ADA Signs

AMERICAN-MADE ADA COMPLIANT SIGNS

Sign Zone LA is a well-known source for American-made ADA Compliant Signs and Handicap Parking Signs. We manufacture and distribute ADA Signage and ADA Products in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Sign Zone is a trusted source for companies, property managers, schools, and government agencies to get guidance about and buy custom ADA-compliant signs, handicap parking signs, and restroom signs.  General contractors and subcontractors, building and property owners and managers, small and larger businesses, retail stores, restaurants, offices, schools, universities, municipalities, and government agencies have purchased ADA signs & ADA-compliant signs from Sign Zone.

Plus, as a known expert, contractors and other signage companies often ask Sign Zone to consult and fix mistakes cited by regulatory agencies in the design/installation of their ADA and Braille signs. 

PENALTIES FOR ADA NON-COMPLIANCE: 

Although building owners are ultimately responsible for meeting ADA regulations, architects, interior designers, sign companies and construction professionals need to understand and integrate into their designs US accessibility requirements.

Federal Penalties for Non-Compliance are Expensive!

  • Up to $75,000 for first offense 
  • Up to $150,000 for subsequent penalties.

In addition, there are civil lawsuits filed for non-compliance as well as punitive fines from local/state entities as well.

Sign Zone LA is a well-known expert in ADA/Braille Signage Printing and Installation Requirements  

Make sure and call us today!

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Sign Zone LA can take your graphics and convert them into ADA-compliant/Braille sign designs, design signs for you from scratch and/or fix mistakes often cited by building and regulatory authorities.   Our expertise in ADA signage, specialized software, and equipment, enable us to provide this valuable service and manufacture signs that are compliant and meet even the rigorous California’s requirements!  

WHERE ARE ADA SIGNS REQUIRED? Interior ADA signs are required at every doorway in all U.S. public buildings, including businesses, apartments, offices and even home businesses with visiting clients or employees.  The size of an establishment does not provide an exemption from federal regulations. If you own or manage a small business or building and have employees, clients, or customers, you must comply with federal ADA signage law. Only prisons and buildings eligible for the National Register of Historic Places do not need to comply with the ADA sign law. 

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WHAT IS ADA SIGNAGE? 

The acronym ADA refers to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA-compliant signage and braille signs must meet requirements established by the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (SAD).

“ADA signage refers to signs marking building rooms, spaces, or features as required by U.S. federal law. In 1990 the Department of Justice published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to prohibit discrimination against those with disabilities.

While not all signage is regulated by the ADA, many building signs are covered by federal regulations with the purpose:

  • To identify permanent interior office rooms and spaces
  • To provide direction to or information about permanent interior building spaces
  • To identify, direct to or inform about accessible features via the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA or person in a wheelchair pictogram) and other required accessibility symbols

ADA Signs are not simply signs in braille. Signs with braille and raised characters are the most visible manifestation of required access to the built environment, but sign standards in ADA Accessibility Guidelines require much more than just braille and raised characters on some signs.

Almost every sign that is considered an architectural sign must comply with ADA Guidelines including signs that: 

  • Identify a permanent room or space of a facility, including exits
  • Directs or informs about functional spaces of the facility
  • Identifies, directs to, and informs about accessible features of the facility
ADA SIGN TYPEIDENTIFICATIONDIRECTIONAL & INFORMATIONAL
Visual Character RequirementsFont, size & contrast requirements applFont, size & contrast requirements apply
Contrast RequirementsHigh contrast is required between the background & all content except brailleHigh contrast is required between the background & all content except braille
Pictograms RequiredSometimesNo
Tactile Characters RequiredYesNo
Finish RequirementsNon-GlareNon-Glare
PurposeIdentifies a permanent room, space, or featureProvides info about permanent room, space, or feature
Most Common MistakeMissing SignsWrong font or contrast
Mounting RequirementsYesYes

BRAILLE SIGNAGE

Oftentimes people misconstrue ADA signage as simply braille signage.  Although related, “Braille signage” refers to tactile ADA signs that can be read by the blind and visually impaired. 

Tactile ADA braille signs are legally required to mark all permanent building rooms or spaces in U.S. public and commercial buildings. The terms “braille sign”, “tactile sign”, “accessibility signs”, and “accessible signage” refer to interior ADA signs and exterior signs that include raised letters and braille.  

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ADA SIGN REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO:

  • State, county, and local government facilities
  • Public accommodations and commercial facilities, including:
    • Stores and shops
    • Restaurants and bars 
    • Sales or retail establishments
    • Service establishments 
    • Theaters
    • Hotels and motels
    • Recreation facilities 
    • Assembly areas 
    • Private museums 
    • Places of education
  • Office Buildings
  • Factories
  • Warehouses
  • Manufacturing Plants
  • Public Areas of Apartments/Condos
  • Commercial Areas in Private Residences

Following ADA regulations, braille signs should be installed in commercial places, permanent rooms, or practical areas to be easily reached by everyone. Most often, ADA braille signs are installed in places such as restrooms, near stairs and routes, nearest accessible exits, near elevators, as well as in practical places to get some information.

No, there are a few types of ADA-required that do not need to contain braille. ADA braille requirements vary depending upon the purpose of a sign. ADA signs identifying permanent rooms or spaces in U.S. public buildings are required to be tactile signs, including raised letters and braille. You decide whether you want to add text or not. 

Most interior ADA signs are hung about 54 inches above the floor and with their center 9 inches away from the door, on the door handle side of the doorway.  This location complies with ADA sign requirements and works for most signs. In California ADA sign height regulations are 48 inches to the bottom of the braille, making the allowable mounting sign installation height range about 3/4 inch narrower.

With the enactment of the ADA laws there are consistent requirements…but, as with all federal laws, each state puts its stamp or specifics on it

At Sign Zone, we always make sure and review local area/state specifics.

READY TO CREATE PROFESSIONAL ADA/BRAILLE SIGNAGE? 

You HAVE arrived in the right place. Using the best engraving machines and materials, Sign Zone offers a wide array of complaint-raised lettering, raised logos, custom graphics, and characters to meet your brand requirements and make public building areas accessible to everyone. 

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