The Justice Department adopted the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design for new construction and alterations of state and local government facilities, public accommodations and commercial facilities. For furniture, the sections that matter most are 226 and 902 for dining and work surfaces, 305 and 306 for the space at and under them, and 903 for benches. This page summarizes them as published by the Justice Department and the U.S. Access Board, checked October 5, 2026. State and local codes can add to them, and the project’s architect or the local building official decides how they apply to a building.
How many tables and counters
For dining surfaces, section 226.1 counts seating and standing spaces. Where dining surfaces are provided for food or drink, at least 5 percent of the seating spaces and standing spaces at them have to meet section 902. Where work surfaces are provided for use by people other than employees, at least 5 percent of them have to meet section 902 as well. Sales and service counters are exempt from this section, and have rules of their own in section 904.
Section 226.2 requires the accessible dining and work surfaces to be dispersed throughout the space that contains them. The Justice Department’s guidance explains that the 1991 Standards counted fixed dining tables, and that counting seating and standing spaces lets designers disperse accessible seating through the dining area.
The Access Board’s advisory note to section 902 says dining surfaces include bars, tables, lunch counters and booths, and lists writing surfaces, study carrels and student laboratory stations among work surfaces. Its advisory note to 226.1 says the rule does not cover work surfaces used only by employees, and that employers may need to provide or adjust work stations for employees with disabilities as a reasonable accommodation.
Height and clearance
| Item | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Top of a dining or work surface | 28 inches minimum, 34 inches maximum above the floor | §902.3 |
| Top of a surface for children’s use | 26 inches minimum, 30 inches maximum | §902.4.2 |
| Clear floor space in front | 30 by 48 inches minimum, for a forward approach | §902.2, §305.3 |
| Knee clearance | The space from 9 to 27 inches above the floor, 30 inches wide minimum, up to 25 inches deep | §306.3 |
| Knee clearance depth where required | 11 inches minimum at 9 inches above the floor, 8 inches minimum at 27 inches | §306.3.3 |
| Toe clearance | The space from the floor to 9 inches above it, 30 inches wide minimum, 17 inches deep minimum where required, 25 inches deep maximum | §306.2 |
| Knee clearance for children’s use | May reach 24 inches above the floor, where adults need 27 | §902.4.1 |
Between 9 and 27 inches above the floor, knee clearance may get shallower by 1 inch for each 6 inches of height, under section 306.3.4. A table base, a pedestal or an apron (the panel or frame under the edge of a table top) can block that clearance, so check the base and the apron on any table meant to provide an accessible seat.
Bars and high counters
The 2010 Standards have no separate rule for a bar or counter higher than 34 inches, and the Access Board counts bars among dining surfaces. The 1991 Standards, which the 2010 Standards replaced, allowed a restaurant to provide a lower section of the bar at least 60 inches long or to serve customers at accessible tables in the same area. Ask the project’s architect or the local building official how the 5 percent rule applies to a bar before ordering bar-height tables and stools. Section 206.2.5 also requires an accessible route to every dining area of a restaurant or cafeteria, including raised, sunken and outdoor dining areas, with exceptions for some mezzanines, some alterations and tiered seating in sports facilities.
Benches
Section 903 sets the design of a bench where the standards require one, such as in a dressing room, fitting room or locker room under section 803.4, or in a sauna or steam room.
| Item | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Seat size | 42 inches long minimum, 20 to 24 inches deep | §903.3 |
| Seat height | 17 to 19 inches above the floor | §903.5 |
| Back support | 42 inches long minimum, from 2 inches maximum to 18 inches minimum above the seat, or the bench fixed to a wall | §903.4 |
| Strength | Holds a vertical or horizontal force of 250 pounds at any point | §903.6 |
| Clear floor space | 30 by 48 inches at the end of the bench, parallel to its short side | §903.2 |
| Wet locations | Slip-resistant seat that does not hold water | §903.7 |
Section 222.1 requires at least 5 percent of dressing, fitting and locker rooms of each type in each cluster, and no fewer than one, to be accessible, and section 803.4 puts a bench that meets section 903 in each of them.
Picnic tables
The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Standards set rules for picnic tables and other outdoor features, but section F201.4 applies them only to facilities built or altered by federal agencies, or by others on federal land on behalf of a federal agency. The Access Board’s guide says these rules have no legal effect on state and local governments and private entities, which can use them as guidance.
Where they apply, a picnic area with more than two picnic units has to give at least 20 percent of them, and not less than two, mobility features under section F245.2.2. Each accessible picnic table needs at least one wheelchair space, 30 by 48 inches minimum, for each 24 linear feet of usable table perimeter under section 1011.4.2, a top 28 to 34 inches high under section 1011.4.1, and 36 inches of clear ground space on all usable sides, measured from the back edge of the benches, under section 1011.2.1. The page on furniture for parks and public spaces has more on outdoor projects.