We’ve gone over these guidelines to ADA compliant signage in many past blogs, but we figured that it would be helpful to have all the ADA sign guidelines available in one place! The following details the main ADA regulations and sign design guidelines to follow. If you’re looking to get your ADA compliant signs made today, request a quote here and we will send you a fast and free estimate!
Ten Rules for Room-Identifying Signs
- Signs that identify a room, space or area shall have raised characters and braille.
- Signs shall have a non-glare finish with contrasting colors.
- Pictograms shall be in their own 6” high field. Add the ISA symbol if accessible.
- Characters shall be Sans Serif and all Uppercase.
- Characters must be between 5/8” and 2” tall with a minimum of 1/8” spacing between letters.
- Fonts must be ADA compliant. Not too bold, condensed, italic, or ornate.
- 3/8” minimum margin is required around all raised elements including braille.
- 1” high space is required for one line of braille.
- Braille shall be all together and 3/8” to ½” below the last line of text.
- ADA signs are required for both public access areas and all employee areas.
ADA Sign Types
The four main types of signs regulated by ADA standards are identification, informational, directional, and overhead signs. The following table shows the different requirements for each type of sign.
|
|
Identification Signs that identify a room, space or area. |
Informational
Signs that provide information about a room, space or area. |
Directional
Signs that provide direction to a room, space or area. |
Overhead Signs Wall, ceiling and projection type signs mounted overhead. |
| Sign Finish | Non-glare | Non-glare | Non-glare | Non-glare |
| Sign Colors | High-contrasting colors | High-contrasting colors | High-contrasting colors | High-contrasting colors |
| Braille Required | Yes | No | No | No |
| Raised Lettering | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lettering Font | Sans Serif | Simple or Sans Serif | Simple or Sans Serif | Simple or Sans Serif |
| Lettering Height | 5/8” – 2” | Min. 5/8” | Min. 5/8” | Min. 2” |
| Letter Case | All Uppercase | Upper and/or Lower | Upper and/or Lower | Upper and/or Lower |
| Pictograms | Yes | No | No | No |
| Line Spacing | 35% – 70% of letter height | 35% – 70% of letter height | 35% – 70% of letter height | 35% – 70% of letter height |
| Letter Spacing | 1/8” – 4x of stroke | 10% – 35% of stroke | 10% – 35% of stroke | 10% – 35% of stroke |
| Letter Stroke | 15% max. of stroke | 10% – 30% of stroke | 10% – 30% of stroke | 10% – 30% of stroke |
Mounting Regulations for ADA signs
Below is a visual guide showing ADA sign mounting regulations. It’s always a good idea to double-check with your local government and building inspector before installing ADA signs.
Braille Requirements
The ADA requirements for braille are shown below.
- Shall be domed-shaped and precisely sized and spaced.
- Must be Grade II Braille (contracted, abbreviated).
- Shall be 3/8″ to 1/2″ underneath raised characters.
- For multi-line signs, braille must be grouped together below the last line of raised text.
- Braille should be in lowercase (except for proper names, acronyms, and letters as part of a number.
