2010 ADA Standards Section 703 Room Signage Field Guide
Under 2010 ADA Standards Section 216.2, every interior door or space with a permanent function that will not change over day-to-day use requires compliant tactile and Grade 2 Braille identification. Use the specification tables below to verify submittals prior to municipal Certificate of Occupancy inspection.
1. Tactile Character & Grade 2 Braille Tolerances
| Element | ADA Section | Required Dimension / Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tactile Character Depth | §703.2.1 | Minimum 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) raised above sign plaque background. |
| Case & Font Style | §703.2.2 – .3 | Uppercase only, sans-serif. No italic, oblique, script, or decorative letterforms. |
| Character Height | §703.2.5 | 5/8 inch (16 mm) minimum to 2 inches (51 mm) maximum, measured on uppercase letter I. |
| Stroke Thickness & Width | §703.2.4 / .6 | Width 55% to 110% of character height; stroke thickness 10% to 15% of character height. |
| Grade 2 Braille | §703.3.1 | Contracted Grade 2 Braille with domed/rounded dots (0.025"–0.037" dot height, 0.241"–0.300" cell spacing). Uppercase indicator used only for acronyms, proper names, and room letter suffixes. |
| Braille Clearance | §703.3.2 | Positioned directly below tactile text with at least 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) clear separation from tactile copy and raised borders. |
| Pictogram Field | §703.6.1 | Minimum 6-inch (150 mm) vertical field free of text and Braille; tactile text descriptor and Grade 2 Braille placed directly below. |
2. Latch-Side Mounting Height & Clear Floor Space (§703.4)
Signs identifying permanent rooms and spaces must be installed on the wall alongside the latch side of the door so a visually impaired visitor reaches the sign without standing inside the door swing:
- Vertical Baseline Range: Lowest tactile character baseline at 48" minimum AFF; highest tactile character baseline at 60" maximum AFF.
- Approach Clearance: Center an 18" × 18" clear floor space on the tactile characters, located beyond the arc of any door swing between the closed position and a 45-degree open position.
- Inward-Swinging Doors Without Wall Space: Where less than 18" of wall space exists on the latch side, mount on the nearest adjacent wall. On inward-swinging doors with both a closer and latch (and no latch-side wall), mounting on the push side of the door is permitted under §703.4.2 Exception.
3. Which Doors Require Tactile & Braille Signs vs. Overhead Wayfinding?
Permanent Rooms (§216.2 — Tactile + Grade 2 Braille Required): Numbered offices and classrooms, exam rooms, restrooms, exit doors (EXIT, EXIT STAIR DOWN, EXIT TO PUBLIC WAY per IBC §1013.4 & ADA §216.4.1), stairwells, mechanical/electrical/IT closets, storage rooms, lactation rooms, and break rooms.
Directional & Informational Signs (§216.3 — Visual Contrast Rules): Changeable occupant nameplates, directories, and overhead corridor directional arrows only require visual character sizing and non-glare contrast under §703.5 rather than raised tactile copy.