“Clear Floor Space” Guidelines for Accessible Bathrooms

A vital key for achieving an effective, functional, accessible bathroom is ample Clear Floor Space.

In order for a person using a walker or wheelchair to successfully approach and use all the bathroom amenities, sufficient Clear Floor Space must be present:

adjacent to each fixture/amenity
beside the door (“Door Clearance”)
in the center of the room (“Turning Space”)

Minimum Clear Floor Space parameters for making a space accessible for a standard manual wheelchair user, as well as for meeting the needs of persons who rely on larger mobility devices, such as electric wheelchairs, scooters, and reclining wheelchairs are presented in the tables and content that follows below.

But….”Hang Tight!” Before you jump down to the tables containing the minimum clear floor space guidelines below, it will be helpful for you know a few things upfront.

First and foremost, the Clear Floor Space dimensions that are identified in this guide should be viewed as being the “bare minimum” design standards required for making a bathroom wheelchair accessible. They should not be viewed as being “ideal” design standards for making a bathroom accessible. Pause for a moment here and imagine yourself attempting to parallel park your car in a very tight parking space. This is fundamentally what it’s like for a person using a wheelchair to try to maneuver around in a bathroom that meets bare minimum accessibility standards. Obviously nobody wants to be forced to go through an experience equivalent to parking a car in a tight parking space every time they need to use the toilet or take a shower! So, as a general rule of thumb, it is good to try to include more than the bare minimum Clear Floor Space, whenever it is possible to do so.

The layout & design specifications identified in this guide are intended to be used as rough, general guidelines. These guidelines will not be sufficient for meeting all individual’s needs. When modifying a privately owned home for an individual, it is important to always begin by measuring the size of the mobility device (occupied by the person), watching how the person maneuvers with it, and then creating the design plans to best fit the individual’s needs.

What if the architectural barriers present in a current living space do not permit meeting the minimum clear floor standards? If so, it does not mean you should immediately cast aside the remodeling project as a lost cause. Some individuals own smaller wheelchairs or are more adept at maneuvering their wheelchair in tight spaces, which may allow them to eek by with less than the bare minimum recommended specifications identified in the tables below. The ability for someone to make do with less space needs to be assessed and determined on a case-by-case basis.

What do the abbreviations ADA, ADAAG and ANSI stand for? The abbreviations “ADA” (Americans With Disabilities Act), “ADAAG” (Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines), and “ANSI” (American National Standards Institute) are used throughout this guide. The ADAAG building standards (often referred to as “ADA Standards” for short) and the ANSI building standards each prescribe minimum design standards for use in building places and spaces that are intended to be used by the general public in order to best ensure public places are accessible by all users, including persons with disabilities. In the United States, these minimum accessible design standards must legally be incorporated into design plans when building new places and spaces that are intended to be used by the general public. Of note, the ADA and ANSI guidelines prescribe design standards that address the needs of the users of basic, standard-sized wheelchairs. They do not specifically take into account other mobility devices, such as: reclining wheelchairs, motorized wheelchairs, and scooters.

Do you have to follow the ADA and ANSI design standards when adding accessibility features to a privately owned home? No. Normally they do not have to be followed when designing a new home or when redesigning a portion of an existing home. A few exceptions may exist, however, in cases where government funding is used for the home modifications. Even though it is not mandatory to follow the ADA and ANSI guidelines when adapting privately owned homes, these guidelines are still helpful to use as a reference when doing so. It is important to keep in mind though that the ADA and ANSI guidelines identify parameters required to make public spaces generally accessible for the vast [majority] of persons who use manual wheelchairs, but that they do not inherently work for everyone! When you are designing or adapting a home for an individual, it is important to adjust the designs when and where needed to create a space suitable for the specific individual who will be using it (within the allowable prescribed parameters of local building codes). An incorporation of, at a minimum, the “preferred specs” that are identified in the tables below will help to better ensure that your home will be inherently prepared to support the needs of yourself and all others who use the space both now and in the years ahead regardless of age, ability, or type of mobility aid used.

Clear Floor Space Adjacent to Fixtures

Most wheelchair users will require the following Clear Floor Space dimensions to be present adjacent to each fixture or amenity:

	Standard manual wheelchair	Electric wheelchair, scooter, reclining wheelchair
minimum dimensions (WxL)	30″ x 48″ (per ADA/ANSI)	34″ x 58″
preferred dimensions (WxL)	34″ x 58″ or more	36″ x 60″ or more

TABLE 1: Clear floor space dimensions Width (W) x Length (L) adjacent to bathroom fixtures (Note: these values also apply to door clearance, as explained below)

The following two illustrations show how clear floor space can be oriented so it will allow a wheelchair user to directly face the fixture (“forwards” approach, shown on the left) or sit sideways beside it (“parallel” approach, shown on right):

FIGURE 1: Clear floor space adjacent to bathroom fixtures for “Forward Approach” (left) and “Parallel Approach” (right). For dimensions (W x L), see Table 1 above.

The “best” orientation for the clear floor space will depend on the type of fixture, functional task performed in the space, the person’s skills, and the space allowances in the bathroom. For example,

For a sink, it is usually much more comfortable for a seated user to sit facing the sink with the feet positioned underneath. However, if space does not permit this, it is “possible” for a wheelchair user to park sideways beside a sink and use it. Keep in mind though that this will force a wheelchair user to always lean awkwardly sideways to perform all grooming and hygiene tasks at the sink.
For a cabinet or closet, it is usually better for a wheelchair user to have space to pull up sideways beside the shelves because they can reach further into the closet and can access higher storage shelves inside.
For a toilet, the best space for the clear floor space will depend on the type of transfer technique the user prefers. Many people need or prefer to transfer by parking their chair beside the toilet and sliding from the wheelchair seat sideways onto the toilet seat. Others need or prefer to pull up the front of the wheelchair to the front of the toilet from a specific angle (e.g., frontally or at a 90 degree angle), then perform a stand-pivot turn from the wheelchair seat to the toilet seat.

The key take-away here is that it’s important to understand the type of fixture the clear floor space is optimized for, as well as the needs of the user, prior to selecting how/where the clear floor space will be oriented adjacent to each fixture.

Door Clearance

Opening and closing a door is one of the more difficult mobility tasks a wheelchair user must perform. It often requires a significant amount of awkward maneuvering back and forth, especially if the space around the door is limited.

In the case that the bathroom is small, it is usually best to design it so the door opens outwards into the hallway – provided the door won’t create a hazard for the walking traffic in the hallway outside. If it is not possible to design the bathroom so the door swing outwards, make certain to provide sufficient floor space inside the bathroom so the person can open and close the door when their mobility aid is inside.

In the case of an inward-opening door, clear floor space must be present right next to – but outside of – the path of the door swing. This is shown here:

FIGURE 2: Clear Floor Space Required Beyond Door Swing. See Table 1 above for dimensions (W x L).

The specifications for the minimum clear floor space in terms of width and length (W x L) are the same as that for the floor space adjacent to bathroom fixtures. That is, at a bare minimum, plan W x L to be 30″ x 48″ for a standard manual wheelchair user (per ADA/ANSI), and 34″ x 58″ for the user of an electric wheelchair or scooter or reclining wheelchair. The preferred dimension for these two scenarios are 34″ x 58″ and 36″ x 60″, respectively. For an overview of these dimensions, refer to Table 1 (above).

Floor Space by Door Latch

In the case of an inward-opening door, adequate clear floor space must also be present by the wall beside the door handle (the door’s “latch-side”). This allows a person using a wheelchair with footrests attached to the front of it to park the wheelchair’s footrests angled off to the side of the door as necessary to be able to reach the door handle and door lock. The recommended minimum width of the floor space required beside the door will vary based on the person’s mobility skills, the type of mobility device the person uses, the approach pathway the user must take, and the room’s dimensions as per what follows:

Front Approach

The subsequent illustration sheds light on a scenario referred to as the “Front Approach”. In the Front Approach, the room is assumed to be “narrow” and “deep” as viewed from the door. In the illustration, the person is about the leave the room. To unlock and open the door, the person approaches the door frontally in the direction of the yellow arrow and eventually turns diagonally towards the wall marked “X”. Being able to park the wheelchair at an angle, makes it possible for a wheelchair user to reach the door lock and handle. Once the door is unlatched, the person retraces the incoming path in a backwards direction, while holding on to the door handle and thereby opening the door. (To close the door when arriving in the bathroom, the order of steps is reversed.)

FIGURE 3: Clear Floor Space By Door Latch for “Front Approach”. For dimensions X and Y of the required clear floor space, refer to the following table (Table 2).

In order for such a “narrow”-“deep” room to be accessible and to allow opening & closing of the door, the following minimum dimensions have to be met for the walls marked with “X” and “Y” – or more precisely, the minimum required width X of the wall next to the door latch and the minimum “depth” Y of clear floor space between the closed door and any obstructions:

	Standard manual wheelchair	Electric wheelchair, scooter, reclining wheelchair
minimum dimensions (X,Y)	Y ≥ 60”, X ≥ 18”, (ADA/ANSI)	Y ≥ 70”, X ≥ 24”
preferred dimensions (X,Y)	Y ≥ 70”, X ≥ 24”	Y ≥ 70” X ≥ 30”

TABLE 2: Clear floor space by door latch for Front Approach.

Hinge-Side Approach

The subsequent illustration is for what is called the “Hinge-Side Approach”. As seen from the door, the bathroom is “wide” and “shallow”. In this scenario, the user will approach the door following the yellow arrow. In contrast to what was possible in the “deep” bathroom layout (“Front Approach”), the user will find it difficult or impossible here to back the wheelchair up and out of the path of the door swing while pulling the door open. Therefore, in the Hinge-Side Approach, there must be adequate floor space to park the entire wheelchair beside the door handle (by wall marked “X”), out of the path of the door swing:

FIGURE 4: Clear Floor Space By Door Latch for “Hinge-Side Approach”. For dimensions X and Y of the required clear floor space, refer to the following table (Table 3).

Even when wall X adjacent to the door fits the entire width of the wheelchair, the depth of the room Y must nevertheless have a certain minimum dimension, too. The following Table gives an overview of required dimensions X and Y for the Hinge-Side Approach:

	Standard manual wheelchair	Electric wheelchair, scooter, reclining wheelchair
minimum dimensions (X,Y)	Y ≥ 54”, X ≥ 42” (based on ADA/ANSI)	Y ≥ 64”, X ≥ 48”
preferred dimensions (X,Y)	Y ≥ 70”, X ≥ 42”	Y ≥ 80”, X ≥ 48”

TABLE 3: Clear floor space by door latch for Hinge-Side Approach.

Turning Space

The Turning Space refers to an important area that should typically be located close to the center of the bathroom and that allows users to turn around. This space makes it possible for a person to both enter into the bathroom and exit the bathroom in a forward-moving direction and to move easily between various bathroom fixtures. The “minimum” turning space a user requires will vary based on the size of their mobility device as well as on their coordination and maneuvering skills. In general, there are two alternative design approaches for providing Turning Space:

Either, include enough space to accommodate a 360-degree Turning Circle (the easiest means of turning around).
Or, if there is not enough room for a circular space, provide a T-shaped Turning Space.

360-Degree Turning Circle

For the 360-Degree Turning Circle, refer to the following illustration and table for the minimum recommended diameters that will allow most persons using a wheeled mobility device to turn around 360 degrees:

FIGURE 5: 360-Degree Turning Space (or “Turning Circle”). Only minimum diameters for standard manual wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs are shown; see the following Table for a complete overview.

	Standard manual wheelchair	Electric wheelchair, scooter, reclining wheelchair
minimum diameter	60″ (per ADAAG/ANSI)	94″
preferred diameter	≥ 70″	> 94″

TABLE 4: Sizes of 360-Degree Turning Circle

T-shaped Turning Space

If a full Turning Circle cannot be accommodated in the available space, a T-shaped Turning Space might still offer a viable solution. As illustrated in the following diagram, the T-shaped turning approach allows a person to travel along the base of the T (Step 1), turn with their wheelchair into one of the arms (Step 2), then reverse into the other arm (Step 3), turn and travel back down the base of the T facing the opposite direction (Step 4):

FIGURE 6: U-Turn in 4 Steps using T-shaped Turning Space.

For the minimum sizes of the T (“base” and “arms”) that work well for most wheelchair users, please refer to the following illustration and Table:

FIGURE 7: T-shaped Turning Space. Dimensions in black are minimums for manual wheelchairs, dimensions in gray are minimums for electric wheelchairs, scooters, and reclining wheelchairs. See Table 5 for more details.

	Standard manual wheelchair	Electric wheelchair, scooter, reclining wheelchair
minimum dimensions	The T-shaped space should reside within a 60″ square minimum with arms and base 36″ wide (ADA/ANSI)	The T-shaped space should reside within a 94″ square minimum with arms and base minimum 40″ wide.
preferred dimensions	Implement the T-shaped space minimums specified for the electric wheelchairs.	Overshoot the minimum measures by a few inches if/where possible

TABLE 5: Minimum and preferred dimensions of a T-shaped Turning Space.

If you’re designing a new bathroom from scratch, make sure to include sufficient space to allow a full 360 degree turn, ideally by providing a circular turning space. If you’re remodeling an existing small bathroom, it may be challenging or even impossible to include enough clear floor space for allowing a person to turn around inside the bathroom with their walker or wheelchair. In this case, at the very least try to incorporate as much floor space as possible by using the section “Tips and Tricks to Increase Clear Floor Space” found below.

FIGURE 8: Overlapping Floor Space in an Accessible Bathroom.

The following overlaps are ok:

The Clear Floor Space that’s required adjacent to each bathroom fixture (e.g. 30” x 48”) can overlap with one another. In the illustration, the floor space rectangles assigned to the toilet and sink, each subtly indicated with partial blue shading, overlap with each other.

The 360 Degree Turning Circle (gray disc in the illustration) or T-shaped Turning Space (not shown here) may overlap with the door swing (red-shaded quarter-circle).

The Clear Floor Space by the door (yellow-shaded rectangle) may overlap with the Clear Floor Spaces by the fixtures and/or the Turning Space.

A toilet and sink may also overlap the Turning Space if there is adequate space for the wheelchair user’s footrests and/or knees to pass underneath – e.g., owing to a wall-hung sink or wall-hung toilet. In the illustration, the Turning Circle is slightly overlapping with the front tip of the toilet, assuming some free space under a suitable toilet type.

However, under no circumstances should the Clear Floor Space by the door (yellow shaded rectangle) overlap with the (red-shaded) door swing. As explained above, that would prevent the bathroom user from closing and opening the door and from parking the mobility aid inside the room.

Tips & Tricks to Increase Floor Space

Following are examples of techniques that can be used to effectively increase the usable clear floor space in the bathroom:

Wall-Hung Sink: Installing a wall-hung sink can increase clear floor space for a wheelchair user by up to 25-30 inches. A wheelchair user’s legs and the wheelchair’s leg rests can pass underneath the sink, allowing them to benefit from the open floor space below the sink when turning around inside the bathroom.
Wall-Mounted Toilet: Selecting a wall-hung toilet model with the tank portion stored inside the bathroom wall can increase usable floor space for a walker or wheelchair user by approximately 10-12 inches, depending on the toilet model. A wall-mounted toilet can also allow a wheelchair’s footrests to pass underneath the bowl, thereby increasing usable clear floor space for a wheelchair user by approximately another 6 inches. Be aware that some wheelchairs have elevated leg rests, so not all wheelchair users will be able to benefit from the extra space available “underneath” the toilet.
Toe Kick: Install the vanity and cupboards with a toe kick that’s a minimum of 9” above the floor and 6″ deep. This can increase clear floor space for a wheelchair user by as much as 6” by making it possible for the footrests to pass underneath the cabinets. Be aware that wheelchair users who have elevated leg rests will not be able to benefit from the extra space available “underneath” the cabinet.
Curbless Shower: If a curbless (zero threshold) shower is provided, the shower floor can be exploited as “turning space” by a person using a walker, rollator, or wheelchair, making it easier to move and turn around inside the bathroom.
Reverse Door Swing: Reversing the bathroom door so it swings out into the hallway, or installing a pocket door, can increase clear floor space inside the bathroom for a person using a mobility aid by as much as 26-36 inches depending on the bathroom door’s width.
Automatic Door Opener: If you are truly pressed for space, installing an electric door opener can be a potential substitute for providing the 18” (or more) of clear floor space adjacent to the door handle that a wheelchair user requires to be able to reach the door handle and lock. “If” space allows, however, it is always best practice to include clear floor space beside the door handle, so the door can be opened manually in the event the automatic door opener fails.
Partially merge Bathroom and Bedroom with Double Doors In-between: If the bathroom is positioned beside a bedroom, open up the wall between the bedroom and bathroom and add double doors. This way, a person using a walker or wheelchair can move and turn around more easily and freely, making use of the floor space in both rooms. (See example below.)

FIGURE 9: By opening up the walls between bathroom and adjacent bedroom and installing double doors, the usable clear floor space of a small bathroom can be substantially increased. (This illustration is an example only. Many variations are possible.).

Building New: If building a new home, combine two rooms into one room to open up more clear floor space in the design plans for including a larger bathroom. Here is an illustration of a bathroom that includes a washer and dryer, freeing up precious space for creating a more spacious bathroom that would otherwise have to be reserved for a separate laundry area:

FIGURE 10: Combining bathroom and laundry room to gain precious clear floor space.

What are the consequences of insufficient clear floor space?

The most common “side effects” of insufficient bathroom Clear Floor Space are as follows:

Person Must Exit Backwards! If a person can enter the bathroom using a walker or wheelchair, but can not turn around when inside, then they’ll be forced to exit the bathroom moving backwards. It is neither easy (nor safe) for a person using a walker to walk backwards out of a room, nor is it easy for a person using a wheelchair to try to open and close a bathroom door when it’s positioned behind them.
No Privacy! If there isn’t enough clear floor space to allow the bathroom door to swing closed while the walker or wheelchair is positioned inside, then the person will be forced to use the toilet, bathtub, or shower with the bathroom door wide open.
Can’t Use the Bathroom at All! If the clear floor space present between the bathroom fixtures and/or bathroom walls is too narrow, a person using a walker or wheelchair won’t be able to pass through. Hence, they would be blocked from accessing the toilet, sink, or shower…and consequently relegated to using a portable-style bedside potty (that they have to ask someone else to empty) and to taking sponge baths at the kitchen sink.

Obviously none of the above scenarios is ideal, so the more clear floor space you include in the design plans the better. It is always preferable to overshoot in providing floor space – than undershoot … and end up being unable to use the bathroom altogether!

Do design standards exist for constructing a space for someone who uses a walker?

The short answer is no. There are no state or federal guidelines outlined for making a space accessible for a person using a walker. If you are designing a space to be used by yourself or someone else who relies on a walker it is helpful to be aware that walkers do not protect a person when they are walking backwards, therefore at a minimum, a good design plan for someone who uses a walker should include enough clear floor space for a walker user to enter the bathroom, approach all bathroom fixtures, turn around, and exit the bathroom walking forwards.

The ADA clear floor space standards for manual wheelchair users is generally a good baseline design standard to use for a walker user too because by default, a space that is designed to accommodate the use of a standard manual wheelchair will also readily accommodate the use of most walkers, both standard walker models and 4-wheel walkers (aka rollators). If you are engaged in designing a bathroom for a person who relies on a walker right now it is ideal, space permitting, to try to incorporate, at a minimum, the “preferred specs” identified in the tables above to help make the space more inherently and readily prepared to meet all future needs.

To get inspired and discover more about Accessible Bathrooms, follow these links: