Measure the room and say what goes in it. You get whether it holds a wheelchair-accessible toilet, sink and tub or shower by the 2010 ADA Standards, what sets its size, and the smallest room that does.
Your accessible bathroom
Room for an ADA toilet and sinkthe fixtures on the 96″ wall (85″ needed) · 68″ deep needed, set by the door’s 48″ push-side clearance · the smallest room: 85 × 73⅛″
Quick answer: the ADA Standards set clearances, not a room size: a 60″ turning circle, the toilet’s centerline 16–18″ from the side wall with 60 × 56″ clear around it, 30 × 48″ of floor at the sink and a 32″ clear door. With the fixtures in a row, the door swinging out and a 20″ sink, a toilet and sink need a room about 85 × 73⅛″, with a roll-in shower or a tub 145 × 69⅜″; a door swinging in makes it 92″ deep.
How to use the ADA bathroom calculator
- Measure the room: both walls. The calculator tries the fixtures on either one.
- Pick the tub or shower: none, a roll-in shower, a transfer shower or a bathtub.
- Measure the sink: its width and how far it stands out from the wall.
- Say which way the door swings. You get whether the room holds it, what sets its depth, and the smallest room that does.
The rules behind the numbers
The room: the Access Board’s own example
“The Standards do not directly specify the size of toilet rooms” (the U.S. Access Board’s guide to its Chapter 6). The calculator lays the room out as the guide’s example does: the toilet in a corner, the sink beside its clearance, then the tub or shower, and the door on the wall opposite the sink. “The plumbing wall is typically determined by the width of the water closet clearance, the lavatory fixture width, plus any additional lavatory clearance beyond the fixture.”
The toilet
Its centerline 16–18″ from the side wall (§604.2), and a clearance “60 inches (1525 mm) minimum measured perpendicular from the side wall and 56 inches (1420 mm) minimum measured perpendicular from the rear wall” (§604.3.1). No other fixture may stand in it, but the sink’s floor space and the turning space may overlap it. The seat is 17–19″ high (§604.4).
The sink
A clear floor space 30 × 48″ (§305.3) “positioned for a forward approach”, with knee and toe clearance under the sink (§606.2): knee space 27″ high and 30″ wide, toe space “25 inches (635 mm) maximum under an element” (§306). The rim or counter is 34″ high at most (§606.3).
The tub or shower
A tub: “Clearance in front of bathtubs shall extend the length of the bathtub and shall be 30 inches (760 mm) wide minimum” (§607.2). A roll-in shower: 30 × 60″ inside with a 60″ open face and a 30 × 60″ clearance along it (§608.2.2). A transfer shower: 36 × 36″ inside with a clearance 36″ wide by 48″ long (§608.2.1).
Turning space and the door
“A space of 60 inches (1525 mm) diameter minimum”, or a T in a 60″ square, and it “shall be permitted to include knee and toe clearance” (§304.3). “Doors shall not swing into the clear floor space or clearance required for any fixture” (§603.2.3), except in a single-user room with a 30 × 48″ space beyond the door’s swing. A door gives 32″ clear (§404.2.3), and inside, the push side of a door swinging out needs 48″ clear in front of it (Table 404.2.4.1).
ADA bathroom requirements at a glance
| What | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Turning space | 60″ circle, or a T in a 60″ square | §304.3 |
| Door | 32″ clear opening | §404.2.3 |
| Toilet centerline | 16–18″ from the side wall | §604.2 |
| Toilet clearance | 60″ from the side wall × 56″ from the rear wall | §604.3.1 |
| Toilet seat | 17–19″ high | §604.4 |
| Sink floor space | 30 × 48″, forward approach | §305.3, §606.2 |
| Sink height | rim 34″ at most | §606.3 |
| Knee / toe space | 27″ / 9″ high, 30″ wide, toe space 25″ deep at most | §306 |
| Mirror over the sink | bottom edge 40″ at most | §603.3 |
| Bathtub clearance | 30″ wide, the tub’s length | §607.2 |
| Roll-in shower | 30 × 60″ inside, 30 × 60″ clearance | §608.2.2 |
| Transfer shower | 36 × 36″ inside, 36 × 48″ clearance | §608.2.1 |
Grab bar and accessory heights are in the bathroom accessory height calculator‘s ADA mode.
The smallest room for each
A 20″ sink standing 20″ out from the wall, the fixtures in one row:
| Fixtures | Door swings out | Door swings in |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet and sink | 85 × 73⅛″ | 85 × 92″ |
| + roll-in shower | 145 × 69⅜″ | 145 × 92″ |
| + bathtub | 145 × 69⅜″ | 145 × 92″ |
| + transfer shower | 121 × 72″ | 121 × 92″ |
At the shortest wall the turning circle sets the depth; 2″ more wall (87″ for a toilet and sink) lets it sit beside the toilet, and the room needs only 68″.
Four worked examples
An 8 × 7 ft room. Room for an ADA toilet and sink: the fixtures on the 96″ wall (85″ needed), and 68″ of depth for the door’s 48″ push-side clearance past the sink.
An 8 × 8 ft room, the door swinging in. It fits: the door’s swing sets the depth at 92″, the toilet’s 56″ plus a 36″ door.
A 12 × 6 ft room with a roll-in shower. 1″ short of the 145″ wall; an 18″ sink makes it fit.
A 10½ × 6½ ft room with a transfer shower. It fits: the shower’s 36″ and its 36″ clearance set the depth at 72″.
Common ADA bathroom mistakes
- Taking the toilet’s 60 × 56″ for the room. It is the toilet’s clearance; the room also holds the sink, the turning space and the door.
- A sink inside the toilet’s clearance. Only in a home, with the clearance 66″ deep (§604.3.2).
- A door swinging over the toilet’s clearance. Swing it out, or leave a 30 × 48″ space beyond its swing.
- A vanity with doors under the sink. The knee and toe space has to be open (cabinetry that can be removed is allowed in a home).
- A 30″ door. The opening must be 32″ clear with the door open 90°.
In a home, these are the measured benchmark for a wheelchair user; “in residential dwelling units required to be mobility accessible, at least one bathroom must comply” (the Access Board’s guide). The bathroom layout planner lays out a standard bathroom, and the free 2D planner draws the room to scale.
Grab bar and mirror heightsRead next
ADA bathroom questions
What are the ADA bathroom requirements?
A 60″ turning space, a 32″ clear door that does not swing over a fixture’s clearance, the toilet’s centerline 16–18″ from the side wall with 60 × 56″ clear around it and a 17–19″ seat, 30 × 48″ of floor at a sink no higher than 34″ with open knee and toe space, and the grab bars (§604.5, §609).
What are ADA bathroom dimensions?
The Standards set no room size. With the toilet, a 20″ sink and the door swinging out, the room is about 85 × 73⅛″ (or 87 × 68″); with a roll-in shower or a tub, 145 × 69⅜″; with a transfer shower, 121 × 72″. A door swinging in makes each 92″ deep.
What is the ADA toilet clearance?
60″ measured from the side wall and 56″ from the rear wall (§604.3.1), with the toilet’s centerline 16–18″ from the side wall. No other fixture may stand in it; in a home a sink may, if the clearance is 66″ deep.
How big is an ADA roll-in shower?
30″ wide and 60″ deep inside, with a 60″ open face and a 30 × 60″ clearance along it (§608.2.2). A transfer shower is 36 × 36″ with a 36 × 48″ clearance.
How wide does an ADA bathroom door have to be?
32″ clear, measured between the door’s face and the stop with the door open 90° (§404.2.3). The door itself is wider than its clear opening.
What is the ADA turning radius in a bathroom?
A 60″-diameter circle, or a T-shaped space in a 60″ square with 36″-wide arms (§304.3). The sink’s knee and toe space may be part of it, and the door may swing into it.