Confirm whether the facility is covered by Title II or Title III of the ADA and whether the work is new construction or an alteration. Then trace the routes, entrances, rooms, and elements the scoping requires through the plans, elevations, schedules, and details. A building permit does not establish ADA compliance; the design team and owner remain responsible.
What do the 2010 ADA Standards cover?
The Department of Justice states that the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set minimum requirements, both scoping and technical, for newly designed and constructed or altered state and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities. They apply under Title II (state and local governments) and Title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities), and DOJ states that new construction and alterations beginning on or after March 15, 2012 must use the 2010 Standards.
DOJ publishes the Standards and its guidance as free PDFs on ADA.gov, checked October 5, 2026. The U.S. Access Board’s guide to the Standards states that they are based on the Board’s guidelines, that they are not a building code and are not enforced like one, and that an occupancy permit does not ensure ADA compliance. It also describes the guidelines as harmonized to a significant extent with the IBC, whose technical reference, ICC A117.1, is highly consistent with the Standards’ technical chapters.
Because both apply, many projects are reviewed against the adopted building code’s accessibility provisions and the ADA Standards together. The ICC A117.1 guide covers the building code side, and the accessibility checklist is the working log. Housing can carry separate federal design requirements under the Fair Housing Act.
Gather the route from arrival to each element
Collect the site plan with accessible parking and the route from arrival points, the floor plans and accessible route plan, enlarged toilet, kitchen, and seating plans, interior elevations, door and hardware schedules, fixture and accessory schedules, signage drawings, and the specifications. For an alteration, add the existing conditions and the area of work, since an alteration raises questions about the route to the altered area.
Record who owns or operates the facility and how it is used. Title II and Title III coverage depends on those facts, which the drawings alone do not show.
Trace the route through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Project description, owner and use information, code analysis | Record whether Title II or Title III applies and who confirmed it. |
| New work or alteration | Scope of work, existing conditions, demolition plans | Define the altered area and any route to it that needs review. |
| Arrival and parking | Site plan, civil grading, parking layout, signage | Trace accessible parking and the route to the entrance across civil and architectural sheets. |
| Entrances and routes | Floor plans, door schedule, accessible route plan | Follow the route through doors and level changes and match each to the schedules. |
| Rooms and elements | Enlarged plans, elevations, fixture and accessory schedules | Reconcile mounting heights, clear spaces, and arrangements across sources. |
| Seating and service areas | Seating plans, counters, sales and service areas | Identify spaces the scoping addresses that have no enlarged plan or detail. |
Check ramp slopes with the ADA ramp slope calculator and alteration corrections with accessible path of travel for alterations. Texas projects may also need the Texas Accessibility Standards listed on the Texas page.
Example: the accessible parking moved but the route did not
Hypothetical example. A revised civil site plan moves the accessible parking spaces to the other side of the building entrance. The architectural site plan and the accessible route plan still show the earlier location and a curb ramp that no longer lines up with the spaces.
The civil site plan shows the accessible parking east of the entrance, while the architectural site plan and accessible route plan show it to the west with a curb ramp at the earlier location. Please confirm the parking location and coordinate the route, curb ramp, and signage.
The design team coordinates the civil and architectural sheets and confirms the route. Whether the result meets the 2010 Standards is the design team’s and owner’s responsibility.
Review ADA coordination with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Groundbook reads codes and standards that governments publish online, including the 2010 ADA Standards on ADA.gov, and you can also add the PDF as a Code file. Add the building code accessibility provisions the jurisdiction adopts. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the site plan, civil grading and parking, accessible route plan, floor plans, enlarged plans, interior elevations, door, hardware, fixture, and accessory schedules, and signage drawings. Flag routes that do not connect between sheets, elements whose locations or heights conflict, and spaces with no enlarged plan. Use the supplied 2010 ADA Standards and the adopted building code accessibility provisions, and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved. Coverage under Title II or Title III, and any exception the design relies on, are decisions for the design team and owner.
Document review does not certify ADA compliance, survey the site, or replace an accessibility specialist or legal advice.