Personally, I think architects like pocket doors way too much but that’s the cool thing about a blog…I get to tell everyone what I think. 😉 If you decide to use a pocket door on an opening that is required to be accessible, here’s what you need to know:
According to the accessibility standards, the hardware has to be exposed and usable from both sides when the door is fully open. Flush pulls and edge pulls are not considered usable for someone with a disability, so surface-mounted door pulls must be used. These surface-mounted pulls will prevent the door from sliding fully into the pocket, so the minimum clear width of 32″ must be maintained between the edge of the door in its slightly-open position, and the opposite jamb.
Here’s the text from ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003:
404.2.6 Door Hardware. Handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other operable parts on accessible doors shall have a shape that is easy to grasp with one hand and does not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist to operate. Operable parts of such hardware shall be 34 inches* (865 mm) minimum and 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum above the floor. Where sliding doors are in the fully open position, operating hardware shall be exposed and usable from both sides.
The 2010 ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines are similar:
404.2.7 Door and Gate Hardware. Handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other operable parts on doors and gates shall comply with 309.4. Operable parts of such hardware shall be 34 inches* (865 mm) minimum and 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum above the finish floor or ground. Where sliding doors are in the fully open position, operating hardware shall be exposed and usable from both sides.
*Note: Massachusetts 521 CMR requires that the operating hardware be installed between 36″ and 48″ above the floor.
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Question…the house I moved to has several pocket doors including my bedroom. I keep the door open an inch or two as I can’t use the little stick your finger in opener. Are there any handles you can add to the door . It might not open all the way but that would be fine. At least I could close the door at night and open it to use the bathroom.
Hi Cathleen –
You can add a surface-mounted pull to the face of the door on each side – just be careful to make sure you have enough clear opening width with the door not sliding all the way into the pocket.
– Lori
Question… For an ADA compliance sliding pocket door, can I purchase a standard 32″ pocket door framing (66″ rough opening) and a 32″ door? Will the final passage opening be 32″ or will it be less?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Andrea –
Since sliding door hardware has to be accessible and usable from both sides of the opening, that usually means that the pocket door can not slide all the way into the pocket. With the door projecting out of the pocket to accommodate the surface-mounted hardware, you need to start with a kit larger than 32 inches in order to end up with a 32-inch clear opening.
– Lori
I stumbled across this while looking for something else, but anyway… I think your interpretation appears to be incorrect, based on the text/code section provided:
“Where sliding doors are in the fully open position, operating hardware shall be exposed and usable from both sides.”
Here’s why: when closed, the exterior handles are accessible from both sides of the doorway. When the doors are fully open, the pull located on the edge of the door is accessible from either side of the doorway. “Sides” would seem to refer to the sides of the OPENING just as much as it refers to the faces of the door.
Anyway, I’m going to research the matter further, as I’m currently renovating an apartment and would like it to be as accessible as possible. It’s 100 years old and there’s pretty limited space to enlarge doorways anyway, so a pocket door would seem to be more accessible for some of the tighter bathrooms/corners because it is physically out of the way. (Not sure how anyone in a wheelchair would even be able to close the bathroom door once inside in it’s current configuration)
The issue is that most edge pulls are not considered accessible.
– Lori
Do pocket doors need to be square, or can they be beveled?
Hi Marisol –
They usually have square edges because with a beveled edge there would be a gap on one side of the door and it would look a little odd.
– Lori
Is there an ADA code for California regarding the opening force of pocket doors? I have some really heavy 9′ pocket doors on a multi-family project and the super is saying the pocket doors are too heavy to pull open and they don’t meet ADA code….but I’ve never heard of pocket doors needing to meet a certain opening force for ADA. My pull handles are within the correct ADA height and I have 32″ clearance when the door is open….
Thoughts?
Hi Jolene –
A sliding pocket door would need to meet the opening force requirements for sliding doors. Here’s where that is found in the accessibility chapter of the California Building Code:
11B-404.2.9 Door and gate opening force. The force for pushing or pulling open a door or gate shall be as follows:
1. Interior hinged doors and gates: 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.
2. Sliding or folding doors: 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.
3. Required fire doors: the minimum opening force allowable by the appropriate administrative authority, not to exceed 15 pounds (66.7 N).
4. Exterior hinged doors: 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.
These forces do not apply to the force required to retract latch bolts or disengage other devices that hold the door or gate in a closed position.
– Lori