An ADA-compliant doorway needs a clear width of at least 32 inches, measured with the door open 90 degrees from the face of the door to the opposite stop. That is not the size of the door: hinges, the door’s own thickness and the stop take a couple of inches, so a 32 in door is too narrow and a 36 in door is the usual choice. This page explains how to measure, what door size gives 32 in clear, and the other ADA door rules: maneuvering space, thresholds, hardware, opening force and closers.
Door size vs clear width
| Door leaf width | Typical clear width at 90° | 32 in clear? |
|---|---|---|
| 28 in | about 25-3/4 in | no |
| 30 in | about 27-3/4 in | no |
| 32 in | about 29-3/4 in | no |
| 34 in | about 31-3/4 in | borderline: measure |
| 36 in | about 33-3/4 in | yes |
ADA door requirements
| Item | Requirement | 2010 ADA Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Clear width | 32 in minimum, measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90° | 404.2.3 |
| Deep openings | 36 in minimum clear where the opening is more than 24 in deep | 404.2.3 |
| Projections | Nothing projects into the clear width below 34 in; between 34 and 80 in, up to 4 in (for example a door closer) | 404.2.3 |
| Threshold | 1/2 in high maximum (with beveled edges per 302/303) | 404.2.5 |
| Hardware | Usable with one hand, no tight grasping, pinching or twisting; 34 to 48 in above the floor | 404.2.7, 309.4 |
| Opening force | 5 lb maximum for interior hinged doors and for sliding or folding doors (fire doors as the authority allows) | 404.2.9 |
| Closing speed | Closer: at least 5 seconds from 90° open to 12° from the latch; spring hinges: at least 1.5 s from 70° to closed | 404.2.8 |
| Doors in series | 48 in minimum between them plus the width of any door swinging into the space | 404.2.6 |
| Bottom of door | Smooth push-side surface for the bottom 10 in | 404.2.10 |
| Vision panels | Bottom of at least one glazed panel no higher than 43 in | 404.2.11 |
Maneuvering clearance at swinging doors
A wheelchair user needs room beside the latch to pull a door open and room in front to get through. The clearance depends on which side of the door you approach from and whether you push or pull:
| Approach | Door side | Depth (perpendicular to the doorway) | Width beyond the latch (parallel to the doorway) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Pull | 60 in | 18 in beyond the latch side |
| Front | Push | 48 in | 0 in (12 in if the door has both a closer and a latch) |
| Hinge side | Pull | 60 in, or 54 in | 36 in, or 42 in |
| Hinge side | Push | 42 in (48 in with closer and latch) | 22 in beyond the hinge side |
| Latch side | Pull | 48 in (54 in with closer) | 24 in |
| Latch side | Push | 42 in (48 in with closer) | 24 in |
How to measure clear width
- Open the door to 90 degrees.
- Measure from the face of the door (not the edge) straight across to the stop on the latch side.
- Check that nothing below 34 in, such as a lever handle on a pocket door or a stop moulding, cuts into that width.
- For a sliding or pocket door, measure with the door fully open, from the door edge to the opposite jamb or stop.
Homes and remodelling
The 2010 ADA Standards apply to public accommodations, commercial facilities and state and local government buildings. Private single-family homes are not covered, but these dimensions are the usual reference for accessible homes and renovations; multifamily housing may fall under the Fair Housing Act design rules instead, and local building codes add their own. In a house, the usual way to gain clear width without reframing is offset hinges or replacing a 30 or 32 in door with a 34 or 36 in one. Widening a rough opening in a load-bearing wall needs a correctly sized header; ask a builder or your building department.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ADA door width?
32 in of clear width minimum, measured with the door open 90° from the door face to the stop (404.2.3). In practice that means a 36 in door, or a 34 in door with care.
Is a 32 inch door ADA compliant?
Usually not: a 32 in door leaf gives only about 29-3/4 in of clear width once hinges, door thickness and the stop are accounted for.
What is the maximum ADA threshold height?
1/2 in (404.2.5).
How hard can an ADA door be to open?
No more than 5 lb of force for interior hinged, sliding and folding doors (404.2.9); exterior and fire doors are set by the local authority.
How high should door handles be for ADA?
34 to 48 in above the floor, operable with one hand without tight grasping or twisting (404.2.7).
Sources
- US Department of Justice, 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, sections as cited (text read 24 October 2026). Federal regulation, public domain.
Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. Numbers in the tables are our arithmetic from the sources listed; code sections are summarised, not quoted. How we check our work: methodology and corrections. Spotted an error? Please let us know.