Protruding Object at Hotel Staircase
Photo of a Woman and Dog Walking Below a Staircase
Recently on a road trip through Florida I stayed at a hotel where the exterior stair cases violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for protruding objects. Please see the photo on the right.
In this photo the lady and her dog have descended down the stairs on the left, then turned to their left to walk toward the breezeway in the distance on the right. The lady is looking down to tend to her dog and does not see the descending stair system in front of her along her path of travel. If she had not looked up, she could have easily hit the concrete stair system with her head! A person who is visually impaired could also use this path of travel and injure themselves on the stair system.
Protruding objects are covered in 2010 ADA Standards 204 and 307.
2010 ADA Standard 204.1, [Protruding Objects] General, states, “Protruding objects on circulation paths shall comply with [standard] 307.”
2010 ADA Standard 307.2, [Protruding Objects] Protrusion Limits, states, “Objects with leading edges more than 27 inches (685 mm) and not more than 80 inches (2030 mm) above the finish floor or ground shall protrude 4 inches (100 mm) maximum horizontally into the circulation path. EXCEPTION: Handrails shall be permitted to protrude 4½ inches (115 mm) maximum.” The graphic below is representative of these Standards.
Protruding Objects Limits for ADA Compliance
Detectable Space Below a Stair System
Staircases should have a detectable object below the descending stairs to alert individuals of their installation. The graphic on the right is representative. The planter extends out to the point where the staircase is within 80 inches of the floor. The planter is detectable with a cane, allowing a disabled individual to know this is an area to avoid.
When a cane is used for detection and the element is in the detectable range, it gives a person sufficient time to detect the element with the cane before there is body contact. Elements located on circulation paths, including operable elements, must comply with requirements for protruding objects. For example, stair cases and their supporting structures cannot reduce the minimum required vertical clearance. Similarly, casement windows, when open, cannot encroach more than 4 inches (100 mm) into circulation paths above 27 inches (685 mm).
SUMMARY: Stair cases are common problems as protruding objects that violate the 80 inch rule for vertical clearance. Guardrails and planters are common solutions to this problem because they can provide a detectable object within the area below the stairs.
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