7.2 Grab Bars: Locations, Cross Sections, Spacing, Strength, and Assisted Toileting

7.2 Grab Bars: Locations, Cross Sections, Spacing, Strength, and Assisted Toileting

Grab bar questions on the ICC 21 exam are usually about exact dimensions. The 2017 edition of A117.1 changed the layout at water closets, so a candidate who learned the ADA or 2009 layout (rear bar 12 inches on one side of the centerline and 24 inches on the other, no vertical bar) will answer incorrectly.

Where Grab Bars Go at Water Closets (604.5)

Grab bars at water closets comply with Section 609 and are installed on the rear wall and on the side wall closest to the water closet.

Side-Wall Grab Bars (604.5.1)

The vertical bar gives ambulatory users a place to push up from a standing position. Section 609.7 allows the horizontal and vertical bars to be separate bars, one piece, or a combination.

Rear-Wall Grab Bar (604.5.2)

The fixed rear-wall grab bar is:

1. 36 in. minimum long;
2. Located 6 in. maximum from the side wall; and
3. Extending 42 in. minimum from the side wall.

Exceptions:

1. A 24 in. minimum bar centered on the water closet is permitted where wall space does not permit 36 in. because of a recessed fixture adjacent to the water closet.
2. Where the administrative authority requires flush valve controls in a location that conflicts with the rear grab bar, the bar may be split or shifted to the open side of the toilet area.

Exceptions to Installing Grab Bars (604.5)

• A single-occupant toilet room accessed only through a private office and not for common or public use may omit grab bars if walls are reinforced for later installation.
• Detention and correctional housing or holding cells specially designed without protrusions for suicide prevention.

Section 609 General Requirements

Spacing exceptions (609.3): shower controls, shower fittings and other grab bars above a grab bar may be 1 1/2 in. away; recessed dispensers projecting 1/4 in. maximum and complying with 604.7 may be within the 12-in. space above and the 1 1/2-in. spaces below and at the ends.

Note that grab bar noncircular limits (perimeter 4 to 4.8 in., 2 in. maximum dimension) differ from handrail noncircular limits (perimeter 4 to 6 1/4 in., 2 1/4 in. maximum).

Children's Grab Bars (609.4.2)

At water closets primarily for children's use, horizontal bars are 18 to 27 in. high, and the vertical bar's bottom is 21 to 30 in. above the floor with its centerline 34 to 36 in. from the rear wall.

Assisted Toileting (IBC 1110.2.2)

Where Section 1108 permits it in toilet rooms serving Accessible units (for example in hospitals and nursing homes), water closets designed for assisted toileting follow the IBC instead of the standard A117.1 layout:

Worked Example

In a new single-user toilet room, the water closet centerline is 17 inches from the side wall. The designer shows a 42-inch side bar starting 10 inches from the rear wall, a 36-inch rear bar starting 8 inches from the side wall, and no vertical bar.

• Side horizontal bar: 10 + 42 = 52 inches from the rear wall, short of the required 54 inches. Fail.
• Rear bar: must be 6 inches maximum from the side wall and extend at least 42 inches from it. Starting at 8 inches fails; 8 + 36 = 44 inches meets the extension, but the start point does not.
• Vertical bar: required in A117.1-2017. Fail.