Door Maneuvering Clearance, Front Approach (ADA 404.2.4.1)
The clearance a plan set gets wrong most often, because it is ASYMMETRIC. Front approach, PULL side: 18 in of clear wall BEYOND THE LATCH SIDE and 60 in out from the door. Front approach, PUSH side with no closer and no latch: just the door width and 48 in out. Same door, opposite faces -- 20.8 sq ft against 10.7, nearly a factor of two -- so a layout that clears on the push side tells you nothing about the pull side. The latch-side strip is the part people forget, because it is empty WALL rather than door, and it is exactly where a corner, a corridor, a vanity, or a light switch kills a legal opening; leaving the common 12 in is 6 in short. Front approach only: hinge- and latch-side approaches and the addition for a door with BOTH a closer and a latch are in Table 404.2.4.1 and are not reproduced.
Formula and source
pull side: required depth 60 in perpendicular to the doorway AND 18 in clear beyond the latch side; push side with no closer and no latch: required depth 48 in and no latch-side strip. Footprint = required depth x (door clear width + required latch-side clearance).
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design 404.2.4.1, front approach at manual swinging doors and gates - maneuvering space on the pull side extending 18 in minimum beyond the latch side and 60 in minimum perpendicular to the doorway, and on the push side of doors not equipped with a closer or latch, space the same width as the door opening extending 48 in minimum perpendicular to the doorway.
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