# ADA Compliance in a private home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776 "2012-04-24T04:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/1 "2012-04-24T04:14:12Z")
Hello, I am renovating an apartment in NYC (Manhattan). The architect told me that all renovations need to bring everything up to code (which makes sense). However she now has said that the bathrooms all need to be ADA compliant - 5 foot turning radius, no step-up into the shower, grab bars by the toilet, etc. This doesn’t sound right to me. Does anyone have actual knowledge of the relevant rules? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/2 "2012-04-24T04:19:10Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > grab bars by the toilet That would be absolutely hideous. [The ADA: Questions and Answers](http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/adaqa3.html) > [@](#): > > Q. Does the ADA cover private apartments and private homes? > A. The ADA generally does not cover private residences. If, however, a place of public accommodation, such as a doctor’s office or day care center, is located in a private residence, those portions of the residence used for that purpose are subject to the ADA’s requirements. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/3 "2012-04-24T07:25:43Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > However she now has said that the bathrooms all need to be ADA compliant - 5 foot turning radius, no step-up into the shower, grab bars by the toilet, etc. Pretty much every NYC (mostly Manhattan) apartment bathroom I’ve been in, you could basically brush your teeth at the sink while sitting on the toilet. I remember a shower so tight that I couldn’t wash below my knees. I don’t remember any that you could fit a wheelchair in, or even crutches for that matter. Granted, my experiences are skewed towards apartments affordable to recent college grads… ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/4 "2012-04-24T11:19:08Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > That would be absolutely hideous. > > [The ADA: Questions and Answers](http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/adaqa3.html) Yes, but that’s at the federal level. Her point was that the new NYC code requires this. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/5 "2012-04-24T11:20:23Z")
> [@wheresmymind](#): > > Pretty much every NYC (mostly Manhattan) apartment bathroom I’ve been in, you could basically brush your teeth at the sink while sitting on the toilet. I remember a shower so tight that I couldn’t wash below my knees. I don’t remember any that you could fit a wheelchair in, or even crutches for that matter. Granted, my experiences are skewed towards apartments affordable to recent college grads… Heh yeah me too. But this was in regards to a new renovation - her point is that older stuff is older, but anything being redone needs to be “brought up to code”. It just sounds extremely impractical and hard to believe. I don’t know where to turn to find out the reality aside from trying to read the code itself which is thousands of dense, jargon-filled pages. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/6 "2012-04-24T12:31:29Z")
Ask her to point you to the code, or at least some page on the housing authority web site that backs up what she’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/7 "2012-04-24T12:38:52Z")
Some links that might help. They refer to local laws (LL58) that covers some residential renovations. > **[Accessibility Watch: Navigating New York's Building Code - Metropolis](https://metropolismag.com/programs/accessibility-watch-navigating-new-yorks-building-code/)** > > In our running series on accessibility issues in buildings and cities, we’ve looked at some ways that New York City in particular may fall short when it > **[Installing an ADA-Compliant Ramp](https://randpc.com/ask/architectural-design/installing-ada/)** > > An article detailing what goes into building wheelchair ramps that comply with the American with Disabilities Act. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/waiver/waiver.shtml](http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/waiver/waiver.shtml) > **[Pocketsense](https://pocketsense.com/managing-your-money/)** > > Pocket Sense is the ultimate guide to managing your money. It’s our goal to make it simple, with expert information on how to decode your taxes, keep track of spending and stay financially responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/8 "2012-04-24T16:18:58Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > However she now has said that the bathrooms all need to be ADA compliant - 5 foot turning radius, no step-up into the shower, grab bars by the toilet, etc. Perhaps her client requires these? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ada-compliance-in-a-private-home/619776/9 "2012-04-24T16:42:51Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Perhaps her client requires these? If you read the links above, Local Law 58 requires ADA compliance in major renovations in apartment buildings. But the devil is in the details, as well as the waiver process.