Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
Section 1132A
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2019 edition · updated 2026-09-12 · California
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
1132A.1 Primary entry doors and required exit doors.¶
The width and height of primary entry doors and all required exit doors shall comply with Section 1126A.1. The requirements of Sections 1126A.3 shall apply to maneuvering clearances at the side of the door exposed to common or public use spaces (e.g., entry or exit doors which open from the covered multi- family dwelling unit into a corridor, hallway or lobby, or directly to the outside).
1132A.2 Interior doors and secondary exterior doors.¶
Except as allowed by Section 1109A.2, interior doors intended for user passage and secondary exterior doors shall comply with this section. The provisions of this section shall apply to the dwelling unit side of doors leading from the inte- rior of the dwelling unit to an unfinished basement or an attached garage.
1132A.3 Width and height of interior doors and secondary exterior doors.¶
exterior doors. Doors shall comply with the following:
1. Doors shall not be less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) in height.
2. Swinging doors shall provide a net clear opening width of not less than 32 inches (813 mm), measured with the door or doors positioned at an angle of 90 degrees from the closed position.
3. Swinging doors shall be capable of opening at least 90 degrees.
4. A nominal 32-inch (813 mm) clear opening provided by a standard 6-foot wide (1829 mm) sliding patio door assembly is acceptable.
5. A pair of doors, manual or automatic, must have at least one leaf which provides a clear width of not less than 32 inches (813 mm), measured with the door positioned at an angle of 90 degrees from its closed position.
6. The width of any component in the means of egress sys- tem shall not be less than the minimum width required by Section 1005.
1132A.4 Level floor or landing.¶
See also Chapter 10. The floor or landing on each side of a door shall be level. Pri- mary entry doors, required exit doors or secondary exterior doors with changes in height between the interior surface or floor level and the exterior surface or floor level shall comply with the following:
1. Exterior landings of impervious construction (e.g., concrete, brick, flagstone) serving primary entry doors and required exit doors are limited to not more than 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm) of change in height between floor surfaces. Changes in level shall comply with Section 1131A.
2. Exterior landings of pervious construction (e.g., wood decking with spaces) shall be the same level as the inte- rior landing, except that secondary exterior doors may have no more than 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm) of change in height between floor surfaces. Changes in level shall comply with Section 1131A.
454 2019 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE
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3. Secondary exterior doors onto decks, patios or balcony surfaces constructed of impervious materials (e.g., con- crete, brick, flagstone) may have a maximum change in height from the interior landing of 4 inches (101.6 mm). Changes in height greater than 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm) shall be accomplished by means of a ramp complying with Section 1114A or by means of a platform constructed to the level of the floor as illustrated in Figure 11A-8J.
4. Secondary exterior doors onto decks, patios or balcony surfaces constructed of impervious materials (e.g., con- crete, brick, flagstone) may have a maximum change in height from the interior landing of 1 inch (25.4 mm), provided a ramp with a maximum slope of 1:8 is per- manently installed. (See Figure 11A-8K.)
5. In buildings containing covered multifamily dwelling units, the floor or landing immediately outside the entry may be sloped up to 1 /4 inch (6.35 mm) per foot (12 inches) (305 mm), in a direction away from the primary entrance of the dwelling unit for drainage.
1132A.4.1 Thresholds. Thresholds at the primary entry and required exit doors shall be no higher than 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm). Thresholds at secondary exterior doors, including slid- ing door tracks, shall be no higher than 3 /4 inch (19.05 mm). Changes in height at interior door thresholds (e.g., floor material changes at door thresholds) shall not exceed 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm). Thresholds shall comply with the following:
rs shall be no higher than_ 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm). Thresholds at secondary exterior doors, including slid- ing door tracks, shall be no higher than 3 /4 inch (19.05 mm). Changes in height at interior door thresholds (e.g., floor material changes at door thresholds) shall not exceed 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm). Thresholds shall comply with the following:
1. Thresholds with a change in height of not more than 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) may be vertical.
2. Thresholds with a change in height between 1 /4 inch (6.35 mm) and 3 /4 inch (19.05 mm) shall be beveled with a slope no greater than 1 unit vertical in 2 units horizontal (50-percent slope).
1132A.5 Maneuvering clearances at doors.¶
1132A.5.1 General. The floor or landing on the dwelling unit side of the primary entry door and any required exit door shall have a minimum length of not less than 44 inches (1118 mm). Section 1126A.3 shall apply to maneu- vering clearances at the side of the door exposed to com- mon or public use spaces.
Manuevering clearances at interior doors shall provide a minimum length on both sides of the door of at least 42 inches (1067 mm) measured at a right angle to the plane of the door in its closed position.
Exception: A 39-inch (991 mm) length is acceptable at interior doors when a minimum clear opening width of 34 inches (864 mm) is provided.
1132A.5.2 Strike edge maneuvering space at doors. The width of the level area on the side to which the door swings shall extend 18 inches (457 mm) past the strike edge for all doors. The width of the level area at the exte- rior side of the primary entry door and any required exit doors shall comply with Section 1126A.
Notes:
1. See Section 1134A for bathrooms that are required to be accessible. 2. Twenty-four inches (610 mm) is preferred for strike edge clearance.
HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
1132A.6 Closer-effort to operate doors.¶
Maximum effort to operate doors shall not exceed 8 1 /2 pounds (38 N) for exte- rior doors and 5 pounds (22 N) for interior doors, such pull or push effort being applied at right angles to hinged doors and at the center plane of sliding or folding doors. Compen- sating devices or automatic door operators may be utilized to meet these standards. When fire doors are required, the max- imum effort to operate the door may be increased to the mini- mum allowable by the appropriate enforcement agency, not to exceed 15 pounds (66.7 N).
1132A.7 Type of lock or latch.¶
The type of latch and lock required for all doors shall be in accordance with Section 1132A.8 and Chapter 10, Section 1008.
1132A.8 Hand-activated door hardware.¶
Hand-activated door latching, locking and opening hardware shall be cen- tered between 30 inches (762 mm) and 44 inches (1118 mm) above the floor. Latching and locking doors that are hand- activated and on an accessible route shall be operable with a single effort by lever-type hardware, panic bars, push-pull activating bars or other hardware designed to provide pas- sage without requiring the ability to grasp the opening hard- ware. Locked exit doors shall operate consistent with Section 1132A.6, in the direction of egress.
1132A.8.1 Lever-type hardware. The lever or lever of actuated latches or locks shall be curved with a return to within 1 /2 inch (12.7 mm) of the door to prevent catching on the clothing of persons during egress in Group R and U occupancies with an occupant load greater than 10.
1132A.9 Smooth surface.¶
Swinging door or gate surfaces within 10 inches (254 mm) of the finish floor or ground mea- sured vertically shall have a smooth surface on the push side extending the full width of the door or gate. Parts creating horizontal or vertical joints in these surfaces shall be within 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of the same plane as the other and be free of sharp or abrasive edges. Cavities created by added kick plates shall be capped.
Exceptions:
1. Automatic doors.
2. Tempered glass doors without stiles and having a bottom rail or shoe with the top leading edge tapered at 60 degrees minimum from the horizontal.
3. Doors or gates that do not extend to within 10 inches (254 mm) of the finish floor.
1132A.10 Door signal devices.¶
Every primary entrance to a covered multifamily dwelling unit shall be provided with a door buzzer, bell, chime or equivalent. The activating mecha- nism shall be mounted a maximum of 48 inches (1219 mm) above the floor and connected to permanent wiring.
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Ask AI about this code▸Contents — California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
- Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
- Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT
- Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING
- Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED
- Chapter 1 — SCOPE AND ADMINISTRATION
- Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
- Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED
- Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
- Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
- Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
- Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
- Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
▸Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
Overview- Section 1101A
- Section 1102A
- Section 1103A
- Section 1104A
- Section 1105A
- Section 1106A
- Section 1107A
- Section 1108A
- Section 1109A
- Section 1110A
- Section 1111A
- Section 1112A
- Section 1113A
- Section 1114A
- Section 1115A
- Section 1116A
- Section 1117A
- Section 1118A
- Section 1119A
- Section 1120A
- Section 1121A
- Section 1122A
- Section 1123A
- Section 1124A
- Section 1125A
- Section 1126A
- Section 1127A
- Section 1128A
- Section 1129A
- Section 1130A
- Section 1131A
- Section 1132A
- Section 1133A
- Section 1134A
- Section 1135A
- Section 1136A
- Section 1137A
- Section 1138A
- Section 1139A
- Section 1140A
- Section 1141A
- Section 1142A
- Section 1143A
- Section 1144A
- Section 1145A
- Section 1146A
- Section 1147A
- Section 1148A
- Section 1149A
- Section 1150A
- Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
- Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
- Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
- Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
- Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
- Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
- Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
- Chapter 21 — MASONRY
- Chapter 22 — STEEL
- Chapter 23 — WOOD
- Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
- Chapter 25 — GYPSUM BOARD, GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
- Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
- Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
- Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
- Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
- Chapter 31C — RADIATION
- Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
- Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
- Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
- Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
- Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
- Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
- Appendix C — GROUP U – AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
- Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
- Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
- Appendix H — SIGNS
- Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
- Appendix J — GRADING
- Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES
- Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
- Appendix O — EMERGENCY HOUSING