always heavier than push-side doors, so they need a wider clear opening
  4. It does not; push-side approaches always require more room than pull-side approaches

7. Besides clear width and maneuvering clearance, what does TAS also address at accessible doorways?

  1. The door manufacturer's name and the fire rating shown on a permanent label on the door
  2. Nothing else; TAS addresses only width and maneuvering room under Chapter 4 for doors
  3. Only the color of the door and how much it contrasts with the surrounding wall finish
  4. Threshold height, 1/2 inch maximum, with raised thresholds meeting 302 and 303

8. Why can a threshold that is technically low enough on paper still fail in the field?

  1. Thresholds cannot fail once installed, because the installer certifies the height at completion
  2. A rise over 1/4 inch that is not beveled can catch casters even below the 1/2 inch maximum
  3. Threshold height is never actually checked in the field, only on the drawings at plan review
  4. Paper measurements are always more accurate than field measurements, so a drawing prevails

9. Two hinged doors are in series, as in a vestibule. What distance does Section 404.2.6 require between them?

  1. 36 inches minimum, measured between the closed door faces
  2. 60 inches minimum, whichever way the doors swing
  3. No distance is specified; each door is checked separately
  4. 48 inches minimum plus the width of any doors swinging into the space

10. An evaluator checks only the push side of a door and finds it compliant, then concludes the door is fine. What has the evaluator missed?

  1. The pull side, which needs more clearance than the push side and is the harder case
  2. The color of the door and its contrast with the frame, which TAS requires at accessible entrances
  3. Whether the door is fire-rated and carries a listed label, which TAS requires at every door
  4. Nothing; checking one side is always sufficient because both sides use the same figures

11. A door's leaf is labeled 34 inches on the architectural drawings. Does this guarantee compliance with the 32-inch clear width requirement?

  1. No, because 34-inch leaves are never used in accessible construction under TAS or local codes
  2. No; the clear opening after thickness and stop must still measure 32 inches minimum
  3. Yes, any leaf size above 32 inches automatically satisfies the clear width requirement in every door type
  4. Yes, because 34 minus 32 leaves a 2-inch safety margin for the door thickness and stop

12. Which of the following approach types each carry their own distinct clearance figures under Section 404.2.4?

  1. Only doors wider than 36 inches
  2. Only front approaches; hinge and latch side are not addressed
  3. Only interior doors; exterior doors are exempt
  4. Front push-side, front pull-side, hinge side, and latch side

13. Why does this lesson connect to lesson 3's accessible route content?

  1. Because door width determines the number of parking spaces required under Table 208.2 for the whole site
  2. It doesn't; doors and routes are governed by unrelated requirements that never affect each other
  3. The entrance door is the last link in the route, so it must also meet clear width and clearance
  4. Because both are governed by Section 208.2, which sets the same figures for doors as for parking

14. What is the practical lesson from door clearance requirements varying by approach side and swing direction?

  1. Clearance only matters for doors wider than 36 inches, since narrower doors are exempt
  2. Each door must be checked against its own configuration, not one memorized number
  3. Only one clearance figure needs to be memorized and can be applied at every door on the site
  4. Door clearance requirements are optional recommendations, not enforceable TAS requirements

Glossary

Clear width
The actual clear opening at a door, measured with the door open 90 degrees; 32 inches minimum under Section 404.2.3.
Maneuvering clearance
The floor space required on each side of a door for a wheelchair user to operate it; varies by approach side and swing direction under Section 404.2.4.
Front pull-side approach
The configuration where the user approaches the pull side of the door from the front; it needs 60 inches perpendicular and 18 inches parallel beyond the latch side, more than the front push side needs, since the user must back away from the door's swing while holding it.
Beveled threshold
A sloped threshold edge that lets a wheelchair's casters roll over it rather than catch on an abrupt rise.
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