Louisiana Accessibility Standards and Compliance Manual

Preface:

Louisiana accessibility work requires two parallel questions: what construction standard controls the project, and what civil-rights obligations continue to apply to the owner or public entity. This manual is organized to prevent those questions from being collapsed into one permit review. The project file should identify the facility, ownership, funding, use, permit and alteration dates, adopted code edition, federal coverage, local overlays, and the professional responsible for each decision.

This handbook is designed for sequential study and field reference. New practitioners should begin with the legal and scope chapters. Experienced users may move directly to the technical, administrative, reporting, or enforcement part relevant to the assignment, but should always confirm the source and effective-date controls stated in the opening chapters.

Louisiana Revised Statutes section 40:1733 changed on July 1, 2026 from the former state adoption of ADA Standards to compliance with adopted IBC Chapter 11, including referenced ICC A117.1. A project file should preserve the date and legal basis used to select the controlling framework.

Chapter List:

• Chapter 1: Purpose, Scope, Intended Users, and Effective-Date Controls
• Chapter 2: Act 534 Transition Matrix
• Chapter 3: Source Hierarchy and Code-Edition Control
• Chapter 4: Louisiana Accessibility Enforcement Structure
• Chapter 5: IBC Chapter 11 and ICC A117.1
• Chapter 6: Federal Civil-Rights Requirements
• Chapter 7: Fair Housing Accessibility
• Chapter 8: Overlapping State and Federal Standards
• Chapter 9: New Construction, Additions, and Project Classification
• Chapter 10: Alterations, Primary-Function Areas, and Paths of Travel
• Chapter 11: Changes of Occupancy and Existing Buildings
• Chapter 12: Program Accessibility and Barrier Removal
• Chapter 13: Historic Facilities and Exceptions
• Chapter 14: Temporary Facilities, Employee Work Areas, and Mixed Projects
• Chapter 15: When OSFM Plan Review Is Required
• Chapter 16: EPR Fireworks Submission Workflow
• Chapter 17: Preparing the Plan-Review Package
• Chapter 18: Comments, Resubmittals, Interpretations, and Exceptions
• Chapter 19: Field Revisions, Final Inspection, and Project Closeout
• Chapter 20: Arrival Points and Exterior Accessible Routes
• Chapter 21: Parking and Passenger Loading
• Chapter 22: Sidewalks, Curb Ramps, and Street Crossings
• Chapter 23: PROWAG Applicability
• Chapter 24: Outdoor, Recreational, and Temporary Routes
• Chapter 25: Parking Maintenance and Enforcement
• Chapter 26: Entrances, Doors, Gates, and Vestibules
• Chapter 27: Interior Routes and Floor Surfaces
• Chapter 28: Ramps, Landings, Handrails, and Stairs
• Chapter 29: Elevators and Platform Lifts
• Chapter 30: Accessible Means of Egress
• Chapter 31: Accessibility in Alteration Projects
• Chapter 32: Toilet Rooms and Compartments
• Chapter 33: Bathing, Drinking, and Kitchen Facilities
• Chapter 34: Counters, Surfaces, Storage, and Operable Parts
• Chapter 35: Signage and Wayfinding
• Chapter 36: Alarms and Communication Features
• Chapter 37: Field Measurement and Construction Tolerances
• Chapter 38: Assembly and Transient Lodging
• Chapter 39: Institutional and Public Facilities
• Chapter 40: Commercial and Professional Facilities
• Chapter 41: Residential and Mixed-Use Developments
• Chapter 42: Accessibility Field Inspections
• Chapter 43: Deficiency Classification and Corrective Action
• Chapter 44: Enforcement and Legal Remedies
• Chapter 45: Maintenance, Periodic Audits, and Case Studies