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2012 TAS Chapter 7

Lesson 7: Signage and alarms

Tactile characters, Braille, mounting height, and audible alarm limits under Section 703 · 14 practice questions

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Reading

Signs and alarms are Chapter 7 of the 2012 TAS, Communication Elements and Features. This chapter's requirements are checked less often than the route and restroom sections earlier in this course, but they are just as precisely dimensioned, and a mounted sign or an alarm device is one of the easier things for a reviewer to measure on a site visit.

Tactile character height

Section 703.2.5 sets raised tactile character height at 5/8 inch minimum to 2 inches maximum, measured using the uppercase letter "I." (An exception allows 1/2 inch minimum where separate raised and visual characters carry the same information.) Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces (Section 216.2), and doors at exit passageways, exit discharge, and exit stairways (Section 216.4.1), must include these raised characters alongside Braille so a person who cannot read visually can still identify the room by touch.

Braille dimensions

Table 703.3.1 sets the physical dimensions of Braille dots and cells: dot base diameter, the distance between dots within a cell, and the distance between corresponding dots in adjacent cells are all specified numerically rather than left to the sign manufacturer's judgment. TAS requires Grade 2 Braille, the contracted form used in standard Braille literature, positioned below the corresponding raised text (Section 703.3.2).

Mounting height and location

Section 703.4.1 sets sign mounting height at 48 inches minimum, measured from the finish floor to the baseline of the lowest tactile character, to 60 inches maximum, measured to the baseline of the highest tactile character. Section 703.4.2 sets the sign's location at the latch side of the door it identifies, with a clear floor space of 18 inches by 18 inches centered on the tactile characters, located beyond the arc of any door swing between the closed position and a 45 degree open position, so a person can stand close enough to read them by touch without the door swinging into them. Special location rules apply at double doors.

Pictograms and text descriptors

Where a sign includes a pictogram, the pictogram's field, the background area it occupies, must be 6 inches minimum in height. A text descriptor identifying what the pictogram represents is placed directly below the pictogram field (Section 703.6.3), and it must itself comply with the raised character, Braille, and mounting rules of Sections 703.2 through 703.4. Characters and Braille are not placed inside the pictogram field (Section 703.6.1).

Audible alarms

Section 702.1 requires fire alarm systems to have permanently installed audible and visible alarms complying with NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, incorporated by reference (TAS cites the 1999 or 2002 edition). Audible notification appliances are capped at a maximum sound level of 110 decibels at the minimum hearing distance from the audible appliance. Section 215.1 scopes these alarms where a fire alarm system provides audible alarm coverage. Guest rooms that must provide communication features have their own audible and visible alarm requirements under the same NFPA 72 sections.

Visual alarms and where they are required

Section 702.1's reference to NFPA 72 covers visible alarms as well as audible ones, so the strobe devices that alert occupants who are deaf or hard of hearing are part of the same requirement, not a separate one. Section 215, in TAS Chapter 2's scoping provisions, sets out where visible alarms must be provided: public and common use areas (215.2), employee work areas, where the wiring must at least accommodate future visible alarm integration (215.3), transient lodging guest rooms (215.4), and residential dwelling units (215.5). Existing facilities are not required to add visible alarms unless the fire alarm system is upgraded, replaced, or newly installed. TAS's own text does not state a candela intensity or flash-rate number for visible alarms anywhere in Chapter 7 or Chapter 2; those figures are set by NFPA 72 itself, which TAS incorporates by reference rather than restates. A GCHS evaluator checking a visible alarm should confirm it against the installed system's NFPA 72 listing rather than look for a number inside the TAS text.

Why signage and alarms matter alongside the route and restroom work

A building can have a perfectly compliant accessible route, doors, and restroom and still fail a person who cannot read a visual sign or hear a standard alarm. Chapter 7 exists because accessibility is not only about physical movement through a space, it is also about identifying where you are and being alerted to an emergency, which is why a review against TAS looks at signs and alarms alongside the physical route. Lesson 9 covers TDLR's registration and review process.

Accessible room sign mounting and clear floor space A sign mounted on the latch side of a door at 48 to 60 inches height, showing raised tactile characters 5/8 to 2 inches tall with Braille below, and an 18 inch by 18 inch clear floor space centered on the sign. Door Rm 101 18 x 18 in. clear floor space (703.4.2) Mounted 48-60 in. above floor (703.4.1) Latch side of door (703.4.2) Section 703.2.5 Raised tactile characters: 5/8 to 2 in. tall, measured on uppercase "I" Table 703.3.1 Grade 2 Braille, dot and cell spacing set numerically, placed below the text Section 702.1 (NFPA 72, 1999/2002 ed.) Audible alarms: 110 dB maximum Visible alarms per 215 scoping candela/flash rate set by NFPA 72, not TAS text
Signage combines raised characters, Braille, mounting height, and clear floor space into one system; alarms add an audible decibel limit under Section 702.1 and a visible-alarm requirement scoped by Section 215, whose candela and flash-rate figures come from NFPA 72 rather than TAS's own text.

Practice questions

1. Under Section 703.2.5, what is the raised tactile character height range, and how is it measured?

  1. 5/8 to 2 inches, measured using the uppercase letter "I"
  2. 1 to 3 inches, measured on the tallest character in the sign's text, whatever the letter
  3. There is no specified range; the sign maker sets the height according to the expected viewing distance
  4. 1/4 to 1 inch, measured on the height of a lowercase letter such as x

2. Under Table 703.3.1, are Braille dot dimensions and cell spacing left to the sign manufacturer's discretion?

  1. Yes, manufacturers may choose any dot diameter and spacing they find readable, provided the sign is Grade 2
  2. Braille is optional under TAS and rarely required
  3. No; dot base diameter, within-cell spacing, and between-cell spacing are all set numerically in the table
  4. Only dot base diameter is specified in the table; the spacing within and between cells is left to the sign maker's discretion

3. What grade of Braille does TAS require, and where is it positioned relative to the raised text?

  1. Grade 1 (uncontracted) Braille, positioned above the raised text and separated from it by 3/8 inch or more
  2. Either grade is acceptable, positioned anywhere on the sign
  3. Braille is not required if tactile characters are present
  4. Grade 2 (contracted) Braille, positioned below the corresponding raised text

4. Under Section 703.4.1, what is the required sign mounting height, and how is it measured?

  1. 48 to 60 inches, the minimum measured to the baseline of the lowest tactile character and the maximum to the baseline of the highest
  2. 36 to 48 inches, measured to the top of the sign
  3. 60 to 72 inches, measured to the center of the sign
  4. 40 to 54 inches, measured to the bottom of the sign

5. Under Section 703.4.2, where is a room identification sign located relative to the door, and why?

  1. On the door itself, so it swings with the door
  2. On the latch side of the door, with 18 by 18 inches of clear floor space, so the door swing does not block someone reading it by touch
  3. On the hinge side of the door, wherever space allows
  4. Location is not specified; any nearby wall is acceptable

6. What is the minimum height of a pictogram's field (background area) on an accessible sign?

  1. 2 inches
  2. 4 inches
  3. 6 inches
  4. 10 inches

7. Under Section 703.6, where is a pictogram's text descriptor placed, and must it also be tactile?

  1. Text descriptors are not required for pictograms
  2. Inside the pictogram field itself, overlapping the image, in visual characters only with no raised lettering
  3. Directly below the pictogram field, with raised characters and Braille like other tactile text
  4. Above the pictogram field, as plain visual text that need not be raised or have Braille

8. Under Section 702.1, what code does TAS incorporate by reference to set audible alarm requirements, and what is the maximum sound level?

  1. NFPA 72; 110 decibels maximum
  2. IBC Chapter 9; 95 decibels maximum
  3. ADA Standards Part 6; 100 decibels maximum
  4. NEC Article 700; 120 decibels maximum

9. Under Section 702.1, where is the 110-decibel maximum for an audible notification appliance measured?

  1. At the face of the device itself, whatever the size of the room it serves
  2. At the far wall of the largest room the alarm is meant to serve
  3. No measurement point applies; it limits only the rated output of the device
  4. At the minimum hearing distance from the audible appliance

10. Where do the specific visible alarm candela intensity and flash-rate figures come from under TAS?

  1. TAS Section 702.1 states them directly, giving a specific candela minimum
  2. They are set by NFPA 72, which Section 702.1 incorporates by reference rather than restating in TAS's own text
  3. Visual alarms are not addressed by TAS at all
  4. They are set locally by each county's fire marshal

11. Who is the visual alarm requirement primarily intended to alert?

  1. Building maintenance staff, who need a visual cue to service the fire alarm panel after hours
  2. Occupants who are deaf or hard of hearing, who may not perceive an audible alarm
  3. Visual alarms serve no distinct population; they simply duplicate the audible alarm in every space and are optional
  4. People with mobility impairments only, since they need extra time to reach an exit from upper floors

12. A reviewer finds a room sign with the baseline of its highest tactile character 62 inches above the floor, with correct raised characters and Braille. Is the mounting height compliant?

  1. Compliance depends only on the clear floor space, not mounting height
  2. No; 62 inches exceeds the 60-inch maximum set by Section 703.4.1
  3. Yes, any height above 48 inches is compliant
  4. Yes, because the sign content itself is correct

13. Why does this course connect signage and alarm requirements back to the route and restroom lessons rather than treating them separately?

  1. Signage and alarms are unrelated to accessibility and included only for completeness at the end of the technical lessons, after the route and restroom material
  2. Because TDLR does not actually review signage or alarms
  3. Because Chapter 7 replaces the earlier chapters entirely
  4. Because full accessibility includes identifying where you are and being alerted to an emergency, not just physical movement through a space

14. What is the clear floor space dimension required in front of a latch-side room identification sign under Section 703.4.2?

  1. No clear floor space is required for signage
  2. 24 by 24 inches
  3. 18 by 18 inches
  4. 30 by 48 inches

Glossary

Tactile character
A raised letter or number on a sign, 5/8 to 2 inches tall, readable by touch and required alongside Braille for permanent room identification.
Grade 2 Braille
The contracted form of Braille used in standard literature, required by TAS and placed below the corresponding raised text.
Pictogram field
The background area behind a pictogram symbol on a sign, required to be 6 inches minimum in height, with a text descriptor placed below it.
NFPA 72
The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, incorporated by reference under TAS Section 702.1 (1999 or 2002 edition) to govern both audible and visible fire alarms. TAS adds its own 110-decibel audible maximum; the candela and flash-rate figures for visible alarms come from NFPA 72.
Visual alarm
A strobe-type alarm device required to alert occupants who are deaf or hard of hearing; scoped by Section 215 and required under Section 702.1, with its candela and flash-rate figures set by NFPA 72 rather than stated in TAS's own text.
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