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ADA exit signs: which doors need braille, how high and where
A door to an exit stairway often has two exit signs. The lit EXIT sign is there to be seen from across the room; the small sign beside the door, with raised letters and braille, is there to be found by hand. The 2010 ADA Standards require the tactile one at doors at exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1), and leave the visibility and illumination of the lit one to the life safety and building codes (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs). This guide explains which doors need which sign, what the tactile sign looks like, how high it goes and on which side, with the section each rule comes from.
This is a summary. The official 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are the reference.
Two exit signs: the lit one and the tactile one
The building code asks for the first one: the International Building Code requires exits and exit access doors to be marked by illuminated exit signs. It also asks for a tactile “EXIT” sign next to the door to an egress stairway, an exit passageway and the exit discharge; the 2000 edition covers doors to egress stairways only (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs (IBC 1011 and 1011.3, 2003; 1003.2.10 and 1003.2.10.3, 2000)).
The ADA asks for the second one in its own words. Section 216.4.1 does not send you to the building code: the 2010 Standards reference the IBC for areas of refuge and directional signs, 216.4.2 and 216.4.3, but not for exit doors (2010 ADA Standards, 105.2.4 and 216.4.1).
| Illuminated EXIT sign | Tactile exit sign | |
|---|---|---|
| Read | by sight, from a distance | by touch, and up close by sight |
| Required by | the building code (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs) | the 2010 ADA Standards (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1), and the IBC (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs) |
| Raised letters and braille | not required (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions) | required, with the braille below the letters (2010 ADA Standards, 703.2 and 703.3.2) |
| Height above the floor | visual characters 40 inches (1015 mm) minimum, larger the higher they go (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.5 and 703.5.6) | 48 to 60 inches (1220–1525 mm), measured to the baseline of the characters (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.1) |
| Lighting | set by life safety and building codes, not by the ADA (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions) | not set by the ADA (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions) |
Why can the lit sign not do both jobs? Because tactile characters have to sit between 48 and 60 inches above the floor (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.1), alongside the door on the latch side (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2), where a hand looks for them. So, in the U.S. Access Board’s words, at exit doors the tactile requirements typically must be met on a separate sign (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs). The Standards allow exactly that: one sign with both visual and tactile characters, or two separate signs, one visual and one tactile (2010 ADA Standards, 703.1).
Which doors need a tactile exit sign: 216.4.1
The rule is one sentence: doors at exit passageways, exit discharge and exit stairways are identified by tactile signs that comply with 703.1, 703.2 and 703.5 (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1). Those three places, in the words of the Standards and of the Access Board:
- Exit stairway. The door into the stair. The stairway itself, and the floor level, are permanent spaces, so the sign that names them is tactile as well (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs; 2010 ADA Standards, 216.2).
- Exit passageway. A horizontal exit component, separated from the interior spaces of the building by fire-resistance-rated construction, that leads to the exit discharge or a public way (2010 ADA Standards, advisory 216.4.1).
- Exit discharge. The portion of an egress system between the end of an exit and a public way (2010 ADA Standards, advisory 216.4.1); for the Access Board, the path from an exit to a public way, such as a sidewalk (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
Not every door with an exit sign is on the list. Asked whether all exit doors must be labeled by tactile signs, the Access Board answers no: exit labels at other locations, including those required by life safety and building codes, meet the visual requirements of the Standards, not those for tactile characters (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
The exceptions of 216.1 reach exit signs only in part. Temporary signs, up to 7 days, are exempt from section 216, and so are signs outside public use areas in detention and correctional facilities (2010 ADA Standards, 216.1, exceptions 3 and 4). In parking facilities, the exception lists 216.2, 216.3 and 216.6 to 216.12, but not 216.4 (2010 ADA Standards, 216.1, exception 2): a parking facility keeps its means of egress signs, along with the parking space signs explained in accessible parking (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Parking Facilities).
What the tactile exit sign looks like: 703.2 and 703.3
The Access Board draws one in its guide: the raised letters E X I T, between 1/2 inch and 2 inches high, and four braille characters below them, e x i t (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes). Every part of it is measured:
| Element | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | raised at least 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) above the background | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.1 |
| Case and style | uppercase, sans serif; not italic, oblique, script or highly decorative | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.2 and 703.2.3 |
| Proportion | the width of the letter O between 55 and 110 percent of the height of the letter I | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.4 |
| Height | 5/8 inch to 2 inches (16–51 mm), based on the uppercase I; 1/2 inch (13 mm) where the raised and the visual characters are separate | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.5 |
| Stroke | 15 percent of the character height at most | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.6 |
| Spacing | at least 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) between characters with a rectangular cross section, and no more than 4 times the stroke width; 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) from raised borders and decoration | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.7 |
| Braille | contracted (Grade 2), with domed or rounded dots, below the text and at least 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) from other tactile characters and from raised borders | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.3, 703.3.1 and 703.3.2 |
| Finish and contrast | non-glare, light on dark or dark on light; not required of the tactile part when the visual characters are on a separate sign | 2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.1; U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Separate Tactile Sign |
Unified English Braille, the official braille of the United States since 2016, is accepted as Grade 2 braille for the Standards, and on a braille sign only the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, single letters, initials and acronyms are capitalized (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions; 2010 ADA Standards, 703.3.1). Signs read by touch should not have sharp or abrasive edges (2010 ADA Standards, advisory 703.2).
The size of the dots, table 703.3.1, is in braille signage, with the other signs that need braille; the same rules at the restroom door, with its pictograms and the wheelchair symbol, are in ADA restroom signs. To see what a word looks like in braille cells, type it into the braille translator.
Mounting height and which side of the door: 703.4
- Height: the baseline of the lowest tactile character at least 48 inches (1220 mm) above the floor, and the baseline of the highest no more than 60 inches (1525 mm) (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.1).
- Single door: alongside the door, on the latch side; with no wall space there, on the nearest adjacent wall (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2).
- Double doors: with one active leaf, on the inactive leaf; with two active leaves, to the right of the right-hand door (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2).
- Room to stand: a clear floor space of 18 by 18 inches (455 × 455 mm), centered on the tactile characters and beyond the arc of the door swing between the closed position and 45 degrees open (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2), free of protrusions up to 80 inches (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Installation Height and Location).
- On the door itself: only on the push side of a door with a closer and without a hold-open device (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2, exception). Hold-open devices are fixed ones, such as door stops mounted to the door, wall hooks or magnetic holders; a movable door stop is not one (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
- Glass and sidelights: the sign can go next to or on a vision panel or sidelight on the latch side if the clear floor space is there; in a glass partition, on the glass (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
- A doorway with no door: the Standards do not say. The Access Board advises treating it like a door with two active leaves, with the sign to the right, and keeping the location consistent within the building (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
Which sign goes where
Around an exit stair there are several signs, and only some of them are read by touch. Tactile here means raised characters with braille, plus visual characters; visual means the rules for print only.
| Sign | Tactile or visual | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Door at an exit stairway, an exit passageway or the exit discharge | tactile | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1 |
| Exit labels anywhere else, the illuminated EXIT signs of the building code included | visual | U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions |
| The name of the stairway and the floor level, such as “Stair A, floor 20” | tactile | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.2; U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes |
| Directions and information on the stair sign, such as which way to the exit discharge or whether there is roof access | visual | U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes |
| Door to an area of refuge | tactile | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.2; U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs |
| Instructions inside an area of refuge | visual | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.2 |
| Directions to an accessible means of egress, at elevators serving accessible spaces and at exits that do not provide one | visual | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.3; U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Visual Signs |
| Other directional signs to exits, evacuation instructions and exit route maps | visual | 2010 ADA Standards, 216.3; U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Visual Signs |
The sign at the door of an area of refuge reads “AREA OF REFUGE” with the International Symbol of Accessibility, under the IBC (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Area of Refuge Identification), and it can be combined with the required exit sign (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs). The space behind that door, its call box and its instructions are in area of refuge; the symbol itself is in accessibility symbol.
What the sign says: EXIT, and the stair sign
The 2010 Standards do not set the words: 216.4.1 only says that the doors are identified by tactile signs (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1). The word comes from the building code: the 2003 IBC asks for a tactile “EXIT” sign at those doors (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs), and that is the sign the Access Board draws, EXIT in raised letters with its braille below (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes).
The stair sign carries more. The Access Board’s example reads “Stair A, floor 20”, the floors the stair serves, “1 through 25”, the way to the exit discharge, “down to 1st floor”, and “No roof access”. The name of the stair and the floor are tactile and visual; the directions and the information are visual only, and the tactile part can be a separate sign (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes).
Building codes newer than 2003, and those of each state, may ask for other words at other doors. This guide does not list them, because it only gives what an official text it could read says: they are in the edition of the IBC that your state or city adopted, which the International Code Council publishes to read free online, and in the state’s own building code. A building that follows a later IBC edition may still meet the ADA through equivalent facilitation if it is comparable to the referenced editions or stricter (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Required Compliance with the IBC).
The visual exit signs: character height and contrast
Every exit sign that is not tactile still follows the rules for visual characters (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs): a non-glare finish, light characters on a dark background or dark on light (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.1), uppercase or lowercase (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.2), conventional in form, never italic, oblique, script or highly decorative (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.3), and at least 40 inches (1015 mm) above the floor (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.6). The visibility and illumination that the life safety and building codes require of exit signs can also satisfy the visual requirements of the ADA (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs). How big the letters are depends on how high the sign is and how close you can get to it (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5.5):
| Height to the baseline | Viewing distance | Minimum character height |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 70 inches (1015–1780 mm) | less than 72 inches (1830 mm) | 5/8 inch (16 mm) |
| 40 to 70 inches (1015–1780 mm) | 72 inches (1830 mm) or more | 5/8 inch, plus 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) per foot beyond 72 inches |
| over 70 to 120 inches (1780–3050 mm) | less than 180 inches (4570 mm) | 2 inches (51 mm) |
| over 70 to 120 inches (1780–3050 mm) | 180 inches (4570 mm) or more | 2 inches, plus 1/8 inch per foot beyond 180 inches |
| over 120 inches (3050 mm) | less than 21 feet (6400 mm) | 3 inches (75 mm) |
| over 120 inches (3050 mm) | 21 feet (6400 mm) or more | 3 inches, plus 1/8 inch per foot beyond 21 feet |
On a single sign that is both tactile and visual, the raised characters with braille only have to meet the finish and contrast rule among the visual ones (2010 ADA Standards, 703.5, exception). When the print is on a separate sign, that print has to meet all of 703.5 (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
How to check the exit signs of a building
Five things you can check with your eyes and your hands, at each door that leads into an exit stair, an exit passageway or out to the exit discharge:
- Look beside the door, not above it. The tactile sign is on the latch side, or on the inactive leaf of a double door (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2).
- Measure it. The raised characters between 48 and 60 inches above the floor, to their baseline (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.1).
- Touch it. Raised letters you can feel, at least 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) high, and domed braille dots below them (2010 ADA Standards, 703.2.1, 703.3.1 and 703.3.2).
- Stand in front of it. An 18 by 18 inch space centered on the sign, clear of the door when it opens to 45 degrees (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2).
- Check the door. A sign on the door itself is allowed only on the push side, with a closer and no hold-open device (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2, exception).
Inside the stair, the sign with the name of the stair and the floor is tactile too (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs). The stairs themselves, their treads, risers and handrails, are in ADA stair requirements; the elevator next to them, with its own tactile floor designations at the hoistway entrances (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Elevator Signs and Labels), in ADA elevator requirements. What the ADA asks of an existing business is in ADA compliance, and the 2010 Standards chapter by chapter in 2010 ADA Standards.
Exit signs and Braillito Maps
Braillito Maps does not record exit signs one by one. It is a community map that answers ten questions about each place: 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.
Braille signage is the one closest to this page: it tells a blind visitor whether the signs of a place can be read by touch, at the door where a hand looks for them. Audible signals tell whether alerts can be heard and not only seen.
Each question is answered yes or no, or stays without data until someone knows. The score of a place is the number of yes answers out of ten, and its color always appears next to the number, never on its own. If what a place says is wrong, it can be reported. Meet Braillito Maps.
Frequently asked questions
Does the illuminated EXIT sign need braille?
No. The 2010 ADA Standards ask for tactile signs, with raised characters and braille, at doors at exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1). Other exit labels, those required by life safety and building codes included, only have to meet the visual requirements, and at exit doors the tactile part typically goes on a separate sign beside the door (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs and Common Questions).
Which exit doors need a braille sign?
Only doors at exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge, the path from an exit to a public way such as a sidewalk (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1; U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
How high is a braille exit sign mounted?
With the tactile characters between 48 inches (1220 mm), measured to the baseline of the lowest, and 60 inches (1525 mm), measured to the baseline of the highest, above the floor (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.1).
Which side of the door does a tactile exit sign go on?
Alongside the door on the latch side; at double doors with one active leaf, on the inactive leaf, and with two active leaves, to the right of the right-hand door (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2).
What does a tactile exit sign say?
The ADA does not set the words (2010 ADA Standards, 216.4.1). The 2003 International Building Code asks for a tactile “EXIT” sign at those doors (U.S. Access Board guide to accessible means of egress, Tactile and Visual Signs), drawn by the Access Board as EXIT in raised letters with braille below (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Means of Egress Signs, image notes). Other wordings depend on the building code adopted where the building is.
Can a braille exit sign go on the door?
Only on the push side of a door with a closer and without a hold-open device (2010 ADA Standards, 703.4.2, exception); a movable door stop does not count as one (U.S. Access Board guide to signs, Common Questions).
More accessibility guides
- Braille signage: which signs need braille under the ADA, how high they go, on which side of the door, and the size of the dots.
- ADA restroom signs: how high a restroom sign goes, on which side of the door, what it carries in raised letters, braille and pictograms, and when it needs the wheelchair symbol.
- Area of refuge: what an area of refuge is, the wheelchair spaces, the call box, the signs and how evacuation works with elevators.
- ADA stair requirements: riser height, tread depth, nosings, open risers, landings and which stairs the 2010 Standards cover.
- ADA elevator requirements: car dimensions, door width and timing, call button height, audible and visible signals, and braille on the jambs and buttons.
- Accessibility symbols: what the wheelchair symbol means, where it is required and the other access symbols.
- 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 compliance: a checklist for small businesses, with the 2010 Standards section behind each item.
- ADA door width: 32 inches of clear width, maneuvering space, thresholds, hardware and opening force.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in 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.
- Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, Chapter 7: Signs. U.S. Access Board, read October 2026.
- Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, Chapter 4: Accessible Means of Egress. U.S. Access Board, read October 2026.
Braillito Maps
Find places with ramps, accessible toilets or tactile paving near you in Braillito Maps
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions. One is braille signage: whether signs or buttons can also be read by touch. Another, separate one is the braille menu. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
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