Under the ADA, a swinging door on an accessible route must give at least 32 inches of unobstructed clear width and a defined patch of floor space on each side so a person using a wheelchair can pull up, work the handle, and roll through without help. Those two dimensions are the core of the ADA door swing clearance requirements, but the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design also fix the hardware height, the force needed to open the door, how fast it can close, and how high the threshold can sit. Miss any one of them and the door is not compliant, even if the opening itself measures correctly.
The 32-Inch Clear Opening
Clear width is measured between the face of the open door and the opposite stop, with the door standing at 90 degrees. The minimum is 32 inches. If the doorway sits inside a recess deeper than 24 inches, the required clear width rises to 36 inches because the approach angle tightens.
Two projection rules keep that opening honest. Below 34 inches from the floor, nothing may intrude into the opening at all. Between 34 and 80 inches above the floor, hinges, closers, and similar hardware may project up to 4 inches. The lower cutoff exists because wheelchair armrests and side guards ride around the 34-inch line, and anything protruding there would catch on them.
Maneuvering Clearance on Each Side of the Door
Clear width tells you whether the wheelchair fits through. Maneuvering clearance tells you whether the person can actually work the door from a seated position. Standard 404.2.4 sets minimum rectangles of clear floor space based on three things: which direction the user approaches from, which side of the door they are on, and whether the door has a closer, a latch, or both.
For a head-on approach on the pull side, the most common case, the floor space must be at least 60 inches deep measured perpendicular to the doorway and must extend at least 18 inches past the latch side of the door. That 18-inch strip is what lets someone sit next to the latch, reach across, and pull the door open without sitting in its swing.
The other approach directions have their own dimensions from Table 404.2.4.1:
- Front approach, push side: 48 inches deep, no latch-side extension needed. If the door has both a closer and a latch, add 12 inches beyond the latch side.
- Hinge-side approach, pull side: either 60 inches deep with 36 inches beyond the latch, or 54 inches deep with 42 inches beyond the latch.
- Hinge-side approach, push side: 42 inches deep with 22 inches beyond the hinge side. Add 6 inches to the depth if the door has both a closer and a latch.
- Latch-side approach, pull side: 48 inches deep with 24 inches beyond the latch. Add 6 inches to the depth if a closer is present.
- Latch-side approach, push side: 42 inches deep with 24 inches beyond the latch. Add 6 inches to the depth if a closer is present.
These rectangles have to stay empty. No planters, trash cans, benches, display racks, or structural columns can sit inside them. The floor slope within the zone cannot exceed 1:48 in any direction, and changes in level are not allowed except for compliant thresholds. A single piece of furniture pushed into the zone can make the door unusable, and inspectors check the footprint carefully.
Doors in Series
Vestibules and airlocks put two doors close together, and a wheelchair user has to clear the first before opening the second. Standard 404.2.6 requires at least 48 inches of clear space between the two doors, plus the width of any door that swings into that space. If one door is 36 inches wide and swings inward, the total separation between the door faces has to be at least 84 inches. If both doors swing inward, both widths get added to the 48-inch base.
Hardware: What It Is and Where It Sits
Standard 404.2.7 requires handles, pulls, latches, and locks to sit between 34 and 48 inches above the finished floor. That range keeps them within reach of a seated user without forcing a standing user to stoop.
The hardware itself has to work with one hand and cannot demand tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. Lever handles, push bars, and panic hardware all qualify. Traditional round doorknobs do not, because turning them requires a grip many people with limited hand strength cannot produce. No operable part of the hardware may require more than 5 pounds of force to activate.
Opening Force and Closing Speed
Interior hinged doors cannot require more than 5 pounds of continuous force to swing open. That measurement is the steady force needed to move the door through its arc, taken with the latch bolt retracted, not the initial push against air pressure. Two exceptions matter. Exterior hinged doors have no maximum opening force set by the standards. Fire doors follow the minimum force allowed by the applicable fire code rather than the 5-pound cap.
Closing speed is regulated separately. A door with a closer must take at least 5 seconds to travel from fully open at 90 degrees down to 12 degrees. A door with spring hinges instead of a closer must take at least 1.5 seconds to move from 70 degrees to fully closed. These minimums give a wheelchair user time to pass through without racing the door.
Thresholds and Floor Surfaces
In new construction, thresholds cannot exceed half an inch in height. Anything above a quarter inch must be beveled at a slope no steeper than 1:2. In existing or altered construction, the maximum rises to three-quarters of an inch, provided both sides are beveled at 1:2 or less. The threshold rule applies to every door required to be accessible, sliding doors included. Even a small unbeveled lip can stop a caster wheel or catch a walker leg.
Floor surfaces inside the maneuvering zones must be stable, firm, and slip-resistant. Carpet has to be securely attached with a firm cushion or backing, and its pile cannot exceed half an inch measured to the backing. Thick or loose carpet absorbs the energy of a wheelchair push, which matters when the user also has to pull a heavy door.
Vertical changes in level up to a quarter inch can be left as they are. Between a quarter inch and half an inch, they must be beveled at 1:2 or shallower. Anything above half an inch has to be treated as a ramp.
Automatic and Power-Assisted Doors as an Alternative
The 32-inch clear width applies to automatic and power-assisted doors in both power-on and power-off modes. Full-powered automatic doors must comply with ANSI/BHMA A156.10, and low-energy or power-assisted models must meet ANSI/BHMA A156.19. Where an automatic door without standby power is part of an emergency exit, it must provide at least a 32-inch clear break-out opening in emergency mode. Automatic doors are not required to meet the manual maneuvering-clearance dimensions in Table 404.2.4.1, which is one of the main accessibility advantages of installing them.
What Non-Compliance Costs
The Department of Justice adjusts ADA civil penalties for inflation each year. As of the 2025 adjustment, a first Title III violation carries a maximum civil penalty of $118,225, and each subsequent violation can reach $236,451. These apply to public accommodations and commercial facilities: restaurants, retail stores, medical offices, hotels, and similar businesses open to the public.
Tax Benefits for Fixing a Non-Compliant Door
Two federal tax provisions offset the cost of accessibility work. The Section 44 Disabled Access Credit gives eligible small businesses a credit equal to 50 percent of qualifying access spending between $250 and $10,250, for a maximum credit of $5,000 per year. To qualify, a business must have had gross revenue of $1 million or less in the prior tax year, or 30 or fewer full-time employees. The Section 190 Architectural Barrier Removal Deduction is open to businesses of any size and allows up to $15,000 per year for expenses incurred removing architectural and transportation barriers. A business can use both benefits in the same year, but not on the same dollar of spending.