Braillito Maps · Accessibility guides
ADA shower requirements: sizes, seat, controls and threshold
Under the 2010 ADA Standards, in every bathing room that has showers or bathtubs, at least one bathtub or shower has to be accessible (2010 ADA Standards, 213.2 and 213.3.6). There are three kinds of accessible shower: a small transfer shower, where a person moves from a wheelchair onto a seat, and two roll-in showers, large enough to roll into on a shower wheelchair. Each one has its own size, seat, grab bars and place for the controls. These are the measurements, each with its section of the standard.
This is a summary. The official 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are the reference.
The three types of ADA shower and their sizes
Sizes are clear inside dimensions, measured at the center points of opposing walls (2010 ADA Standards, 608.2). The transfer shower is the only one with a fixed size: its 36 inches are exact, not a minimum, so the controls and the grab bars stay within reach from the seat and the back wall stays close enough to lean on (U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, transfer shower compartment).
| Type | Inside size | Entry | Clear space outside | Section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer shower | 36 by 36 inches (915 × 915 mm) | 36 inches (915 mm) wide minimum, on the face of the shower | 36 inches (915 mm) wide by 48 inches (1220 mm) long minimum, measured from the control wall | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.2.1 |
| Standard roll-in shower | 30 by 60 inches (760 × 1525 mm) minimum | 60 inches (1525 mm) wide minimum, on the face of the shower | 30 inches (760 mm) wide by 60 inches (1525 mm) long minimum, along the open side; a sink may sit at one end of it, but not at the end next to the controls or the seat | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.2.2 and 608.2.2.1 |
| Alternate roll-in shower | 36 inches (915 mm) by 60 inches (1525 mm) minimum | 36 inches (915 mm) wide minimum, at one end of the long side | not set in 608.2.3 | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.2.3 |
An advisory note adds that a 60-inch (1525 mm) wide shower with no curb can make the whole bathroom easier to use, because the shower floor becomes extra room to maneuver (2010 ADA Standards, advisory 608.1). Advisory notes explain the rule; they are not enforceable requirements (2010 ADA Standards, 28 CFR 36.406(b)).
The room around the shower follows the same rules as an accessible restroom: a 60-inch (1525 mm) turning circle or T-shaped space, and a door that does not swing into the clear space of any fixture (2010 ADA Standards, 213.2, 603.2.1 and 603.2.3). Those measurements are in ADA bathroom requirements, and the door in ADA door width.
Where a roll-in shower is required
- Every bathing room with showers: at least one accessible bathtub or shower, of any of the three types (2010 ADA Standards, 213.2 and 213.3.6; U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, bathing fixtures). A building with separate men's and women's bathing rooms needs one in each, except in the cases listed in the exceptions to 213.2.
- Hotels: part of the guest rooms with mobility features must have a roll-in shower, from 1 room in a hotel of 51 to 75 rooms to 4 in one of 301 to 500 (2010 ADA Standards, table 224.2). Those roll-in showers are standard or alternate ones (2010 ADA Standards, 806.2.4) and have a folding seat (2010 ADA Standards, 608.4). How many rooms a hotel needs, and what else each room has, is in ADA hotel room requirements.
- Shelters, group homes and halfway houses with more than 50 beds and shared bathing rooms: at least one roll-in shower with a seat, one for men and one for women where they are separate; a transfer shower does not count instead (2010 ADA Standards, 28 CFR 35.151(e)(2) and 36.406(d)(2)).
The shower seat: when it is required and how high
A transfer shower always has a seat, folding or fixed. A roll-in shower does not need one, except in a hotel room where the roll-in shower is required; but if a roll-in shower has a seat, it must fold up, so that it is not in the way of a shower wheelchair (2010 ADA Standards, 608.4 and 610.3; U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, roll-in shower compartments). In residential dwelling units, the transfer shower seat can be left out if the wall is reinforced to take one later (2010 ADA Standards, 608.4, exception).
| Element | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 17 to 19 inches (430–485 mm) from the bathroom floor to the top of the seat | 2010 ADA Standards, 610.3 |
| Where it goes | transfer shower: from the back wall to within 3 inches (75 mm) of the entry; standard roll-in: on the side wall next to the controls, from the back wall to within 3 inches of the entry; alternate roll-in: on the front wall, from the side wall to within 3 inches of the entry | 2010 ADA Standards, 610.3 |
| Rectangular seat | rear edge 2 1/2 inches (64 mm) maximum and front edge 15 to 16 inches (380–405 mm) from the seat wall; side edge 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) maximum from the next wall | 2010 ADA Standards, 610.3.1 |
| L-shaped seat | the same edges from the seat wall; the “L” part with its rear edge 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) maximum and its front edge 14 to 15 inches (355–380 mm) from the wall, ending 22 to 23 inches (560–585 mm) from the main seat wall | 2010 ADA Standards, 610.3.2 |
| Strength | withstands 250 pounds (1112 N) applied at any point | 2010 ADA Standards, 610.4 |
Grab bars in the shower
- Transfer shower: across the control wall and along the back wall to a point 18 inches (455 mm) from the control wall (2010 ADA Standards, 608.3.1).
- Standard roll-in shower: with a seat, on the back wall and on the side wall opposite the seat; without a seat, on all three walls. Never above the seat, and no more than 6 inches (150 mm) from the adjacent walls (2010 ADA Standards, 608.3.2).
- Alternate roll-in shower: on the back wall and on the side wall farthest from the entry, never above the seat, and no more than 6 inches (150 mm) from the adjacent walls (2010 ADA Standards, 608.3.3).
- Height: horizontal, 33 to 36 inches (840–915 mm) above the floor to the top of the gripping surface, and all the required horizontal bars at the same height (2010 ADA Standards, 609.4 and 608.3).
- The bar itself: 1 1/4 to 2 inches (32–51 mm) in diameter if round, 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) from the wall, it does not rotate in its fittings and it holds 250 pounds (1112 N) (2010 ADA Standards, 609.2.1, 609.3, 609.6 and 609.8).
Bars can be left out, if the walls are reinforced for them, in two cases: a single-user shower reached only through a private office and not for common or public use, and showers in residential dwelling units (2010 ADA Standards, 608.3, exceptions).
The ADA Standards do not require a vertical grab bar. The Access Board notes that the ICC A117.1 standard, which the International Building Code references, asks for a vertical grab bar at least 18 inches long at transfer showers and bathtubs (U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, questions). A117.1 is sold by the ICC and we did not read it, so this guide gives no other figures from it; your local building code may follow it.
Every grab bar rule, at the toilet and the bathtub too, is in ADA grab bar requirements.
Controls and the hand-held shower
Every control, faucet and shower spray unit works with one hand, without tight grasping, pinching or twisting the wrist, and with no more than 5 pounds (22.2 N) of force (2010 ADA Standards, 608.5 and 309.4). Where they go depends on the type of shower:
| Type | Location and height | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer shower | on the wall opposite the seat, 38 to 48 inches (965–1220 mm) above the shower floor, and no more than 15 inches (380 mm) from the centerline of the seat toward the opening | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.5.1 |
| Standard roll-in shower | above the grab bar and no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm); with a seat, on the back wall, no more than 27 inches (685 mm) from the seat wall; without a seat, on any of the three walls | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.5.2; 2010 ADA Standards, advisory 608.5.2 |
| Alternate roll-in shower | above the grab bar and no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm); with a seat, on the side wall next to it, no more than 27 inches (685 mm) from the wall behind the seat, or on the back wall, no more than 15 inches (380 mm) to either side of the seat centerline; without a seat, on the side wall farthest from the entry | 2010 ADA Standards, 608.5.3 |
Controls above a grab bar keep at least 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) of space from it, so the bar can still be gripped (2010 ADA Standards, 609.3, exception).
The hand-held shower. Every accessible shower has a spray unit on a hose at least 59 inches (1500 mm) long that works both as a hand-held shower and as a fixed shower head, with an on/off control with a non-positive shut-off. If it hangs on an adjustable vertical bar, the bar must not block the grab bars, and the water is no hotter than 120°F (49°C) (2010 ADA Standards, 608.6). A non-positive shut-off reduces the flow without stopping it completely, and the main control still turns the water off (U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, questions).
A fixed shower head no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm) can replace the hand-held unit, except in medical and long-term care facilities, hotel guest rooms and residential dwelling units (2010 ADA Standards, 608.6, exception). Shower enclosures cannot block the controls, the faucets, the spray unit or the move from the wheelchair to the seat (2010 ADA Standards, 608.8).
Threshold, curb and floor slope
- Roll-in shower: a threshold of 1/2 inch (13 mm) at most (2010 ADA Standards, 608.7). Up to 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) it can be vertical; between 1/4 and 1/2 inch it is beveled, no steeper than 1:2 (2010 ADA Standards, 303.2 and 303.3).
- Transfer shower: 1/2 inch (13 mm) at most, beveled, rounded or vertical. In an existing building, a curb of up to 2 inches (51 mm) is allowed where a lower one would disturb the structural reinforcement of the floor slab (2010 ADA Standards, 608.7 and its exception).
- Floor slope: section 608 gives no slope for the shower floor. Clear floor spaces and turning spaces may slope no more than 1:48 (2010 ADA Standards, 304.2 and 305.2). The Access Board says a shower floor can slope to its drain, that 1:48 at most controls the water without hurting access, and that trench drains give a flush entry that is easier to roll over (U.S. Access Board guide to bathing rooms, thresholds).
- Surface: stable, firm and slip resistant, like every accessible floor (2010 ADA Standards, 302.1).
- The accessible shower of Spain, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Mexico, from the step-free floor to the seat and the controls, compared country by country, is in the Spanish guide Ducha accesible.
Checking a shower before you go, and Braillito Maps
Braillito Maps does not ask about showers. Its checklist asks what a place has, and three of its questions are the ones that decide whether you can reach the shower room at all: ramp, for a step-free way in; wide doorway, for an entrance a wheelchair fits through; and adapted restroom, for a restroom designed for people with reduced mobility. A place marked with an adapted restroom tells you that much, not whether its shower is a roll-in or a transfer one, or whether it has a seat.
So for a hotel, a gym, a pool or a beach, it pays to ask before you go:
- Is the accessible shower a roll-in shower or a transfer shower, and is the curb 1/2 inch or less?
- Is there a seat, does it fold up, and is it 17 to 19 inches high?
- Is there a hand-held shower on a long hose that you can reach from the seat?
- Which walls have grab bars, and are they free of shelves and soap dishes?
- Is the room itself big enough to turn around in, and how wide is its door?
When you add a place to Braillito Maps, answering the ramp, doorway and restroom questions saves the next person a trip to find out there is a step at the bathroom door.
Frequently asked questions
What are the ADA requirements for a shower?
In each bathing room with showers or bathtubs, at least one bathtub or shower is accessible. An accessible shower is a 36 by 36 inch transfer shower or a roll-in shower of at least 30 by 60 or 36 by 60 inches, with grab bars, a hand-held shower on a 59-inch hose, controls within reach and a threshold of 1/2 inch at most (2010 ADA Standards, 213.2, 213.3.6 and 608).
What size is an ADA shower?
A transfer shower is 36 by 36 inches (915 × 915 mm) inside. A standard roll-in shower is at least 30 by 60 inches (760 × 1525 mm), and an alternate roll-in shower at least 36 inches wide by 60 inches deep (915 × 1525 mm) (2010 ADA Standards, 608.2).
How high is an ADA shower seat?
17 to 19 inches (430–485 mm) from the bathroom floor to the top of the seat (2010 ADA Standards, 610.3).
How high do ADA shower controls go?
In a transfer shower, 38 to 48 inches (965–1220 mm) above the shower floor; in a roll-in shower, above the grab bar and no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm) (2010 ADA Standards, 608.5).
What is the maximum threshold for an ADA shower?
1/2 inch (13 mm). In an existing building, a transfer shower may keep a curb of up to 2 inches (51 mm) where a lower one would disturb the floor slab reinforcement (2010 ADA Standards, 608.7).
Does an ADA shower need a hand-held shower head?
Yes: a spray unit on a hose at least 59 inches (1500 mm) long that also works as a fixed head. Outside medical and long-term care facilities, hotel guest rooms and residential dwelling units, a fixed head no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm) is allowed instead (2010 ADA Standards, 608.6).
More accessibility guides
- ADA bathroom requirements: toilet height and position, grab bar height, sink height, stall sizes and turning space.
- ADA grab bars: grab bar height, length, diameter and wall spacing, and where the bars go at the toilet, in the shower and at the bathtub.
- ADA hotel rooms: how many accessible rooms and roll-in showers a hotel needs, rooms for deaf and hard of hearing guests, and what each room has inside.
- ADA door width: 32 inches of clear width, maneuvering space, thresholds, hardware and opening force.
- Accessible travel: your rights on flights in the US and the EU, accessible hotel rooms, and what to ask before you book.
- ADA compliance: a checklist for small businesses, with the 2010 Standards section behind each item.
- 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 6: Bathing Rooms. 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 the accessible restroom: whether there is a restroom designed for people with reduced mobility. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
Free · No ads · For iPhone