ADA Bathroom Requirements for 2025
Making sure your buildings are accessible for all people isn’t optional for public and commercial facilities. And though the types of rooms different buildings have aren’t always the same, nearly all of them will have restrooms that need to comply with federal law.
While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements apply to both multi-user and single-user commercial bathrooms, how you use the space you have in order to meet those regulations for bathroom plumbing can vary.
Learn the regulations on ADA bathroom requirements in 2025 to make sure you’re up to date on all components.
What ADA bathrooms require
Any new construction or alterations after March 15, 2012, must comply with the 2010 ADA design standards, with few exceptions. As builders know, ADA bathroom requirements go beyond finding the right type of compliant toilet.
Key ADA components to keep in mind for accessible restrooms include the following:
Turning space
Doorway width and door handles
Sink and toilet height
Flush valve height and maneuverability
Toe and knee clearance space
Rear and side wall grab bars
Dispenser placement for toilet paper, soap and paper towels or hand dryers
Signs and placards
ADA restroom dimensions
The guidelines don’t set dimensions that a restroom or stall size must be to meet regulations, but by understanding what ADA bathroom requirements include, builders can calculate a minimum size.
Those requirements center on turning space that is clear of fixtures, accessible doors and handles, grab bars, and clearance space for toes and knees. Learn more about each of these.
Turning space for users
The restroom must allow for a turning space in the shape of either a circle with a diameter of at least 60" or a T within a minimum of 60 square inches. Knee and toe clearance should also be permitted within the space.
Within this turning space, the floor must remain level. Other fixtures in the restroom have their own clearance requirements, and those clearances are allowed to “overlap” with the turning space clearance. Fixtures themselves can’t encroach upon the minimum turning space.
In a single-user bathroom, meeting or exceeding that turning space requirement around the water closet is relatively straightforward. For a multiple-user restroom, room to maneuver with space for toe and knee clearance may need more planning for the accessible toilet stall as well as the entry to the restroom.
Bathroom doorway requirements
To meet ADA requirements, doors to restrooms have to be at least 32" wide, measured when the door is open to 90 degrees. If the doorway opening is more than 2' deep, that minimum width increases to 36".
In multi-user restrooms with stalls, the water closet door will typically swing out so as not to impede those minimum turning space requirements.
Door handles must allow for a user to operate them with one hand without needing to tightly grasp, pinch or twist the wrist, and the user must not be required to use more than 5 pounds of force.
ADA grab bar height requirements
Rear and side grab bars are required for bathrooms in commercial buildings and essential when private homeowners want to be compliant. Grab bars have a few exceptions attached to their usage. For example, if clearance is needed for flush control accessibility, grab bars can be split or shifted.
To meet ADA grab bar height requirements, they must be 33"-36" above the finished floor.
Side wall grab bars must be located no more than 12" from the rear wall and must extend no less than 54". The side grab bar must be at least 42" long.
With a few exceptions for space and flush valves, rear wall grab bars need to extend at least 12" on one side and 24" on the other side to allow support while maneuvering for the restroom user. The rear grab bar must be at least 36" long.
Toilet paper dispenser height specifications
Dispensers for toilet paper and toilet seat covers follow the same requirements, but measurements are slightly different depending on if you install below or above the side grab bar.
Below the side grab bar, install the toilet paper dispenser so that the outlet is between 14"-19" above the floor, with the centerline of the dispenser between 7"-9" from the toilet. Dispensers must have at least 1.5" of clearance space below grab bars.
Above the side grab bar, the toilet paper dispenser outlet can be no more than 48" above the floor, and the grab bar gripping surface must also be between 33" and 36" above the floor.
In both cases, make sure that dispensers allow toilet paper to flow unimpeded without controlling delivery.
ADA sink height
To comply with ADA standards, the front of the surface or higher part of the rim sink height can be no more than 34" above the finished floor. The gap between the floor and the bottom of the mounting surface must allow for free movement—a gap of at least 27".
If there will be exposed pipes in the restroom, protect users from injury by making sure that they’re insulated to prevent burns and they don’t have sharp or abrasive surfaces.
The product details of ADA compliant bathroom sinks will provide information about proper installation to meet requirements.
Soap and paper towel dispenser placement guidance
Section 308, reach ranges, of the ADA standards covers placement of fixtures and dispensers for handwashing areas. Dimension requirements for soap dispensers, faucets, and paper towels or touch-free hand dryers depend on whether the user has an unobstructed forward reach or obstructed high forward reach.
If there is an unobstructed forward reach, place these fixtures no lower than 15" from the ground and no higher than 48".
Requirements for an obstructed high forward reach vary depending on reach depth, which cannot exceed 25". If reach depth is up to or including 20", the high forward reach can’t be higher than 48". If the reach depth is more than 20", the high forward reach can’t exceed 44".
Faucets also can’t obstruct the gap for sink height. Learn more about how to choose ADA compliant faucets.
Mirrors
If you plan to install mirrors above counters or sinks, the lowest edge of the mirror’s reflective surface can be no more than 40" above the floor.
If you decide to install a single, full-length mirror on a wall away from counters or sinks, that lowest edge can be no more than 35" above the floor, and the top edge should be at least 74" above the floor.
While tilting the mirrors isn’t required, it’s helpful to do so.
ADA bathroom signs
Because bathrooms are usually considered “permanent rooms,” you’ll need to ensure they’re identified with appropriate ADA signage. This means text should be written both visually and tactilely, either in one sign or in two separate signs.
Text must be written in all uppercase and characters must raise at least 1/32" above the background of the sign. There is also ADA guidance on the height and font of raised letters: specifically sans serif font and letter height must be between 5/8" and 2".
Visual or tactile characters should not be in images, or pictograms, on the bathroom sign. In addition, the pictogram must be at least 6" tall.
ADA bathroom layout options
With the ADA design standards and the details above on clearance space, obstructions and more, you can start creating different options for your ADA bathroom layout.
A single-user bathroom layout allows more freedom with placement of fixtures and plumbing as long as it meets those requirements.
When designing an ADA bathroom layout for a restroom with multiple stalls, you could choose to include a sink and soap and paper towel dispenser or hand dryer inside that stall if you have enough space. Depending on the percentage of accessible water closets you need for the building occupants, that could meet the requirements for the restroom.
If there isn’t space to include handwashing inside the stall, at least one of the countertops, sinks and mirrors for the restroom’s occupants should meet ADA requirements.
Ferguson can help with commercial bathroom plumbing
We offer a broad range of in-stock plumbing supplies, equipment and tools so you can finish every job. Explore all bathroom plumbing available at Ferguson.