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ADA compliance: a checklist for small businesses
ADA compliance means meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act: serving customers with disabilities on equal terms, removing physical barriers where that is readily achievable, and building or altering to the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. This checklist follows the route a customer takes, from the parking lot to the restroom, with the requirement behind each step.
This is a summary. The official 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are the reference.
Who has to comply
- Businesses open to the public (title III): the ADA lists 12 categories of public accommodations, including stores, restaurants, bars, service establishments, theaters, hotels, recreational facilities, private museums and schools, doctors’ and dentists’ offices and shopping malls, whatever the size of the business or the age of its building (ADA primer for small business).
- Commercial facilities such as offices, factories and warehouses that do not serve the public directly are subject only to the rules for new construction and alterations (ADA primer for small business).
- Employers with 15 or more employees (title I), and state and local governments (title II), whatever their size (ADA.gov introduction to the ADA). What Title II asks of governments is in ADA Title II.
- Religious organizations are exempt from title III (ADA.gov introduction to the ADA).
The three things the ADA asks of a business
- Change policies when needed. A business makes reasonable modifications to its usual way of doing things, unless the change would alter the nature of the business (ADA primer for small business). The rules on service animals are part of the same duty to serve; see guide dogs.
- Remove barriers where it is readily achievable. In existing buildings, barriers must be removed when that is “easily accomplishable without much difficulty or expense”, which depends on the size and resources of the business. It is a continuing duty, and where a barrier cannot be removed, the service must be offered another way if possible, such as curbside or takeout service (ADA primer for small business).
- Build and alter to the 2010 Standards. New construction and alterations follow the 2010 Standards when the last building permit application was certified on or after March 15, 2012, or, where no permit is needed, when physical construction started on or after that date. Restriping a parking lot, moving a fixed ATM or replacing a sales counter counts as an alteration; repainting does not (ADA primer for small business). What the Standards hold, chapter by chapter, is in 2010 ADA Standards.
The ADA regulations suggest removing barriers in this order: access from sidewalks, parking and public transit; access to the goods and services; access to public restrooms; and then other amenities such as drinking fountains (ADA primer for small business).
The checklist, from the parking lot to the restroom
| Item | What to check | Section | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking | enough accessible spaces for the lot (1 for up to 25 spaces, 2 for up to 50…), 1 in 6 of them van accessible; car spaces 96 inches (2440 mm) wide, van spaces 132 inches (3350 mm), access aisles 60 inches (1525 mm); signs with the bottom at least 60 inches (1525 mm) up | 2010 ADA Standards, 208 and 502 | Accessible parking |
| Route to the door | walking surfaces 36 inches (915 mm) wide, running slope no steeper than 1:20, cross slope no steeper than 1:48; stable, firm, slip-resistant ground | 2010 ADA Standards, 302, 403.3 and 403.5.1 | — |
| Ramps | running slope no steeper than 1:12, 36 inches (915 mm) wide, handrails where the rise is over 6 inches (150 mm) | 2010 ADA Standards, 405 | ADA ramp slope; ADA handrails |
| Entrance | at least 60 % of public entrances accessible; 32 inches (815 mm) of clear width; threshold no higher than 1/2 inch (13 mm); hardware 34 to 48 inches (865–1220 mm) high, usable without tight grasping | 2010 ADA Standards, 206.4.1 and 404 | ADA door width |
| Sales and service counters | at least one counter of each type with a section no higher than 36 inches (915 mm): 36 inches long for a side approach, or 30 inches (760 mm) with knee and toe space for a front approach | 2010 ADA Standards, 227.3, 904.4.1 and 904.4.2 | ADA counter height; ADA reach range |
| Restroom | 60-inch (1525 mm) turning space; toilet seat 17 to 19 inches (430–485 mm) high; grab bars 33 to 36 inches (840–915 mm) high; sink no higher than 34 inches (865 mm) | 2010 ADA Standards, 603 to 609 | ADA bathroom requirements; ADA toilet height; ADA turning space |
| Signs | the International Symbol of Accessibility on accessible entrances and restrooms where not all are accessible; tactile signs with braille 48 to 60 inches (1220–1525 mm) up, on the latch side of the door | 2010 ADA Standards, 216 and 703 | Accessibility symbols |
| Rail platforms | detectable warnings of truncated domes along unprotected platform edges, 24 inches (610 mm) wide | 2010 ADA Standards, 705 and 810.5.2 | Truncated domes |
| Service animals | staff know the two questions they may ask, and that they cannot ask for documents | ADA.gov service animal guidance | Guide dogs |
Tax help for barrier removal
The ADA primer for small business points to two federal tax provisions. The Disabled Access Credit (section 44 of the Internal Revenue Code) is for businesses with 30 or fewer full-time employees or total revenues of $1 million or less in the previous tax year; eligible expenses can include barrier removal, sign language interpreters and materials in braille, large print or audio. Section 190 gives businesses of any size a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for removing architectural barriers (ADA primer for small business).
The primer refers to IRS Form 8826 for the credit and Publication 535 for the deduction.
Frequently asked questions
What does ADA compliance mean?
Meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act: modifying policies when needed, communicating effectively, removing barriers in existing buildings where that is readily achievable, and following the 2010 ADA Standards in new construction and alterations (ADA primer for small business).
Does the ADA apply to small businesses?
Yes. Title III covers businesses that serve the public regardless of their size or the age of their building; title I covers employers with 15 or more employees (ADA primer for small business; ADA.gov introduction to the ADA).
What is readily achievable barrier removal?
Removing barriers in an existing building when it is easily accomplishable without much difficulty or expense, judged by the size and resources of the business. Examples in the ADA primer include an entrance ramp, a wider doorway and accessible door hardware (ADA primer for small business).
When do the 2010 ADA Standards apply?
For a business, to new construction and alterations whose last building permit application was certified on or after March 15, 2012, or, where no permit is needed, whose physical construction started on or after that date (ADA primer for small business).
Is there a tax credit for ADA compliance?
The Disabled Access Credit (section 44) is for businesses with 30 or fewer full-time employees or $1 million or less in revenue; section 190 gives a deduction of up to $15,000 a year (ADA primer for small business).
More accessibility guides
- 2010 ADA Standards: what each of the ten chapters covers, since when the Standards apply and to which buildings, with the guide for each element.
- ADA Title II: what state and local governments have to make accessible: existing buildings, new construction, streets and curb ramps, parks, programs and the 2024 web rule.
- Accessible parking: ADA parking requirements: how many spaces, how wide, the access aisle and the sign.
- ADA ramp slope: the 1:12 rule, width, landings, handrails and edge protection.
- ADA door width: 32 inches of clear width, maneuvering space, thresholds, hardware and opening force.
- ADA bathroom requirements: toilet height and position, grab bar height, sink height, stall sizes and turning space.
- ADA reach range: forward and side reach, with and without an obstruction, and where the 15 to 48 inch range applies: switches, outlets and controls.
- ADA turning space: the 60-inch turning circle, the T-shaped turn, the 30 by 48 inch clear floor space and where the ADA asks for each.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in October 2026.
- ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business. U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), last updated February 28, 2020.
- Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act. U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), read October 2026.
- 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. U.S. Department of Justice, published September 15, 2010; required for new work since March 15, 2012.
- ADA Requirements: Service Animals. U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), last updated February 28, 2020.
Braillito Maps
Find places with ramps, accessible toilets or tactile paving near you in Braillito Maps
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible restroom, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
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