If you’re an owner of a store or any other businesses with a public building, then it’s either you’ve rented out the structure, or you completely bought it for the business. Easy as that. But as with anything existing in society, something as mundane as a door is bound with rules and regulations.

Whoever brought that door into existence followed ADA door regulations, also known as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Basically, it’s a set of rules in building different kinds of doors which will provide easy entry for disabled people, including specific measurements, handles, latches, and wheelchair-accessible ramps.

At this point you may be wondering, what does this mean to you? Well, as business owners, you’re going to need to maintain every part of your building, including your door.

When it suddenly breaks though, and you decide to fix it up yourself using your storage toolbox and DIY methods, you may be at risk of halting your operations even further by affixing the wrong handle or getting your measurements wrong.

It suddenly means a lot, does it? Hiring a professional door replacement and ADA door operator company usually does the trick, with their technicians being trained in accordance to the ADA regulations.

But having some knowledge about this would take off a lot of burden later on, so here are 3 things to know on ADA door operator in Chicago.

1. The ADA applies to almost every building

The law was signed sometime in the 1990’s and requires every building constructed after that time to follow ADA rules. Although some structures such as museums and libraries could possibly be exempted (as they are usually built way before the 1990’s), modern commercial and residential buildings, even government-owned structures, should be accessible for people with disabilities.

This means that you should always consult your door repair specialist for any necessary upgrades in making your renovation plans, considering ADA-approved locks and handles and having accessible entry points.

2. The ADA provides accessibility through specific guidelines

Whether the doors are located in the exterior or interior entry to different areas of the structure, they must all be ADA-compliant. Authorized entry points and doors with automatic entry locks aren’t free from the rules (in fact, it’s stated that automatic locks should have ample space around the area for when the door opens).

ADA door operators will usually work around door specifications, such as a minimum of a 32-inch width and an 80-inch height door entryway, a weight that requires no more than 5 pounds of pressure to open, and a doorway threshold that’s not higher than half an inch.

There are more measurements, but your technician should know that and would automatically take it into consideration when creating the blueprint for your door installation and replacement.

3. It also addresses different door hardware

Except for automatic doors, other details such as locks, handles, latches, and pulls are also required to be designed as easy-to-use as possible for people with disabilities. It’s stated that people should be able to open the door with one hand, without much twisting and pinching, and must be installed 48 inches from the ground.

The timing of the door shutting within 3 inches of a latch must not be less than 3 seconds. When it comes to keys and cards though, it may or may not be applied depending on your location, so make sure to discuss with your chosen door repair company on what’s best for your building. Again, the experts should be able to remind you about these, especially if you opt to have a customized door as a new replacement.

Atlas Door Repair, aside from being a trusted commercial door installation and replacement company in Chicago for years now, is also a proud ADA door operator and makes sure none of the doors we install are not ADA-compliant. We train each of our professional handymen about these regulations in order to produce and repair ADA-certified doors. And maybe you should save us in your contacts now in case you’ll be needing this ADA knowledge soon.

Call us now (866) 471-2542!