# Accessible Means of Egress Parking Ramp?



## Brian M Payne (Nov 11, 2019)

Can anyone explain to me how a ramp "for pedestrian EXIT ACCESS" can NOT be a "part of an accessible means of egress" since the means of egress includes the exit access and every portion of the building is required to at least have one accessible means of egress?


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Section 1012 Ramps*

*1012.1 Scope*

The provisions of this section shall apply to ramps used as a component of a _means of egress._

*Exceptions:*

1. Ramped _aisles _within assembly rooms or spaces shall comply with the provisions in Section 1029.

2. Curb ramps shall comply with ICC A117.1.

3. Vehicle ramps in parking garages for pedestrian _exit access _shall not be required to comply with Sections 1012.3 through 1012.10 where they are not an _accessible route _serving _accessible _parking spaces, other required _accessible _elements or part of an accessible _means of egress_.​


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## cda (Nov 11, 2019)

Slope?


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## e hilton (Nov 11, 2019)

Handrails?


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## RLGA (Nov 11, 2019)

This is for situations where the parking garage has a sloped floor used for parking. In the image below, you can see that the tiers have sloped floors and to access an exit, occupants will have to walk either up or down the slope to reach a stair. These floors do not need to comply with the requirements for ramps, but cannot be used for an accessible route serving accessible parking or an accessible means of egress. If the parking tier does not provide accessible parking, then an accessible route and an accessible means of egress are not required.


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## Brian M Payne (Nov 11, 2019)

Thanks Ron.  So follow up question then.  In the image you provided there is an accessible space in the upper left corner.  Let’s assume the occupancy calculation requires two means of egress for the parking tier.  Does every location on that tier need two accessible means of egress because of the single ADA space?  Getting one accessible path from the ADA spaces seems easy, a path to the the second exit using the ramp (to the upper right)...not so much.

or does the ADA spaces only need one acceible egress path somehow?

Am I missing something?


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## e hilton (Nov 11, 2019)

Is the diagonal striped area on the right hand side of the ramp (going down) supposed to be a pedestrian route?


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## cda (Nov 11, 2019)

e hilton said:


> Is the diagonal striped area on the right hand side of the ramp (going down) supposed to be a pedestrian route?


  Looks like for no one to park there. 

Aren't there two stairways, on that end??


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## RLGA (Nov 12, 2019)

Brian M Payne said:


> Thanks Ron.  So follow up question then.  In the image you provided there is an accessible space in the upper left corner.  Let’s assume the occupancy calculation requires two means of egress for the parking tier.  Does every location on that tier need two accessible means of egress because of the single ADA space?  Getting one accessible path from the ADA spaces seems easy, a path to the the second exit using the ramp (to the upper right)...not so much.
> 
> or does the ADA spaces only need one acceible egress path somehow?
> 
> Am I missing something?


It's hard to tell, but I think there's a stairway in the same area as the elevators (I'm not familiar with this garage--it was the first image I found that showed sloping parking garage floors). If two accessible means of egress are required, there is no requirement that they must be separated by a distance per Section 1007.


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## ADAguy (Nov 12, 2019)

Ouch! You bring up some interesting points. I park in a disabled space on the 4th floor of our structure next to the elevator. As to a second accessible way off the floor the drive aisle slope to reach the 2nd stair is > 5% and the stair is an open stair with no area of refuge, hmm?


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## RLGA (Nov 12, 2019)

ADAguy said:


> Ouch! You bring up some interesting points. I park in a disabled space on the 4th floor of our structure next to the elevator. As to a second accessible way off the floor the drive aisle slope to reach the 2nd stair is > 5% and the stair is an open stair with no area of refuge, hmm?


Areas of refuge are not required in open parking garages per Section 1009.3.3, Exception 3. 

Stairways in open parking garages are not required to be enclosed; however, they are considered _exit access stairways_ and not _exit stairways_ per Section 1019.3, subparagraph 6, but travel distance is still measured to the first riser per the exception to Section 1017.3. 

All references mentioned are for the 2018 IBC.


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## mtlogcabin (Nov 12, 2019)

e hilton said:


> Is the diagonal striped area on the right hand side of the ramp (going down) supposed to be a pedestrian route?


I think it is more of a no parking striped area than a pedestrian route designation.


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## Yikes (Nov 12, 2019)

RLGA said:


> This is for situations where the parking garage has a sloped floor used for parking. In the image below, you can see that the tiers have sloped floors and to access an exit, occupants will have to walk either up or down the slope to reach a stair.



To be more specific, most parking decks are under 5% slope (usually to help keep car doors from swinging into another car when opened).  In that instance, the accessibility rules for a low-slope parking deck would be no different than the rules for any other parking; there is no special "ramp" consideration.


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## RLGA (Nov 12, 2019)

Yikes said:


> To be more specific, most parking decks are under 5% slope (usually to help keep car doors from swinging into another car when opened).  In that instance, the accessibility rules for a low-slope parking deck would be no different than the rules for any other parking; there is no special "ramp" consideration.


The keyword in your response is "most"--not all garages have sloped floors that are 5% or less. For example, the parking garages serving the baseball park and basketball arena here in downtown Phoenix have some parking areas on the ramped portions that are more than 5% slope. The occupants using those spaces will need to traverse that sloped area to get to any egress stair; thus, the reason for the exception. However, accessible parking could not be located on those sloped parking areas.


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