California ADA Sign Requirements Explained

ADA Signage Law 101

An Overview of the Law: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Signed into law in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) infused a significant cultural shift in how disabilities are perceived and treated in American society. Prior to the ADA laws and regulations regarding the treatment of individuals with disabilities were minimal. Virtually all public spaces, such as restaurants, cinemas, museums, amusement parks, etc. were inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, and the lack of accessibility was only compounded by stigma, bias, and lack of awareness. In short, protections for people with disabilities were virtually nonexistent.
The ADA changed how citizens, private organizations, and local state and federal government entities treat individuals with disabilities. The ADA’s purpose was to assure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. To do this the ADA set forth five different sections that regulate a different area of public life, these sections are: (1) Title I: Employment; (2) Title II: State and Local Government; (3) Title III: Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities; (4) Title IV: Telecommunications; and (5) Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions . Taken together, these sections ensure that individuals with disabilities have a legal remedy when they are denied access to public spaces, provided with opportunities that do not allow them to flourish in employment, or are discriminated against in any of the public life areas of the ADA—Title I, Title II, Title III, and Title IV. The ADA, however, was only meant to provide a framework, it is up to local governments and agencies to fill in the details, and this is where signage laws come into play. California has a great number of laws that relate to ADA signage, including but not limited to California Code of Regulations Title 24, the California Disabled Persons Act, Health and Safety Code §19953 -19959, and the California Government Code §4450 – 4465, along with numerous state and local regulations. Assuring that your signage comply with state and local guidelines, as well as the ADA, is critical to your business. No one ever plans to be sued, but if an ADA inspection does occur, you can be assured that a sign inspection will be practical to every aspect of your business’s accessibility. Will you be ready?

Key Aspects of California Signage Requirements

In compliance with accessibility signage requirements, State of California Title 24 establishes specific requirements for the number and location of required signs in California. For instance, a minimum of one, 5" x 5" or 5" x 7" ADA compliant sign is required at each visitor entrance to a hotel, motel, or similar establishment. Signs must be printed with sans serif or block lettering in a font no smaller than 72-point in height and contrasting colors, with the color of the text contrasting with the color of the substrate. Tactile letters must have rounded corners at the top and bottom, be in upper case, and have a width-to-height proportion of no greater than 1:5; and be raised at least 1/32 inch above the finish floor areas on which they are mounted. The international symbol of accessibility should also be displayed on the sign in 5" x 9" high rectangles with rounded corners and a background/border color that offers a minimum contrast ratio of 90 percent between the symbol and the background color.

Signs Covered by the ADA

ADA signage encompasses a wide range of signs, ranging from restroom signs to directional and informational signs when it comes to buildings and facilities. Restroom signs are of particular importance, as they are required to have specific requirements according to their occupancy. The many types of signs that must comply with ADA consist of identification signs, directional signs, informational signs, and regulatory signs. Characteristic requirements for ADA signage include the use of a single non-raised character set, and the use of raised characters and pictorial characters that match. The use of features like upper-case characters is also restricted, while the use of colors that contrast is required as well.

Common Issues with ADA Compliance

Common compliance challenges include using the wrong color combination or materials; placing the sign too high or low; using characters, numbers, or pictorial symbols that are unreadable; and thinking at some point that "this is obvious and will not be an issue." Another frequent mistake is treating directional signage as a fixture. We have reviewed countless lease agreements providing for a fixed allowance for the cost to install signage. To be clear, ADA signage is not a fixture, instead it is removable and required by law and, therefore, not part of any tenant’s construction allowance. Not recognizing this distinction can be a big (and expensive) mistake for landlords and tenants alike.

Failure to Comply with Sign Requirements

The potential legal ramifications of offering non-compliant signage are serious. A California business risks costly litigation, government inspections and the levying of fines for failure to comply with ADA signage regulations. Fines for ADA violations in the state can amount to up to $200 for each offense, not including damages that could be ordered by a court. Allegations of ADA violations have led to class-action lawsuits against California businesses in the last decade. A few noteworthy examples explain the extent of the issue: Whether you own a private business or facility , rent office space or even sell merchandise over the Internet, your facility must comply with California ADA signage regulations. Going by the letter of the law is always the best choice for operations, but as an added benefit to compliance, you offer a more accessible, convenient experience for customers.

Ways to Get Into Compliance

Due to their critical role in wayfinding and accessibility, signs are the first point of contact with the California Code of Regulations Title 24. The ADA Signage Standards and the California Department of Justice are a little less clear on building signs because of the generic references to Title 24 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities signed by the U.S. in March 2009. The UN Convention is of no value since it is just a convention, not law, and the standards that are found in the UN Convention overlap with the US and Canadian Standards that are referenced in Title 24.
The "Best Practices" for being sure your signs comply and are the most effective are:

Use the profession created, and industry accepted, Standard Signs where available.
Apply those tough tests used by sight impaired persons to the signs you are providing to assure that they will function as intended.
Get professional help to correct your existing signs.
Never think it is too expensive or take too much of the owner’s time to correct code violations or best practice failures. You will pay many times over if you don’t correct the problems when you are made aware of them.

The best places to start are:

The California Division of the State Architect for the California Building Code (Chapter 11B).
The United States Access Board for the ADA Accessibility Guidelines.
The International Code Council for the ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Building and Facilities.

The next place to go is to experienced professionals. Not enough of the entire industry hear the warnings from the professionals every 20 or 30 years that are necessary to comply with the ever changing requirements from so many different sources. The result is that owners, building officials, code officers and inspectors are finding their signs and stating that "THEY DON’T COMPLY!" and that the "SIGNAGE DOES NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED!"
The last place to get help is from the sign manufacturer/distributor unless they are also the designer. Many are not and many do not thoroughly understand the requirements so you should always follow-up with the various agencies to assure the signs you are getting are correct.

Regulatory References for Further Information

Your architectural design professional or sign provider should also be knowledgeable about what is required and can assist you in determining the correct signs for a particular location. But here are a few places to look for additional information. The California Department of Justice, Division of the State Architect , Office of Accessibility is responsible for Title 24 and the California Building Code as it relates to signage. Their website has a list of what is covered and isn’t in the regulations. The ADA National Network also contains a comprehensive explanation of the ADA regulations. The California Office of Statewide Health and Planning Development has information on signage in health facilities on their website. Though these requirements are specific to health facilities, the website contains hyperlinks to other websites with more information. The International Code Council also has information on accessible signage and continues to update their information to reflect changes in the model codes. Most visitor information centers also will have information available.