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Increase Your Customer Base: Making your business accessible opens your doors to the 25% of adults who live with a disability, plus their friends and family. |
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Avoid Lawsuits: Non-compliance can lead to significant legal fees and statutory damages (often starting at $4,000 per violation in California). |
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Readily Achievable Barrier Removal: The ADA requires businesses to remove architectural barriers in existing buildings when it is "readily achievable" (i.e., easy to accomplish without much difficulty or expense). This is an ongoing obligation. |
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Certified Access Specialist (CASp): A CASp report provides a detailed compliance roadmap and offers certain legal benefits if a lawsuit is filed. |
Community Development
The City of Long Beach is committed to being a welcoming and accessible community for everyone. This resource page provides business owners, architects and contractors with the information, tools and links needed to understand and implement federal (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act) and state (e.g., California Building Code) accessibility standards.
Understanding the Law: The Two Layers of Accessibility
Businesses in California must comply with both the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Building Code (CBC). Ensuring accessibility is not only a legal requirement but also good for business and vital for the community.
The Rule of Thumb: Where federal and state standards differ, designers and builders must follow the one that provides greater accessibility.
- Federal Law: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design sets the minimum design requirements nationwide and focuses on ensuring equal access to public accommodations, and commercial facilities.
- State Law: The California Building Code (CBC), Title 24. California has its own detailed accessibility requirements, found primarily in Chapter 11B of the CBC. These state standards are often more stringent than the federal ADA standards.
The Rule of Thumb: Where federal and state standards differ, designers and builders must follow the one that provides greater accessibility.
Business Owners: Why Compliance Matters
Architects, Designers & Contractors: Key Technical Resources
As architects and design professionals, our work shapes the built environment and directly impacts how people experience and interact with the world. Ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not only a legal requirement—it’s a fundamental aspect of inclusive, responsible design.
- Primary Design Manual: All new construction and alterations must comply with the 2022 California Building Code (CBC), Chapter 11B. This is the controlling document for design and construction in California.
- Federal Standards as a Baseline: While the CBC is the primary guide, designers should still be familiar with the 2010 ADA Standards to understand the federal baseline and ensure no requirement is missed.
Common Areas of Focus:
- Accessible Parking & Routes
- Entrances & Doorways (e.g., clearances, thresholds, hardware)
- Restroom Layouts (e.g., clear floor space, grab bars, fixture heights)
- Sales & Service Counters
- Signage (e.g., Braille, mounting height, finish/contrast)
Resource Library
