ADA-Compliant Docks: Making Docks More Accessible

Everyone benefits when your dock is more accessible. If you own or operate a commercial dock, then you may be required by law to provide at least one accessible route to a boating dock. However, even if you own a private residential dock, following accessibility guidelines will ensure that all of your guests — no matter their ability — can enjoy waterfront access and watercraft activities.

Here’s what you need to know about the measures and products available for creating inclusive and accessible dock environments, plus an example of how being ADA accessible can change people’s lives.

Introduction to ADA Compliance

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against anyone with a disability. The law requires that facilities operated by state and local governments, as well as those operated by businesses open to the public, be accessible and usable by people with disabilities.

The ADA has Accessibility Standards that apply to the construction of new buildings and facilities, as well as to additions or alterations to existing facilities. This includes recreational facilities and, more specifically, boating facilities.

According to the ADA guidelines for handicap accessible docks, “Recreational boating facilities can include fixed and floating facilities. Facilities can vary in size from one boat slip (for example, at a small campground facility) to several thousand slips, and can handle boats ranging in size from small canoes to large sailboats and powerboats.” This designation of boating facilities encompasses marinas, launching facilities, piers, and docks.

Facility owners should understand that ADA guidelines are intended to be the bare minimum requirements for public access.

Why ADA Compliance Is Essential for Dock Owners

Though creating accessible environments for individuals with disabilities requires an investment of time, money, and other resources, it is in the best interest of commercial dock owners to be ADA compliant. Here’s why:

• It’s good risk management. Accessible design and safety features help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries for everyone. Keeping your facilities safe and accessible means no downtime or damage to your reputation.
• It makes good economic sense. Though there is an added cost to include accessible design when building a new facility or making changes to an existing one, those costs are preferable to the potential legal expenses and lost business due to inaccessibility.
• It increases your brand reputation and customer loyalty. By making your facility accessible, you create an inclusive environment that attracts a larger customer base, including people with disabilities and their families, friends, and caregivers. This commitment will also build loyalty among customers who appreciate and support businesses that prioritize accessibility and inclusivity.

Parts and Accessories that Enable Accessibility

While you can always find the full accessibility standards on the ADA’s page on boating facilities, here’s an overview of what you need to know about their different guidelines.

Accessible Routes

ADA accessibility guidelines (ADAAG) require that a facility have at least one accessible route connecting the dock to accessible buildings, facilities, or other spaces on the site. Boat slips, boarding piers at boat launch ramps, and other spaces and elements within a boating facility must also be connected by an accessible route.

Details on what constitutes an accessible route can be found in chapter four of the ADA Accessibility Standards; this includes:

• Minimum width of 36”
• Maximum slope of 1:12 or 8.33%
• Handrails at ramps with a rise greater than 6″
• Firm, stable, and slip resistant surfaces

Gangways with Transitions

Gangways are pedestrian walkways linking a fixed structure or land with a floating structure. Accessible gangways should provide a seamless transition between land and water and be designed for the least possible slope.

• Gangways must be designed to provide for a maximum 1:12 (8.33%) slope, but are not required to be longer than 80 feet in length.
• In smaller facilities with less than 25 boat slips, the slope of the gangway may exceed 1:12 (8.33%), if the gangway is at least 30 feet long.
• Changing water levels can cause gangway slopes to rise and fall. In these circumstances the gangway slope may be less than 1:20 (5%) and at other times it may be more than 1:12 (8.33%).

Transition plates are the sloping pedestrian walking surfaces located at the end of a gangway. Gangways with transition plates are not required to have landings at the end. However, if the slope of a transition plate is greater than 1:20 (5%), then the transition plate must have a landing at the non-gangway end of the transition plate and comply with other ADA ramp requirements.

Railings and Handrails

Handrails are required on both sides of ramps with a rise greater than 6″ with a consistent height between 34” and 38” along the entire run. The ADAAG also provides specific measurements for handrail diameter (1 ¼” to 2”) and length of extensions to the end of the gangway (minimum 12”).

Other specifications regarding vertical supports for gangways are not addressed by ADAAG, but may be addressed in local building codes.

Edge Protection

Edge protection or security curbing is defined as a short barrier that is a maximum of 4” above the platform surface that prevents wheelchairs from falling off the dock or walkway. Edge protection is not required under current ADAAG, but installing it establishes a secure perimeter, offering peace of mind and increased protection for wheelchair users.

Boat Slips

A boat slip is the portion of a pier, main pier, finger pier, or float where a boat is berthed or moored, or used for embarking or disembarking. Accessible boat slips must have clear pier space at least 60” wide and as long as the slip to facilitate easy access.

The width of the clear pier space may be 36” wide for a length of 24”, as long as multiple 36” segments are separated by segments that are 60” minimum clear in width and 60” minimum clear in length, and the clear openings are at least 60” deep.

Facility owners need to provide a proportion of accessible boat slips relative to their total number of boat slips. Any facility with up to 25 slips must have at least one boat slip that is accessible to everyone regardless of ability. A facility with 50 slips and over must supply multiple accessible boat slips, and they should not be limited to one area.

Other Dock Accessibility Products

Depending on the purpose of your facility, you may need to consider additional products and features that enhance dock accessibility.

• Fishing piers and platforms share many of the same ADA standards as docks but have their own specifications for railings, guards, or handrails.
• Limited use/limited application elevators or platform lifts that comply with ADAAG may be used instead of gangways as part of an accessible route connecting floating piers.
• Other accessibility considerations include kayak launches, operable parts, toilets, bathing rooms, parking, and signage.

ADA Compliant Docks: Case Study and Example

For anyone with disabilities that wants to enjoy watercraft, EZ Docks has designed the EZ Launch system to exceed ADA standards. The EZ Launch system offers dual heights for easy wheelchair transfers and adaptable slide boards for various watercraft heights. The EZ Launch also features optional security curbing for a secure perimeter, a stable ADA transfer bench, and secure guide rails and launch rollers.

“Every single family was able to get out in the water using a system like an EZ Launch, it makes sure that we take away some of those barriers that veterans face — especially if they’re facing some kind of disability.”

— Brandy Cain, Travis Mills Foundation Marketing & Donor Relations Director

The Travis Mills Foundation and EZ Dock have collaborated to design stable, self-sufficient kayak and canoe access, opening up the exhilarating world of water activities for people with disabilities.

“For me it’s kind of hard to get in and out of the kayak. I have my arms on and my legs off. So, someone has to literally pick me up and put me in or drag me out. But with the EZ Launch I can scoop myself right off from it and if I paddle just a little bit harder I can shoot — for the most part — right up it. So, to watch a father toss their three year old daughter in the kayak all by themselves with no legs and be able to just use their hands to push themselves off, take their daughter for a paddle, and then come back and just shoot right back up there with no hands — not to rely on anybody — because they have the ability to go up and down the EZ Launch; it truly is a remarkable moment.”

FWM Docks and EZ Dock systems are committed to providing solutions that will meet all of your needs and maximize your space while complying with all applicable regulations. If you have any questions about how our products meet ADA standards, contact us directly and we’ll be happy to help.

To assist you with your dock design ideas, download our free eBook for a guide on the 12 Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Dock.