UFAS 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.13, 4.26
This lesson covers the elements a GCHS crew touches on almost every accessibility modification job: the doors a homeowner rolls a wheelchair through, the stairs and handrails that get replaced with a ramp or a lift, and, for the multifamily and public-facility work GCHS occasionally evaluates, elevators and platform lifts. Every figure below comes from UFAS Section 4.9 (Stairs), 4.10 (Elevators), 4.11 (Platform Lifts), 4.13 (Doors), and 4.26 (Handrails, Grab Bars, and Tub and Shower Seats).
Section 4.13.2 requires that a revolving door or turnstile never be the only means of passage at an accessible entrance; there has to be another accessible door nearby. Section 4.13.5 sets the actual passage requirement: doorways must have a minimum clear opening of 32 inches (815 mm), measured with the door open 90 degrees, measured between the face of the door and the opposite stop. Section 4.13.8 caps threshold height at 3/4 inch (19 mm) for exterior sliding doors and 1/2 inch (13 mm) for other door types, and requires raised thresholds and floor level changes at accessible doorways to be beveled with a slope no greater than 1:2.
A door can have full 32-inch clear width and still be unusable if there is not enough floor space on each side to get a wheelchair or walker into position to open it. Section 4.13.6 requires minimum maneuvering clearances at doors that are not automatic or power-assisted, as shown in Figure 25, and the space needed changes with which side of the door a person is approaching from and whether they are pushing or pulling. On the pull side of a swinging door in a front approach, Figure 25 calls for 60 inches of clearance measured perpendicular to the doorway, plus 18 inches of clear wall space beyond the latch side of the door. On the push side of that same door in a front approach, with a closer and a latch present, Figure 25 calls for 48 inches perpendicular, plus 12 inches beyond the latch side. Hinge-side and latch-side approaches carry their own, different combinations of perpendicular and side clearance, all set out in the same figure. Section 4.13.7 adds a separate rule for two hinged or pivoted doors in series: at least 48 inches of clear space between them, plus the width of any door that swings into that space.
Section 4.13.9 requires that handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other operable parts have a shape that is easy to grasp with one hand and does not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist; a lever, push-type, or U-shaped handle satisfies this where a round knob does not. In dwelling units, only doors at accessible entrances to the unit itself must meet this hardware rule, and hardware required for accessible passage may not be mounted higher than 48 inches above the floor. Section 4.13.10 sets closer sweep timing: from an open position of 70 degrees, the door must take at least 3 seconds to move to a point 3 inches from the latch. Section 4.13.11 caps the force needed to push or pull a door open at 5 pounds-force (22.2 N) for interior hinged doors and for sliding or folding doors (the exterior hinged door limit is left reserved in UFAS); fire doors are held only to the minimum opening force allowed by the authority having jurisdiction, since fire-rated closers often need more force to self-close reliably. Section 4.13.12 requires that any automatic door comply with the applicable American National Standard for power-operated doors.
Section 4.9.2 sets stair tread depth at 11 inches (280 mm) minimum, measured riser to riser, and prohibits open risers on an accessible route, since an open riser is a trip and a cane-catch hazard. Section 4.9.3 caps the nosing radius at 1/2 inch (13 mm) and nosing projection at 1-1/2 inches (38 mm) maximum, and requires that risers be sloped, or that the underside of the nosing form an angle of not less than 60 degrees from horizontal, so a foot or a cane tip cannot catch under a projecting edge.
Section 4.9.4 requires continuous handrails on both sides of any accessible flight of stairs; on a switchback or dogleg stair, the inside handrail must remain continuous around the turn. The gripping surface must be mounted between 30 and 34 inches (760 and 865 mm) above the stair nosings, with 1-1/2 inches (38 mm) of clear space between the handrail and the wall behind it. Where the handrails are not continuous, they must extend at least 12 inches (305 mm) beyond the top riser, parallel with the floor, and at least 12 inches (305 mm) plus the width of one tread beyond the bottom riser. At the bottom, the handrail continues to slope for the width of one tread from the bottom riser, and the remainder of the extension is horizontal.
Where GCHS work touches a multifamily building's elevator, Section 4.10 governs it. Section 4.10.2 requires self-leveling within 1/2 inch (13 mm) of the floor landing under any loading condition. Section 4.10.3 sets hall call buttons at 42 inches (1065 mm) above the floor, centered, with each button at least 3/4 inch (19 mm) in its smallest dimension. Section 4.10.4 requires a visible and audible hall lantern at each hoistway entrance, with its signal element at least 2-1/2 inches (64 mm) in its smallest dimension and its centerline at least 72 inches (1830 mm) above the lobby floor. Section 4.10.5 requires raised floor designations on both jambs of each hoistway entrance, with 2-inch (50 mm) high characters whose centerline is 60 inches (1525 mm) above the floor. Section 4.10.6 requires a door reopening device that senses an obstruction at both 5 inches and 29 inches (125 mm and 735 mm) above the floor, and stays effective for at least 20 seconds. Sections 4.10.7 and 4.10.8 set the minimum notification and door-open timing: at least 5 seconds of notice before a hall-called car's doors begin to close, calculated from a formula based on distance to the farthest call button, and at least 3 seconds of open time in response to a car call. Car interior dimensions are set out in Figure 22 of the standard itself; a GCHS evaluator checks a specific car against that figure rather than relying on any single number restated secondhand.
Section 4.11 covers platform lifts. Section 4.1 is the section that decides when a platform lift is allowed in place of an elevator: as Section 4.1.2(5) frames it for new construction, an accessible ramp complying with 4.8 may be used, and a platform lift is permitted only if no other alternative is feasible. Where a platform lift is used, Section 4.11.2 requires it to also comply with Section 4.2.4 (clear floor space), Section 4.5 (floor surfaces), Section 4.27 (controls and operating mechanisms), and any applicable safety regulations of the authority having jurisdiction, and Section 4.11.3 says the lift should facilitate unassisted entry and exit. Section 4.3.8 lists a platform lift among the ways to handle a change in level greater than 1/2 inch on an accessible route. In alterations, Section 4.1.6(1)(b) requires a means of accessible vertical access, which may be a curb ramp, ramp, elevator, or platform lift, where power-driven vertical access equipment or new stairs needing major structural changes are added where none existed before. Section 4.10.1 also does not preclude residential or fully enclosed wheelchair lifts when appropriate and approved by the administrative authority. For a GCHS rehab, this usually comes up at a single awkward step or a short split-level change where a full ramp run will not fit; the platform lift has to be sized, controlled, and installed to those cross-referenced sections, not just bolted in place.
A single GCHS accessibility modification often touches several of these sections at once. Replacing an entry door for a wheelchair user means checking clear width, threshold height, opening force, and maneuvering clearance on both sides, not just swapping a wider slab into the existing frame. Adding a ramp to bypass a porch stair does not make the interior stairs part of an accessible route, because under 4.3.8 stairs are never part of one; any stair that 4.1 requires to be accessible must still meet 4.9. And where a homeowner's only path to a bedroom is a half-flight of stairs too short for a full ramp, a platform lift under 4.11, cross-referenced back to 4.2.4, 4.5, and 4.27, is often the practical fix, where the authority having jurisdiction approves it.
Doors (4.13): clear width 32 in. min. (4.13.5); threshold up to 3/4 in. for exterior sliding doors and 1/2 in. for other doors (4.13.8); opening force 5 lbf max. for interior hinged and sliding/folding doors (4.13.11); closer sweep at least 3 seconds from 70 degrees to 3 in. from latch (4.13.10); two doors in series 48 in. min. clear space plus door width (4.13.7). Maneuvering clearances, front approach (4.13.6, Fig. 25): pull side 60 in. perpendicular, 18 in. beyond latch; push side (closer and latch) 48 in. perpendicular, 12 in. beyond latch. Stairs (4.9): tread 11 in. min.; nosing radius 1/2 in. max., projection 1-1/2 in. max.; no open risers. Handrails (4.9.4): 30-34 in. above nosings; 1-1/2 in. wall clearance; if handrails are not continuous, top extension 12 in. min. parallel to the floor and bottom extension 12 in. plus one tread width, the first tread width sloped. Elevators (4.10): leveling within 1/2 in.; hall call buttons at 42 in.; hall lantern signal at least 72 in. centerline; raised floor designations 60 in. centerline, 2 in. characters; door reopening device senses at 5 in. and 29 in., active 20 seconds min. Platform lifts: in place of an elevator in new construction only if no other alternative is feasible (4.1.2(5)); must also meet 4.2.4, 4.5, and 4.27 (4.11.2).
Why this matters for GCHS
GCHS's modification work runs into every one of these sections on an ordinary job: widening a door for wheelchair clearance, replacing an interior stair with a ramp or a lift where a full ramp will not fit, and, on the multifamily projects GCHS occasionally evaluates, checking that an elevator actually meets 4.10 rather than assuming a modern elevator is automatically compliant. Getting the maneuvering clearance wrong on a door, or skipping the cross-referenced sections on a platform lift installation, is exactly the kind of gap a HUD monitoring review catches after the work is already done.
1. Under Section 4.13.5, what is the minimum clear width of a doorway on an accessible route?
2. Under Section 4.13.11, what is the maximum force allowed to push or pull open an interior hinged door?
3. On the pull side of a door in a front approach, what does Figure 25 under Section 4.13.6 require?
4. A GCHS crew is installing a new entry door for a homeowner who uses a wheelchair. The door swings out and the homeowner will be pushing it open from outside, and it has a closer and a latch. Under Figure 25, what clearance does the push side need at minimum?
5. What does Section 4.13.7 require for two hinged doors in series?
6. Under Section 4.9.2, what is the minimum tread depth on an accessible stair, and what is prohibited?
7. Under Section 4.9.3, what is the maximum nosing radius, and what angle must the underside of the nosing form if it is not sloped?
8. Under Section 4.9.4, at what height above the stair nosings must a handrail's gripping surface be mounted, and what wall clearance is required?
9. Where stair handrails are not continuous, how far must the handrail under Section 4.9.4 extend at the bottom of the flight?
10. Under Section 4.10.2, within what tolerance must an elevator self-level at a floor landing?
11. Under Section 4.10.6, at what two heights must an elevator's door reopening device sense an obstruction, and for how long must it remain effective?
12. Under Section 4.1.2(5), when is a platform lift permitted as a substitute for an elevator in new construction?
13. Under Section 4.11.2, what other UFAS sections must a platform lift also comply with?
14. A GCHS evaluator on a HUD-funded rehab finds an interior stair with a nosing projecting 2 inches past the riser face below, with no slope or angled underside. Does this comply with Section 4.9.3?