Building Standards & Requirements

For compliance with both federal law and moral responsibility, there is a need to make buildings accessible. To meet this need, building designers, architects, and other professionals come across two particular standards, often referred to as “ANSI” or “ADA.” These are both brought up frequently to ANSI Customer Service. In short, these refer to the American National Standard ICC A117.1-2017 (also known as ANSI A117.1) and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. This blog post exists to clarify these two concepts and direct readers to the information they need.

Read more at the ANSI Blog: ANSI A117.1 vs. ADA Guidelines for Accessible Design, June 14, 2023 https://blog.ansi.org/?p=176224

International Building Code (IBC)

The IBC is used or adopted by 50 states.

Chapter 11 of the International Building Code addresses accessible design and construction of facilities for physically disabled persons. Chapter 11 is developed by the ANSI A117.1 committee. This A117.1 standard is a recognized accessibility standard that provides the technical criteria which must be met in order to accomplish the required level of accessibility. When sites, facilities, buildings and elements are built to the specifications in the A117.1 they become usable by people with disabilities.

A117.1 is comprised of 11 chapters and it is chapter 7, section 706 that specifically deals with Assistive listening systems. Section A117.1 is a scoping free document. In other words, it has no triggers telling the user when to apply the specific criteria, that is what the ADA standard does.

It is important to know that section 706 of the ANSI A117.1 Standard is not Section 706 of the 2010 ADA Standards.    Section 706 of the ADA standards has not been changed.  When states adopted the new A117.1 building code, the IBC code will be more stringent than the ADA standards.

Section 706.3 “Induction loop systems. Where induction hearing loop systems are provided, they shall comply with IEC-60118-4 as listed in Section 106.22″ 2017 ICC A117.1 With Supplement 1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Applicability under section 102.2

2013 by Juliette Sterkens, AuD. “Helping People with Hearing Loss Hear in Public Places The ADA and ANSI A117.1” (3 pages, pdf)

Architectural Barriers Act/GSA

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is committed to implementing the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA). To do so, the agency constructs new facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities and incorporates the most current accessible-design requirements into its alterations of existing buildings. It also leases accessible facilities. GSA takes pride in accommodating all Americans.

National Accessibility Program

State Resources

Legislation summary. States that mandate counseling hearing patients about telecoils in hearing instruments, assistive listening systems or building standards.

A few websites, but incomplete. Please email us to let us know about other state links.