A plain-English field guide to U.S. accessibility requirements — plus a mobile-first form for documenting violations you encounter in the real world.
What you’ll find here
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design run hundreds of pages. That’s great for architects, less great for the rest of us. This site translates the parts most people actually need — parking, entrances, routes and ramps, restrooms, signage, hotels, restaurants, elevators, and pools — into plain language, with the exact measurements, ratios, degrees, and percentages you can verify on site.
Three things to start with
- The Interactive Guide — search by keyword, voice, or category. Every topic links to the 2010 ADA Standards so you can confirm the official source.
- Report a Violation — a mobile-first form that captures GPS, photos, and the building’s compliance era so the right standard gets applied.
- How to Document a Violation — a short, practical walkthrough: what to measure, what to photograph, and what to write down before you leave the site.
Why the building’s age matters
Two dates decide which version of the ADA Standards a building has to meet: January 26, 1993 (when the 1991 Standards took effect) and March 15, 2012 (when the 2010 Standards replaced them). Older buildings can qualify for “safe harbor” on features that already complied with the 1991 Standards — but any alterations made after 3/15/2012 have to meet the 2010 Standards in the altered area. The Report form on this site asks about year built and renovation history precisely because that detail changes the analysis.
State rules matter too
The ADA is the floor, not the ceiling. States set their own building codes, and many have their own rules on disabled placard parking — some give placard holders free metered parking statewide, some leave it to individual cities, and a few even extend those rules to vehicles with hand controls, ramps, or lifts but no placard. The state selector at the top of the Interactive Guide gives you the relevant statute and DMV reference for wherever you are.
Not legal advice
Everything on this site is informational. The attorney listings under the Guide’s Legal Help category are not endorsements and do not create an attorney-client relationship. If you’re considering a formal complaint or a lawsuit, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state.