ADA Shower and Restroom Trailers for Indiana Events: Reading the 5 Percent Rule

Section 213.2 of the 2010 ADA Standards covers toilet and bathing rooms. Exception 3 addresses the setup most fairs, races, and job sites use: where multiple single-user portable toilet or bathing units are clustered at one location, the accessible requirement is pegged to 5 percent of the units in each cluster, and the compliant units are marked with the International Symbol of Accessibility.

What that means on the ground

The rule works per cluster. A county fair with one shower block by the campground and another behind the livestock barns has two clusters, and each needs its own accessible unit. Round up: a cluster of 12 stalls still needs an accessible one. A combo trailer with a built-in accessible stall, such as the Luxury Shower-Restroom Combination Trailer (8 Individual Stalls + 1 ADA) (8 standard stalls plus 1 ADA) or the Luxury Shower-Restroom Combination Trailer (3 Individual Stalls + 1 ADA) (3 plus 1), puts the accessible stall in the same block as everyone else's.

Plan the ramp early

An ADA ramp takes about 4 to 6 hours to set, much longer than stairs. Pick a level pad with a firm path from the parking or camping area, and tell us where the door should face. The ramp goes into the delivery plan and the quote.