UFAS 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8
This lesson follows the path a person actually travels: from a parking space, across a site, into a building. Section 4.3, Accessible Route, sets the geometry of that path. Section 4.6, Parking and Passenger Loading Zones, sets how accessible spaces and loading zones are sized and located, while the count of spaces comes from Section 4.1.1(5). Sections 4.7 and 4.8, Curb Ramps and Ramps, handle the two ways an accessible route gets past a change in grade. As in Lesson 3, every number below carries its UFAS section number.
Section 4.3 sets the minimum clear width of an accessible route at 36 inches, except at doors, covered in Lesson 5. Where a route narrows to less than 60 inches wide, it needs passing spaces at least 60 by 60 inches, spaced no more than 200 feet apart, so two wheelchair users traveling opposite directions have somewhere to pass. Section 4.3.3 leaves the extra width needed to turn a wheelchair around an obstruction to UFAS Fig. 7. As that figure is applied here, a 90-degree turn needs at least 48 inches of width, and turning around an obstruction narrower than 48 inches needs a 42-inch passage with a 48-inch clear base, since the turn itself eats into usable width.
Section 4.3 caps an accessible route's cross slope, perpendicular to travel, at 1:50 maximum, tighter than the 1:20 figure separating a walking surface from a ramp. Once running slope, the slope in the direction of travel, exceeds 1:20, the surface stops being a walking surface under 4.3 and becomes a ramp under Section 4.8. A level change along the route follows Section 4.5's rule: 1/4 inch unramped, 1/4 to 1/2 inch beveled at 1:2, anything greater handled as a ramp, curb ramp, elevator, or platform lift, not a simple lip.
Section 4.1.1(5)(a) ties the required number of accessible parking spaces, where parking is provided for employees or visitors, to a table keyed to a lot's total spaces: 1 to 25 requires 1 accessible space, 26 to 50 requires 2, 51 to 75 requires 3, 76 to 100 requires 4, 101 to 150 requires 5, 151 to 200 requires 6, 201 to 300 requires 7, 301 to 400 requires 8, and 401 to 500 requires 9. From 501 to 1,000 total spaces the requirement switches to 2 percent of the total; above 1,000 it becomes 20 plus 1 additional space per 100 over 1,000. Under the same paragraph, the total number of accessible spaces may be distributed among parking lots if greater accessibility is achieved. Parking at accessible housing has its own rule in 4.1.1(5)(d): where parking is provided for all residents, one accessible space is required for each accessible dwelling unit; where it is provided for only some residents, an accessible space is provided on request of the occupant of an accessible unit; and where visitor parking is provided, 2 percent of the spaces, or at least one, must be accessible.
Section 4.6.3 sets a standard accessible parking space at 96 inches wide minimum, with an adjacent access aisle at least 60 inches wide; two spaces may share one common aisle. For a space sized for a van, 4.6.3 does not widen the space itself. Its exception says that where accessible spaces for vans are provided, each should have an adjacent access aisle at least 96 inches wide, giving a side-lift van room to lower its lift; "should" makes that a recommendation, not a requirement. This is a real difference from the 2010 ADA Standards and TAS, both of which size a van parking space at 132 inches wide (or 96 inches wide with a 96-inch aisle) and require one van space for every six, or fraction of six, accessible spaces. UFAS has no equivalent fixed van ratio; spaces for side-lift vans are accessible spaces and count toward the table above (4.1.1(5)(c)). A plan built to the ADA or TAS van ratio clears UFAS here, but one built to only the UFAS count could fall short of the ADA or TAS van-space rule under HUD's 2014 election.
Section 4.6.5 requires an accessible loading zone's access aisle to be at least 60 inches wide and 20 feet long, with slopes not exceeding 1:50. Section 4.6.6 requires 114 inches of vertical clearance there and along its vehicle route, recommending the same at van spaces.
Section 4.7.1 requires a curb ramp wherever an accessible route crosses a curb. Section 4.7.2 ties curb ramp slope to the same 1:12 maximum given for ramps in Section 4.8.2, and caps the adjacent gutter or road slope at 1:20, so a user is not forced to cross a steep gutter pan past the ramp's bottom. Section 4.7.3 sets the minimum curb ramp width at 36 inches, excluding flared sides. Section 4.7.5 caps a flared side's slope at 1:10, tightening to 1:12 where the landing at the top is less than 48 inches deep. Section 4.7.10 requires the bottom of a diagonal curb ramp to have at least 48 inches of clear space, which must lie within the markings where the ramp serves a marked crossing.
Section 4.8.1 defines a ramp as any part of an accessible route with a running slope greater than 1:20. Section 4.8.2 caps a new-construction ramp's slope at 1:12 and its maximum rise per run at 30 inches; the least possible slope must be used, and existing sites facing real space constraints may use a steeper slope only under the space-limitation allowance of Table 2 (4.1.6), not as a routine design choice: slopes steeper than 1:12 but no steeper than 1:10 are limited to 6 inches of rise and a 5-foot run, slopes steeper than 1:10 but no steeper than 1:8 are limited to 3 inches of rise and a 2-foot run, and nothing steeper than 1:8 is allowed. Section 4.8.3 sets the minimum clear ramp width at 36 inches. Section 4.8.4 requires a level landing at the top and bottom of every run, at least as wide as the ramp and at least 60 inches long, with a 60-by-60-inch minimum landing where the route changes direction.
Section 4.8.5 requires handrails on both sides of any ramp run with a rise greater than 6 inches, or a horizontal projection greater than 72 inches, whichever triggers first; handrails are not required on curb ramps. The gripping surface must sit between 30 and 34 inches above the ramp surface, and where handrails are not continuous they must extend at least 12 inches beyond the top and bottom of the ramp segment. Section 4.8.6 caps ramp cross slope at 1:50, the same figure used for the accessible route generally. Section 4.8.7 requires ramps and landings with drop-offs to have curbs, walls, railings, or projecting surfaces that keep people from slipping off, and any curb must be at least 2 inches high.
Accessible route: 36 in. min width, 1:50 max cross slope, becomes a ramp above 1:20 running slope (4.3). Passing space: 60 by 60 in. every 200 ft where width is under 60 in. Parking count for employee or visitor lots: table from 1 space (1-25 total) to 9 spaces (401-500 total), then 2 percent (501-1,000), then 20 plus 1 per 100 over 1,000 (4.1.1(5)(a)). Parking space: 96 in. wide, 60 in. aisle; van aisle 96 in. wide recommended, space stays 96 in. (4.6.3). Loading zone: 60 in. aisle, 20 ft long, 114 in. vertical clearance (4.6.5, 4.6.6). Curb ramp: 36 in. min width, 1:12 max slope, 1:10 max flare (1:12 if landing under 48 in.) (4.7). Ramp: 1:12 max slope, 30 in. max rise per run, 36 in. min width, 60 in. min landing, handrails above 6 in. rise at 30-34 in. height, 2 in. min edge curb where there is a drop-off (4.8.7).
Why this matters for GCHS
The parking-to-entrance sequence is the first thing a GCHS site evaluation traces on any HUD-funded property: accessible-space count, whether the van aisle or space meets whichever standard applies, and whether the curb ramp and route hold to 1:12 and 36 inches throughout. Ramps built onto an existing home during rehab are where the 30-inch rise limit and 6-inch handrail trigger come up most; a short, steep ramp fit to a tight lot without a landing or handrails fails Section 4.8 even if it gets a wheelchair up the step.
1. What is the minimum clear width of an accessible route under Section 4.3, except at doors?
2. Where a route narrows to less than 60 inches wide, what passing-space provision applies?
3. At what running slope does a walking surface stop being a walking surface under Section 4.3 and become a ramp under Section 4.8?
4. What is the maximum cross slope allowed on an accessible route?
5. Under the UFAS parking table in 4.1.1(5)(a), how many accessible spaces does an employee or visitor lot with 90 total spaces require?
6. Above 1,000 total parking spaces, how is the required accessible-space count determined?
7. Under Section 4.6.3, what is the minimum width of a standard accessible parking space and its adjacent access aisle?
8. How does UFAS Section 4.6.3 handle a van-accessible space, and how does that differ from the 2010 ADA Standards and TAS approach?
9. Under Section 4.6.5, what are the minimum access aisle width and length for an accessible passenger loading zone?
10. What slope rule governs a curb ramp under Section 4.7.2?
11. Under Section 4.7.3 and 4.7.5, what is the minimum curb ramp width, and the maximum flare slope?
12. What is the maximum rise for a single ramp run before a level landing is required under Section 4.8.2?
13. At what rise, or what horizontal run length, does Section 4.8.5 require handrails on a ramp?
14. A GCHS-built ramp has a fully compliant 1:12 slope and 30-inch rise, but its landing at the top is only 40 inches long and its open side has a drop-off with no curb, wall, or rail. Is this ramp compliant with Section 4.8?