11.3 Type B Units (A117.1 Section 1104)
Key Takeaways
Type B units use 30 x 48-inch clear floor spaces, and their primary entrance door complies with Section 404 with a 48-inch front push-side clearance.
User passage doorways inside a Type B unit need 31 3/4 inches of clear width, and impervious exterior decks may be up to 4 inches below the interior floor.
Operable parts such as switches, outlets and thermostats comply with 309.3 reach ranges, with exceptions including outlets over kitchen and bath counters 36 inches high and 25 1/2 inches deep.
Either every bathroom meets Option A, or one bathroom meets Option B (one of each fixture type, a 34-inch lavatory and a 48-inch tub clearance).
The Type B water closet clearance is 48 inches wide by 56 inches deep (66 inches with a forward approach), with a vanity up to 24 inches deep allowed in it if 33 inches of width remains.
11.3 Type B Units (A117.1 Section 1104)
Type B units are the most numerous accessible units in construction because IBC 1108 makes every unit intended as a residence a Type B unit in most I and R structures with four or more units. A117.1 Section 102.1 states that the Type B criteria are intended to be consistent with the HUD Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines. They provide basic usability rather than full accessibility.
Unit-Wide Rules
| Item | Section | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Clear floor space | 1104.1.1 | 30 x 48 in. (not the 30 x 52 new-building size) |
| Mailboxes | 1104.1.2 | Side reach up to 54 in. permitted |
| Primary entrance | 1104.2 | On an accessible route; not into a bedroom unless the only entrance |
| Accessible route | 1104.3.1 | Connects all spaces; not required to unfinished attics and basements, or to one of: a raised or sunken area in part of a living, dining or sleeping room, or a mezzanine without plumbing fixtures or enclosed habitable space |
| Route width | 1104.4.1 | Per 403.5, with the existing-building style exceptions: 32 in. reductions for 24 in. separated by 48 in. segments; 42/48/42 or 36/60/36 at 180-degree turns around objects under 48 in.; 36 in. at 90-degree turns; passing spaces with 48 in. T extensions |
| Changes in level | 1104.4.2 | Per 303; impervious exterior decks, patios and balconies may be 4 in. maximum below the interior floor |
Doors (1104.5)
Primary entrance door (1104.5.1): complies with 404, except storm and screen doors are exempt from 404.2.5, and the front push-side, sliding door front and doorway-without-door front clearances may be 48 in. instead of 52 in.
User passage doorways (1104.5.2) within the unit:
- Clear opening 31 3/4 in. minimum, measured from the face of the door to the stop with the door open 90 degrees.
- Double-leaf doorways: where the inactive leaf's hardware is above 48 in. or below 15 in., the active leaf alone provides the clear width.
- Thresholds per 303; exterior sliding door thresholds up to 3/4 in. with a 1:2 bevel.
- Shower door assemblies are exempt.
- No maneuvering clearances are required at interior doors in Type B units, which is why bathrooms rely on the door swing rule in 1104.11.2.1 instead.
Elevators, Lifts and Operable Parts
- Private residence elevators in a Type B unit may have a car 36 x 48 in.; platform lifts with single or opposite doors may be 36 x 48 in.
- Operable parts (1104.9): lighting controls, switches, receptacle outlets, environmental controls, panelboards and security or intercom controls comply with 309.3 (within a reach range) and have a 30 x 48 in. clear floor space. They need not meet 309.4 (one hand, 5 lbf). Exceptions include dedicated-use and floor receptacles, HVAC diffusers, ceiling fan controls, controls on appliances, plumbing fixture controls, reset buttons and shut-offs, redundant controls, and kitchen and bathroom controls over counters 36 in. maximum high and 25 1/2 in. maximum deep.
Laundry (1104.10)
A clear floor space at each washer and dryer: a parallel approach at top loaders; a forward or parallel approach at front loaders.
Toilet and Bathing Facilities (1104.11)
Reinforcement (1104.11.1)
Reinforcement for future grab bars and shower seats at water closets, bathtubs and showers where walls permit. Exceptions: a powder room that is not the only toilet on the accessible level; no reinforcement for the side-wall vertical grab bar; a 24-in. rear bar centered on the water closet where wall space is short; a 24-in. side bar 12 in. maximum from the rear wall where a 42-in. side bar will not fit; reinforcement for one or two swing-up grab bars as alternatives; and no shower seat reinforcement in showers larger than 36 x 36 in. Swing-up reinforcement (1104.11.1.1) requires 18 in. from the water closet centerline to any side wall or obstruction, a bar centered 15 3/4 in. from the centerline, 28 in. minimum long and 33 to 36 in. high when down.
Door Swing and Knee Space (1104.11.2)
Doors may not swing into the clear floor space or clearance of any fixture unless a clear floor space, excluding knee and toe space, is provided beyond the swing. Fixture clear floor spaces may include knee and toe clearance.
Option A or Option B (1104.11.3)
Either all toilet and bathing areas comply with Option A, or one complies with Option B.
| Fixture | Option A (1104.11.3.1, every bathroom) | Option B (1104.11.3.2, one bathroom) |
|---|---|---|
| Lavatory | Parallel approach centered on the lavatory, or a 606.3/606.4 forward-approach lavatory (removable cabinetry allowed) | Same, and the rim or counter 34 in. maximum |
| Water closet | Centerline 16 to 18 in. from one side of the clearance; clearance 48 in. wide x 56 in. deep (66 in. deep with a forward approach); a vanity up to 24 in. deep may overlap if 33 in. of clearance width remains | Same as Option A |
| Bathtub | Parallel approach: clearance 60 x 30 in. (lavatory permitted in it, or 48 x 30 with a lavatory at the tub end); forward approach: 60 x 48 in. (water closet and lavatory permitted at one end) | Clearance 48 in. long from the control end x 30 in. wide |
| Shower (as the only bathing fixture) | 36 x 36 in. with a 48 x 30 in. clearance (or a 30 x 44 in. compartment); removable shower door assemblies permitted | Same as Option A |
Option A permits only one lavatory in a multi-lavatory bathroom to comply, and exempts a powder room that is not the only toilet on the accessible level.
Kitchens (1104.12)
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Clearance | 40 in. between opposing elements; 60 in. in U-shaped kitchens (unless an island provides 40 in.) |
| Sink | Parallel approach clear floor space centered on the sink bowl (a 1103 forward approach is permitted) |
| Dishwasher | Parallel or forward approach; the open door does not block the clear floor space |
| Cooktop | Parallel (centered) or forward (knee and toe clearance, protected underside) |
| Oven | Parallel or forward approach adjacent to the oven, not blocked by the open door |
| Refrigerator/freezer | Parallel approach offset 24 in. maximum, or forward approach offset 15 in. maximum, from the appliance centerline |
| Trash compactor | Parallel or forward approach |
Type B kitchens have no required work surface and no 54-inch freezer rule.
What clear opening width do user passage doorways within a Type B unit require under ICC A117.1 Section 1104.5.2.1?
32 inches
31 3/4 inches
34 inches
30 inches
A Type B unit uses Option A. The water closet is approached from the front. What clearance does ICC A117.1 Section 1104.11.3.1.2.2 require?
48 inches wide by 66 inches deep
60 inches wide by 56 inches deep
48 inches wide by 56 inches deep
33 inches wide by 48 inches deep
A Type B unit has two full bathrooms. The designer makes only one bathroom fully compliant, with a 34-inch-high lavatory and a 48 by 30 inch clearance at the control end of the tub. Which option is this?
Option A, which requires only one compliant bathroom
Neither option, because both bathrooms must always comply
Option B, which requires one bathroom with one of each fixture type to comply
The Type A bathroom option
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.