What defines "permanent room"

Question

A local building inspector (Ca.) recently required my client the developer to redo all of the already installed apartment room number signs in a complex we had just finished to comply with the raised copy & Braille rule. To date we have never produced ADA compliant signs for apt. room #'s because they are a residence and not public accessed permanent rooms. I am unable to find anyone locally to answer this question. Are apartment room numbers required to be ada compliant with raised copy & Braille?

Answer

The room numbers are not inside the apartments, where there are no signage requirements. They are out in the corridors/hallways where the general public needs them to find someone's apartment. That's the short answer.

There is some uncertainty, in my mind, over the requirements for apartment buildings in terms of signs. However, I would always suggest that apartment units be identified with tactile signs. For sure, the elevators and exits need tactile signs, no matter what. If there are restrooms out in the common areas, such as in conjunction with a recreation room, those need tactile signs. Directional and informational signs should comply with rules for contrast and legibility. Let's face it, it's more user friendly for all the tenants if there are easy to read signs out in the public areas, even if people only recognize it subliminally, and most compliant signs don't cost more, or much more, than non-compliant ones.

For one reason, even if the standards are only for apartments with public funding, or places of commerce, many apartment buildings could fit that description without you knowing it. There may have been some tax consideration given to the builder, for instance. That constitutes public funding. The recreation room might get rented out for a wedding reception, and there might be a leasing office on site, or the manager's apartment might be used as a leasing office where apartments might be shown and deposits might be accepted. Then the public areas become a place of commerce.

The new Chapter 11A of the California Building Code, for housing, mostly refers to the rules in Chapter 11B, for public buildings, so you can visit the DSA site (http://www.dsa.ca.gov and look at the regulations in Chapter 11A to find the references to signs.