Tactile Sign Mounting Height and Location (2010 ADA Standards 703.4)
It reads like a range and it is not one: 48 in minimum is measured from the baseline of the LOWEST tactile character and 60 in maximum from the baseline of the HIGHEST, so a tall sign has a usable window far narrower than 12 in -- a 4 in tactile block leaves 8 in of latitude, and a block over 12 in tall cannot be mounted compliantly at any height. The sign goes ALONGSIDE the door at the latch side, not on the leaf, because a reader has to stand still while the door stays shut. And the 18 x 18 in clear floor space must sit beyond the door swing arc, which rules out the wall a door swings back against.
Formula and source
the lowest tactile baseline must be 48 in minimum and the highest 60 in maximum above the finish floor, so for a tactile block h in tall the lowest baseline may sit between 48 in and (60 - h) in, giving a usable window of (12 - h) in; a block taller than 12 in cannot be mounted compliantly at any height. Clear floor space 18 in by 18 in minimum, centered on the tactile characters, beyond the arc of any door swing between closed and 45 degrees open.
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, 703.4.1 and 703.4.2. A US federal standard in the public domain, quoted directly.
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