ADA

A thing that is often overlooked in thinking about, designing, or even trying to pull a building permit for a new self-storage facility, or an expansion, is the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements for self-storage.

Yes, ADA is very applicable to self-storage.

In fact, I have heard of groups and people who target self-storage facilities and owners as easy targets for suites because so many do not comply with state and federal requirements.

And this is silly because it is not that hard to be compliant.

ADA Guidelines and Requirements for Self-Storage

First of all, if you are not a member of the Self-Storage Association, click here and join. Then go to the legal network and download the FREE ADA and Self-Storage white paper from the SSA attorneys.

Next, read it.

Here is what you will see. It is important to make sure your storage project complies.

It’s not that hard either.

Basically, there are a couple of different things you need to do for units that are “ADA accessible”.

1. A wheelchair needs to be able to roll in without having to go over a lip or obstacles.

2. The door needs to be able to be opened by someone sitting in a wheelchair. For the most part, if you can do that you are there, or almost there.

How many units?

Well, the last Federal guidelines I have seen are:

1. For facilities with 1 to 200 units: 5% but not less than 1

2. For facilities over 200 units: 10 plus 2% of units over 200

We usually let the systems fabricators build into the design the ADA units. Most of the ones we have worked with are very familiar with the requirements.

What happens on a typical drive up one story suburban style self-storage building, we will take one and make sure that the concrete does not have the raised lip designed to keep water out of the unit and instead there is a gradual slope up into the unit. The fabricator specs out the degree and lengths of the slop for the concrete company.

Then those doors are equipped with different handles and locking system, again supplied by the fabricator or door company.

ADA Requirements by State

However, don’t make the mistake we just made.

Given that we have been through this a few times, we thought “I know all about ADA”.

We were designing an expansion in a new state for us and made sure we had the “required” ADA units. We went to pull a building permit and found in that area, rather than the normal ADA door string and lock system we have been using, here we had to have an “electronic” opening system (like a garage door opener).

The lesson: check with the state and local agencies as well and don’t just follow Federal Guidelines (although that will have you in compliance most of the time).

It may sound like a pain, but remember, it could be you need it tomorrow. Our job is to create a product that people want and need and makes life better for them. Being able to offer people who need ADA units is part of that job and they are our customers as well.

It is easier and less costly to design it into the project than to retrofit it.

Then when you get that call that asks, “do you have any ADA units?” You can say, “sure we do, when would you like to come in and see them?”