What are the maneuvering clearance differences between swinging and sliding doors for ADA compliance?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lists requirements for maintaining the space extending parallel and perpendicular to the door. Known as maneuvering clearances, these ADA door clearance requirements are necessary for those with mobility assistive devices to be able to safely operate a door.

The exact requirements for ADA door clearances depend on a door’s size and how it operates. Generally, traditional swing doors require more clearance space than commercial sliding doors.

ADA door clearances by the numbers

ADA door clearance requirements are determined by the direction of approach and the way a door opens.

Latch and hinge approach maneuvering clearances by door type

• Sliding doors require a minimum of 42 inches of clearance space perpendicular to a door, and 54 inches of clearance parallel to the door, extending from the latch side to at least 24 inches beyond the opening on one side, depending on approach.
• Swing doors require 48 – 60 inches of perpendicular space on their pull side and 42 – 48 inches on their push side. They also require between 22 and 36 inches of parallel clearance (extending beyond the opening), depending on approach.

Front approach maneuvering clearances by door type

• Sliding doors require 52 inches of perpendicular space on either side of the opening for new facilities and no parallel space beyond the latch.
• Swing doors require at least 60 inches of perpendicular clearance on the pull side and 48 inches on the push side. They also require between 12 and 18 inches of parallel space beyond the latch side.

With the reduced ADA door clearance requirements, sliding doors can ease challenges in designing and building accessible interiors, especially when space-use optimization is a project priority.

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Intermountain Healthcare, The Cottonwood Clinic: © 2016 Halkin Mason Photography LLC