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Elevator Requirements for Buildings

Elevators and ADA Compliance

Elevator requirements for buildings in the Boston area, as well as other cities and locations across New England, can be somewhat ambiguous. For architects and designers, however, ADA compliance—that is, compliance with guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act—is required for all buildings over three stories tall, or with more than 3,000 square feet per floor.

ADA regulations for elevators were put in place to ensure that building elevator systems are safe and easily accessible for handicapped persons, as well as the vision and hearing impaired. Among a comprehensive list of necessities, ADA elevator requirements for buildings include:

  • Audible signals that sound once for the up direction, and twice for the down direction. Alternatively, verbal annunciators that indicate the direction of the car’s travel.
  • Floor designations on both jambs of the hoistway entrance, provided in tactile characters as well as braille.
  • Elevator hall and car buttons must be mounted at a specific height.
  • Elevator cab must have handrails at a specific height.
  • Two-way communicators within the cab accessible and useable by vision and hearing impaired persons.

Many of the building elevator requirements have exceptions, which can make the ADA compliance regulations difficult to navigate. In the early stages of building design or planning and don’t know where to begin? Call the experts at Stanley Elevator. We can help.

Need Help with Elevator Requirements for Your Building?

Let us guide you through building elevator requirements and the ADA compliance codes. From Boston to Bangor and beyond, Stanley Elevator is New England’s trusted and local leaders in elevator installation, maintenance, modernization, and repair since our first project in 1951. Contact us today.