- Asme A17 1 Elevator Code Pdf
- Asme A17 1 Elevator Code 2010
- A17 1 Elevator Code 2016
- Ansi A17 1 Elevator Code
- A17 1 Elevator Code 2013
- Ansi A17 1 Elevator Code Pdf
The ASME ANSI A17.1/CSA B44 – Section 5.3 is the industry standard set forth for private residence elevators. This standard has been adopted by most states to become the local code. It is important to note all states have not adopted the same year of the A17.1 standard and some states have not adopted any version.
ASME A17.1/2000 with supplements A17.1a –02 and A17.1b –03 Safety code for Elevators and Escalators as modified by NYC Building Code Appendix K; Chapter K1 ASME A17.1s –2005 Supplement to Safety Code for Elevator and Escalator for Machine Room Less (MRL) elevators as modified by Appendix K; Chapter K4. The purpose of this Code is to provide for the safety of life and limb, and to promote the public welfare. Compliance with this Code shall be achieved by (a) conformance with the requirements in ASME A17.1/CSA B44;.
The most current version of residential elevator code is A17.1 -2016. The code provides for an important update reducing the space permitted between the elevator cab door and hoistway landing door to less than 4 inches.
Residential elevators built to the A17.1 standard must be certified by an accredited third party. When buying an elevator it is extremely important to make sure the manufacturer is selling equipment that is built to the A17.1 standard and certified by a third party. All elevators should be installed to the latest standard whether or not it is required by a local jurisdiction.
Elevator Industry Associations
Standards incorporated into elevator code;
(The B Code was basically a rewritten version of the ANSI A17.1 1937 Code) Effective April 11, 1975. Regulations 29-192 B88: Adopted the ANSI A17.1a-1971 and addendas 1972, 1973, 1974. Effective June 1, 1990. Regulations 29-192-C1: Adopted the ASME A17.1-1987, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators and ANSI A17.1a-1988 addenda. And why the A17 codes were initially implemented and where they are today. A detailed history of this is included in the ASME Forward in the A17.1-2013/CSA B44-13 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (herein after referred to as the A17 code). The first edition of the A17 code was prepared by the ASME.
- NAPA 70|NEC National Fire Protection Association
- UL Listing
This guide explains criteria for elevators and platform lifts inthe ADA Standards.
Required Compliance
[§206.6]
Elevators are the typical means of providing an accessible route betweenstories and to mezzanines. In facilities not required to have anaccessible route between stories or to mezzanines (see the AccessibleRoutes guide), a limited-use/ limited-application (LULA) elevator ispermitted. LULAs also are allowed as an alternative to platform liftsand private residence elevators.
| Facility or Space | Elevator Type Permitted (if provided instead of ramp) |
|---|---|
| Facilities required to provide an accessible route to stories/ mezzanines | Elevator (§407) |
| Facilities not required to provide an accessible route to stories/ mezzanines | Elevator (§407) or LULA (§408) |
| Residential Dwelling Units | Elevator (§407), LULA (§408), or Private Residence Elevator (§409) |
| Spaces permitted to be served by a platform lift | Elevator (§407), LULA (§408), or Platform Lift (§410) |
ASME A17.1 Code [§407.1]
Elevators, including LULA and private residence elevators, must meet the ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. The ADA Standards currently require compliance with the A17.1-2000, including the 2002 and 2003 addenda. This edition must be followed until the Standards are updated to reference a later edition of the ASME A17.1 code. In the interim, compliance with a later edition of the ASME A17.1 (now ASME A17.1/CSA B44) may be possible under the provision for 'equivalent facilitation' (§103) only if it is comparable to, or stricter than, the referenced edition. Questions about the ASME A17.1 code should be directed to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers www.asme.org.
Only passenger elevators as classified by the referenced elevator safety code (ASME A17.1) can be used to meet the ADA Standards. Each passenger elevator provided, whether required or not, must comply with the ADA Standards. This includes those elevators that move both passengers and freight, sometimes loosely referred to as 'service elevators.' Examples include elevators in residential or retail facilities that are regularly used by tenants or customers but that are also used to move furniture, merchandise, or other freight.
Freight elevators cannot be used to satisfy the requirement for an accessible route between floors. Freight elevators are defined by the ASME A17.1 code as those elevators 'used primarily for carrying freight and on which only the operator and the persons necessary for unloading and loading the freight are permitted to ride.' Where provided, they are not required to meet the ADA Standards. Construction elevators, like other structures directly associated with the actual processes of construction, are exempt (§203.2).
Elevators
Asme A17 1 Elevator Code Pdf
[§407]
Elevator Landing Requirements
[§407.2]
Elevator Door Requirements
[§407.3]
Elevator Car Requirements
[§407.4]
The ADA Standards specify the minimum car dimensions. Alternativeconfigurations that provide unobstructed wheelchair turning space (60”diameter circle or T-turn) with the doors closed are permitted.
Elevator Car Dimensions (§407.4.1)
Elevator Car Requirements
[§407.4.2]
Other requirements for elevator cars include:
- compliant floor surfaces
- a maximum 1¼” horizontal clearance between car platform sill and hoistway landing
- a self-leveling feature
- 5 ft. candles min. illumination at platform, controls, threshold, and landing sill
Car Leveling and Platform to Hoistway Clearance
Car Controls
[§407.4.6]
If more than one car control panel is provided in a car, both mustcomply (except in existing cars where only 1 panel must comply).
Car Controls (§407.4.6 and §407.4.7)
Car Position Indicators
[§407.4.8]
Position indicators are required for all cars, including those of 2-stopelevators. Specifications include:
- ½” min. character height
- Illumination of each floor level passed or stopped at
- Automatic verbal announcement of stop or non-verbal audible signal of passed floors and stops (if elevator not destination-oriented and has a rated speed of 200 ft./ minute max.)
- Frequency: 300 – 3,000 Hz for verbal annunciator, 1500 Hz max. for non-verbal signal
- Signal level: 10 dB min. above ambient to 80 dB max.
Emergency Communication
[§407.4.9]
The ASME A17.1 code requires a two-way means of emergency communicationin elevator cars. This system establishes direct communication withauthorized personnel and must be activated by a push button. Handsets,which are vulnerable to vandalism, and closed compartments areprohibited. The activating button must be permanently identified by atactile phone symbol and the term “HELP” located either on or adjacentto the button. Operating instructions are also required.
The ASME A17.1 also requires a visual signal, such as a labeled LEDlight or lighted jewel, to acknowledge that the emergency call has beenreceived. The visual signal is considered a component of the two-waycommunication, though voice communication may also be established. Thevisual indication must be on the same panel as the “HELP” push buttonand extinguish when a communications link is terminated.
In addition to the ASME requirements, the ADA Standards require that thepush button and other device controls comply as operable parts (§309).They also require the push button to be labeled with a specified tactilephone symbol and braille. Operating instructions and other information,including the label for the visible signal, must meet criteria forvisual characters but are not required to be tactile.
Destination-Oriented Elevators
With destination-oriented elevators, passengers indicate the floordestination when calling an elevator, usually through a keypad. Lobbyindicators designate which car to use, which is programmed by the timeof arrival. This type of elevator reduces the number of stops per trip.The requirements of §407 apply to destination-oriented elevators, butsome provisions or exceptions, which are summarized here, are unique tothis type of elevator.
Destination-Oriented Elevators: Call Signals
Destination-Oriented Elevators: Car Arrival
Other provisions unique to destination-oriented elevators:
Elevator Door Requirements (§407.3)
- Specifications for door and signal timing do not apply (§407.3.4, Ex. 2)
Car Position Indicators (§407.4.8)
- Visual display of each floor a car has been programmed to stop at and automatic verbal announcement of each car stop are required
- Visual indicators: ½” min. character height, location above control panel/keypad or door, must extinguish when call answered
- Automatic verbal announcement (300 – 3,000 Hz, 10dB min. above ambient to 80 dB max.)
Existing Elevators (Alterations)
Alterations to Existing Elevators
The Standards apply to existing elevators that are altered. Complianceis determined by the scope of the project. For example, if a caroperating panel is upgraded, at a minimum the new panel must comply.Other elements of a car that are not altered are not required to comply.Alterations made to an existing car also must be made to each elevatorprogrammed to respond to the same hall call so that a consistent levelof accessibility within banks is maintained.
Requirements for new elevators are also applied to those that arealtered, but specific exceptions or alternative specifications arepermitted for existing elevators that are altered. These provisionsunique to existing elevators are summarized here. In addition, alteredelevators must meet applicable sections of the referenced A17.1 codethat apply to alterations.
Provisions or exceptions specifically for existing elevators do notapply to elevators that are newly added to an existing facility whichmust comply with the requirements for new elevators. Certain alterationsor additions to a facility may trigger the requirement for an accessibleroute between floors, including:
- where stairs or escalators are added in an alteration or addition where none existed previously and major structural modifications are necessary, an accessible route must connect each level served by the new stair or escalator (§206.2.3.1);
- as needed to provide an accessible path of travel to a primary function area that is altered or that is part of an addition, unless the cost is more than 20% of the overall cost (§202.4).
Provisions or Exceptions Specific to Existing (Altered) Elevators
Recommendation: For greater usability, make those altered elements covered by an exception fully comply wherever practicable.
Limited-Use/ Limited-Application Elevators
[§408]
LULA elevators are passenger elevators that are permitted in facilitieswhere an accessible route between stories or mezzanines is not requiredand as an alternative to private residence elevators and platform lifts.They cannot substitute for elevators complying with §407 that arerequired to meet requirements for accessible routes. For the most part,LULAs are held to the same requirements for elevators in §407 andapplicable sections of the ASME safety code. However, LULAs have smallercar sizes, slower speeds, shorter travel distances, and alternativetypes of doors. Besides car size, provisions for LULAs differ from thoseof §407 in that:
- Hoistway doors can be swinging type (they must open and close automatically, be power-operated, meet requirements for doors and referenced ANSI/BHMA Standards for low-energy doors, and remain open for at least 20 seconds)
- Requirements are not included for door timing and delay or for car position indicators
LULA Car Dimensions (§408.4)
Private Residence Elevators
[§409]
Private residence elevators are permitted only within a residentialdwelling unit or in a multiple dwelling unit facility as a means ofaccess to a single private residence. Elevators in residentialfacilities not located within or serving individual dwelling units mustmeet requirements in §407.
Platform Lifts
Where Platform Lifts are Permitted
[§206.7]
Platform lifts can be part of an accessible route in existing facilitiesthat are altered. In new construction, platform lifts can be used toprovide an accessible route to these areas only:
- wheelchair spaces, performance areas, and speakers’ platforms
- incidental spaces with a maximum occupancy of 5 that are not forpublic use
- raised courtroom stations, such as jury boxes, witness stands,judges’ benches, clerks stations and depressed areas such as thewell of the court
- levels within transient lodging guest rooms and residential dwellingunits
- certain recreation facilities: amusement rides, play areas,team/player seating areas in sports facilities, recreational boatingfacilities, and fishing piers and platforms
They also are permitted in new construction where topography or otherexisting exterior site constraints make a ramp or elevator infeasible.While the site constraint must reflect exterior conditions, the lift canbe installed in the interior of a building. For example, an exterior orinterior platform lift could be used to provide an accessible entranceor to coordinate interior floor levels at a new building constructedbetween and connected to two existing buildings if there is notsufficient space to coordinate floor levels and also to provide rampedentry from the public way.
Recommendation: In alterations, it is advisable that platforms lifts be used only in instances where a ramp or elevator is technically infeasible or in the locations permitted in new construction.
ASME A18.1 Safety Standard
[§410.1]
Platform lifts must meet the ASME A18.1 Safety Standard forPlatform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts. The ASME A18.1 covers thedesign, construction, installation, operation, inspection, testing,maintenance and repair of lifts that are intended for transportation ofpersons with disabilities. The ADA Standards currently requirecompliance with the 1999 edition or the 2003 editions of the A18.1Standard. Either of these editions must be followed until the ADAStandards are updated to reference a later edition of the ASME A18.1Standard. In the interim, compliance with a later edition of the ASMEA18.1 Standard may be possible under the provision for “equivalentfacilitation” (§103) only if it is comparable to, or stricter than, thereferenced edition. Questions about the ASME A18.1 code should bedirected to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers(www.asme.org).
Under the ADA Standards, platform lifts must be independently operableand must allow unassisted entry and exit from the lift. Attendantoperation, while allowed by the ASME A18.1 Standard, is prohibited bythe ADA Standards. Portable lifts do not satisfy the ADA Standards evenwhen they comply with ASME A18.1.
The ASME A18.1 Standard addresses requirements for runway enclosures,electrical equipment and wiring, structural support, headroom clearance(80” minimum), access ramps, pits, and other features. The ASME A18.1Standard recognizes two types of platform lifts: vertical platform liftsand inclined platform lifts. Lifts without platforms, including stairwaychairlifts, are not permitted by the ADA Standards except at swimmingpools and spas because they require transfer from wheeled mobility aids.(Specifications for pool lifts include a fixed seat and footrests, butnot a platform (§1009.2)).
Requirements for Platform Lifts
Platform Lift Clear Floor Space and Doors/ Gates
Common Questions
Elevators
Are freight or service elevators required to comply?
When an elevator is used to provide a required accessible route betweenstories, it must meet requirements for passenger elevators. Elevatorsthat serve passengers but can also be used to move freight, sometimesreferred to as “service elevators,” must meet the ASME requirements forpassenger elevators. Examples include elevators in residential or retailfacilities that are regularly used by tenants or customers but that arealso used to move furniture, merchandise, or other freight. Whereprovided, they must comply with the Standards.
Freight elevators, on the other hand, are defined by the ASME A17.1 codeas those elevators “used primarily for carrying freight and on whichonly the operator and the persons necessary for unloading and loadingthe freight are permitted to ride.” Freight elevators cannot be used inlieu of a passenger elevator to provide an accessible route betweenstories or mezzanines. Where provided, freight elevators are notrequired to comply with the Standards.
Can elevator doors close sooner than the minimum opening time specified when users activate door close?
User activation of door close (or automatic operation) cannot reduce theinitial opening time of doors (3 seconds minimum) or the minimum doorsignal timing (based on 1.5/ ft/s travel speed for the distance from thehall call button to car door centerline). When doors automaticallyreopen due to a detected obstruction, they can begin to reclose when nolonger obstructed. The 20 second minimum pertains to the length of timethe sensory reopening device remains effective, not necessarily thelength of time doors remain open.
Must elevator doors remain open for 20 seconds?
LULA swing doors, private residence elevator doors, and platform liftgates and doors must remain open for 20 seconds minimum. This does notapply to the doors of passenger elevators complying with §407 which mustremain fully open for at least 3 seconds in response to a call(§407.3.5). The opening time is further determined by the traveldistance from hall call buttons and signal timing based on a 1.5 ft/stravel speed beginning from audible and visible signalization of cararrival (§407.3.4). Reopening devices must remain effective for 20seconds minimum, but in reopening, doors do not have to remain open forthis length of time if unobstructed.
Are access key, card, or code entry systems permitted in elevators?
Yes, but fixed features of such systems must comply as operable parts.For example, card readers must be located within accessible reachranges. Non-fixed portions, including keys and access cards issued tousers, are not required to comply. (Where use of stairs between levelsserved by an elevator is unrestricted, use of the elevator should not berestricted to key holders.)
Can audible signals for an elevator operate only when needed by a passenger who needs them through activation of dedicated “accessibility” control?
No, audible (and visible) signals required for elevators must functionautomatically at all times an elevator is operational. Requiringpassengers to manually activate such signals when needed is notpermitted by the ADA Standards.
Can hall and in-car signals be displayed horizontally (i.e., side-by-side) instead of vertically (i.e., one above the other)?
Asme A17 1 Elevator Code 2010
Yes, hall signs can be displayed horizontally instead of vertically.However, with call buttons, the button designating the up direction mustbe located above the one indicating the down direction (§407.2.1.4).
Are handrails required in elevator cars?
The ADA Standards do not require handrails in elevators cars. If theyare provided, they are not required to comply with requirements in theADA Standards for handrails (§403.6, Advisory).
Can a more recent edition of the ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (or the ASME A18.1 Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts) be used instead of the editions referenced in the Standards?
The specific editions of the ASME A17.1 and ASME A18.1 codes referencedby the ADA Standards are to be followed (although the Access Boardintends to update references to keep them current). Compliance with alater edition may be possible under the provision for “equivalentfacilitation” (§103) if it is comparable to, or stricter than, thereferenced editions.
Platform Lifts
Are stairway chairlifts permitted?
No, stairway chairlifts cannot be used where platform lifts arepermitted by the ADA Standards (§206.7) although they are addressed bythe ASME A18.1 Standard. Chairlifts require transfer to a fixed seatfrom wheeled mobility aids and thus are not independently usable.Platform lifts can be equipped with seats, including those that fold,but they must be located outside the minimum clear area specified forplatforms which are sized to accommodate wheeled mobility aids.
Can platform lifts be locked?
The Standards require “unassisted” entry and exit from lifts (§410.1).Situations in which platform lifts are locked and require users torequest or retrieve a key for operation will not satisfy thisrequirement for independent operation. Platform lifts can be lockedduring those times when the space or facility they serve is closed.
A17 1 Elevator Code 2016
Can lifts be attendant-operated?
Ansi A17 1 Elevator Code
Attendant operation, although recognized by the ASME A18.1 Standard, isexpressly prohibited by the ADA Standards. Platform lifts must provide“unassisted entry and exit from the lift” (§410.1).
A17 1 Elevator Code 2013
Can platform lifts be portable or provided after construction as an adaptation?
Ansi A17 1 Elevator Code Pdf
Platform lifts must be permanent and installed at the time ofconstruction or alteration with few exceptions. Platform lifts can beprovided after construction only to provide access to raised workstations in courtrooms (sufficient space and electrical service must beprovided in design to facilitate installation). Only platform liftsserving temporary structures can be temporary or portable.
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