TAS 100%

2012 Texas Accessibility Standards

Lesson 10: Review and practice questions

Comprehensive review across all 10 lessons · 20 practice questions

0:00 / --:--

Reading

This course now covers ten lessons built from the 2012 TAS text: what TAS is and how far its coverage reaches, including the limits written into the TAS text and TDLR's rules in 16 TAC Chapter 68 (lesson 1); the building blocks of accessible design, floor surfaces, clear floor space, knee and toe clearance, protruding objects, reach ranges, and operable parts under TAS Chapter 3, Sections 302 through 309 (lesson 2); the accessible route with ramps, curb ramps, and parking (lesson 3); doors, doorways, and maneuvering clearances (lesson 4); stairs, handrails, elevators, and platform lifts under Sections 504, 505, 407, 408, and 410, scoped by 206.6 and 206.7 (lesson 5); toilet and bathing rooms (lesson 6); signage and alarms under Chapter 7 (lesson 7); kitchens, kitchenettes, and residential dwelling units under Sections 804, 809, and 233, plus work surfaces and sales and service counters under Sections 902 and 904 (lesson 8); and TDLR's registration, review, and inspection process (lesson 9). This lesson pulls all nine together with a mixed practice set.

What this course has confirmed

Every numeric figure and section citation used across lessons 1 through 9, turning space and clear floor space, reach ranges and operable-part force, route width and ramp slope, stair riser and tread dimensions and handrail height, elevator and platform lift clearances, door clear width and maneuvering clearance, parking space counts and the van ratio, restroom compartment and grab bar dimensions, tactile character and Braille dimensions, sign mounting height, the 110-decibel audible alarm limit and its NFPA 72 reference, kitchen work-surface height and clearance, was checked directly against the 2012 TAS text rather than assumed from memory or from other accessibility standards. The TDLR figures, the $50,000 threshold and the fee amounts, come from TDLR's published fee page and registration help sheet.

What remains an open question

This course previously named two gaps rather than filling them with a guess. Both are now resolved. The visible alarm candela and flash-rate figures are set by NFPA 72 itself, which TAS Section 702.1 incorporates by reference rather than restating; lesson 7 explains that distinction and the Section 215 scoping that determines where visible alarms are required. The kitchen and kitchenette clearance figures under TAS Section 804, along with the related dwelling-unit and built-in-element sections, are now verified and taught directly in lesson 8. Some items remain unconfirmed: the full text of 16 TAC Chapter 68 and Texas Government Code Chapter 469 could not be retrieved for this review, so the exact exemption list, the rule tying the TAS edition to the registration date, the timing of registration, and the plan review and inspection deadlines are not stated as fact in this course. Check those in the current rule text before relying on them, and give any new figure the same direct-verification standard before presenting it as fact.

The ten-lesson course as two connected halves Lessons 2 through 8 set the technical bar for building blocks, route, doors, stairs, restrooms, signage, and kitchens; lesson 9 is the administrative process that checks a project against that bar; lesson 1 determines whether TAS applies at all, and lesson 10 reviews all of it. Lesson 1 Does TAS apply? Lessons 2-8: the technical bar Building blocks, route, doors, stairs, restrooms, signage, kitchens Lesson 9 TDLR registration & review Lesson 10 Review across all nine lessons
Lesson 1 determines whether TAS applies; lessons 2 through 8 set the technical bar a project must meet; lesson 9 is the administrative process that checks a project against that bar; lesson 10 reviews the whole system.

How TAS relates to the exemptions in lesson 1

Every technical requirement in lessons 2 through 8 assumes the facility or portion of it is actually covered by TAS in the first place. Lesson 1 covers the limits written into the TAS text: it applies to new and altered work, the portion of a private residence used exclusively as a residence is not covered when a business operates there, and a small owner-occupied building with not more than five rooms for rent is left out of the transient lodging definition. It also points to 16 TAC Chapter 68 for the exemption list. Those limits determine whether the technical requirements apply before any dimension in lessons 2 through 8 becomes relevant.

How the technical and administrative halves fit together

Lessons 2 through 8 set the technical bar: what a compliant building block, route, door, stair, restroom, sign, and kitchen actually measure. Lesson 9 set the administrative process that checks a project against that bar: registration, plan review and inspection by TDLR, an RAS, or a contract provider, and reporting under TDLR's rules. Neither half works without the other, technical requirements with no enforcement process are just recommendations, and an enforcement process with no clear technical standard has nothing concrete to check against.

Practice questions

1. A small business operates out of a private residence. Under the Private Residences exception to Section 201.1, which portion is not covered by TAS?

  1. No portion; the whole residence is covered once any business operates in it
  2. Only the front sidewalk, since interior rooms are always covered once a business operates there
  3. The portion used exclusively as a residence, but not the entrance, hallways, or restrooms used by visitors
  4. Every room except the restroom, because only plumbing elements are scoped for residences

2. Under the TAS definition of transient lodging (Section 106.5.71), which of these is left out of the definition?

  1. Any hotel or motel with fewer than 50 guest rooms, whether or not an owner lives on the property
  2. Any lodging built before April 1, 1994, if its guest rooms have not been altered since
  3. A private building with not more than five rooms for rent that the proprietor actually occupies as a residence
  4. Any lodging owned by a nonprofit organization, even if guests stay only short-term

3. Under Section 305.3, what is the minimum clear floor or ground space required for a single stationary wheelchair?

  1. 48 inches by 48 inches minimum
  2. 30 inches by 48 inches minimum
  3. 36 inches by 36 inches minimum
  4. 24 inches by 48 inches minimum

4. Under Section 403.5.1, what is the general minimum clear width of the walking surface of an accessible route?

  1. 60 inches
  2. 32 inches
  3. 36 inches
  4. 44 inches

5. Under Section 405.2, what is the maximum running slope for a ramp?

  1. 1:10
  2. 1:16
  3. 1:12
  4. 1:20

6. Under Sections 308.2.1 and 308.3.1, what are the forward and side reach range maximums, and the shared minimum low reach?

  1. 54 inches maximum for both forward and side reach, with a 9-inch minimum low reach for any unobstructed approach
  2. 60 inches maximum for both, 15 inches minimum low reach
  3. TAS does not set a maximum reach height
  4. 48 inches maximum for both forward and side reach, 15 inches minimum low reach

7. Under Section 404.2.3, what is the minimum clear width of an accessible doorway?

  1. 32 inches
  2. 36 inches
  3. 42 inches
  4. 30 inches

8. Under Section 604.2, what is the water closet centerline range for a standard accessible compartment, and how does it differ from the ambulatory compartment's range?

  1. Standard: 16-18 inches; ambulatory: 17-19 inches, a slightly different range
  2. Neither has a specified centerline range
  3. Both use 16 to 18 inches; there is no difference
  4. Standard: 17-19 inches; ambulatory: 16-18 inches, the reverse of the ranges the section sets out

9. Under Section 504, what is the required stair riser height range and minimum tread depth?

  1. There is no maximum riser height
  2. 4 inches minimum to 7 inches maximum riser height; 11 inches minimum tread depth
  3. 6 inches minimum to 8 inches maximum riser height; 9 inches minimum tread depth, with uniform risers required
  4. 3 to 5 inches riser height; 14 inches minimum tread depth

10. Under Section 703.2.5, what is the tactile character height range on accessible signage?

  1. 5/8 to 2 inches
  2. 1 to 3 inches, measured on the tallest letter
  3. 2 to 4 inches, measured on the widest letter
  4. 1/4 to 1 inch, measured on any lowercase letter

11. Under Section 505, what is the required handrail mounting height range above the stair nosing or ramp surface?

  1. 40 to 44 inches
  2. Handrail height is not specified numerically
  3. 28 to 32 inches
  4. 34 to 38 inches

12. Under Section 702.1, what is the maximum decibel level for an audible alarm, and what code does TAS incorporate to set it?

  1. 120 decibels, with no referenced code and no measurement distance
  2. There is no maximum decibel level; only a minimum applies to every appliance
  3. 110 decibels, incorporating NFPA 72 by reference
  4. 95 decibels, incorporating IBC Chapter 9 by reference into TAS Section 702.1

13. At what estimated construction cost does a project trigger TABS registration with TDLR?

  1. $75,000
  2. $100,000
  3. $25,000
  4. $50,000

14. What is TDLR's listed standard project filing fee, and what is its listed late project filing fee?

  1. $50 standard filing fee, $50 additional for a late filing, paid after construction
  2. $300 standard filing fee, with the $175 charged only for a late filing
  3. $175 standard, and no late fee applies to a project registered after construction
  4. $175 standard; $300 late project filing fee

15. What generally determines whether a project is reviewed under the 2012 TAS or the 1994 TAS?

  1. The date the project was registered with TDLR
  2. The owner's personal preference
  3. Whichever edition the RAS is more familiar with
  4. The building's original construction year, regardless of any later registration

16. Why does it matter that an RAS is licensed by TDLR rather than acting only as the owner's advocate?

  1. Only projects above $1 million require an RAS to hold a TDLR license; smaller projects use unlicensed reviewers
  2. Because TDLR licenses and can sanction RASs, the review answers to the regulator and not only to the owner
  3. It is a formality with no practical purpose, because a license carries no consequences for the RAS
  4. Because owners are not permitted to see RAS findings until TDLR has approved them

17. Under Section 804.2, how does the minimum clearance between opposing counters in a U-shaped kitchen compare to a pass-through kitchen?

  1. TAS does not distinguish between kitchen configurations
  2. 60 inches minimum for a U-shaped kitchen versus 40 inches minimum for a pass-through kitchen
  3. 40 inches minimum for a U-shaped kitchen versus 60 inches minimum for a pass-through kitchen
  4. Both configurations use the same 48-inch minimum

18. Under Section 902.3, what is the required height range for a dining or work surface, and how does it relate to the reach ranges in lesson 2?

  1. 28 to 34 inches, a range that falls within the 48-inch forward and side reach maximums from Section 308
  2. 34 to 48 inches, well above the reach range maximums from lesson 2
  3. There is no maximum height for a dining or work surface
  4. The height matches the kitchen work surface exactly, with no independent figure

19. A GCHS project's estimated construction cost is under $50,000. According to TDLR's fee schedule, what is the situation?

  1. Registration is prohibited below $50,000, and the project must proceed without any TDLR involvement
  2. Registration is required anyway, with the late fee applied to every project under the threshold
  3. The project must register free of charge on the standard project registration form
  4. Registration is not required, but TDLR allows it on the Special Project Registration form with the standard $175 filing fee

20. Why does this course present the technical lessons (2-8) and the administrative lesson (9) as two halves of one system rather than separate topics?

  1. The administrative lesson replaces the need for the technical lessons
  2. Technical requirements with no enforcement process are just recommendations, and an enforcement process needs a clear technical standard to check against
  3. Only the technical lessons matter; lesson 9 is optional background
  4. They are unrelated and happen to appear in the same course

Glossary

2012 TAS
The edition of the Texas Accessibility Standards this entire course is built around, effective March 15, 2012; TDLR applies the edition by the project's registration date, so confirm the cutoff in 16 TAC Chapter 68.
Unconfirmed item
A rule or figure this course could not confirm against the standard's text or an official TDLR page, described without the detail and flagged for checking rather than filled with an unverified number.
Technical lesson
Lessons 2 through 8, which set the measurable bar a project's building blocks, route, doors, stairs, restrooms, signage, and kitchens must meet.
Administrative lesson
Lesson 9, which covers the TDLR registration, review, and inspection process that checks a project against the technical bar.
Previous lesson Back to course Mark lesson complete