Frequently asked questions

The baseline is the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design — the federal minimum. On top of that, A11ySpaces adds state, county, and city requirements that apply where you are, pulled from each place's published code.

Every requirement card shows the section it came from. Local cards also show a link to the official source and the date a specialist last checked it.

A ZIP code is how the site works out which state, county, and city rules apply. Set one at the top of the Explore, Audit, or Search and the stricter local requirements appear alongside the federal baseline, so one design can satisfy both at once. Without a ZIP code you see federal rules only.

The stricter one. If your state or city requires more than the federal minimum — a wider turning circle, for example — meeting the local number automatically meets the federal one. That is why both are shown on the same card rather than one replacing the other.

Local requirements are transcribed from official code and then checked by an accessibility specialist against the cited source. A card labeled "Needs specialist review" has not finished that check yet, so treat its numbers as a strong starting point and confirm against the source before you rely on them for a permit or an inspection.

State, county, and city rule cards have a "Flag for specialist review" link. A short note about what seems incorrect is required, and your flag goes straight to the specialist review queue together with the rule. Federal rules are pre-checked and don't need flagging.

Yes. The Home (residential) and Apartments & Multi-Family space types use Fair Housing Act design requirements — the federal standard for covered housing — with each state's housing code layered on top by ZIP code; for a private single-family home the figures are best-practice guidance rather than a legal requirement. The Events & Temporary Venues type covers stage ramps, cable bridges, seating, and quiet rooms for pop-ups and conferences.

No. Everything here is general guidance to help you measure a space and understand what the codes ask for. For projects with real consequences — permits, inspections, disputes — confirm with a licensed accessibility specialist or your local building department.

Only to keep things. Exploring, searching, and shopping all work signed out. Sign in to save audits, share a report link, and download a PDF.

Yes. About a second and a half after you stop typing, your measurements save on their own — look for "All changes saved." The first measurement you enter on a new audit creates it for you. You can still press "Save audit" to save immediately, and nothing is lost if you step away mid-audit.

Yes. Under each measurement there is a "readings recorded" link. Expand it to see every reading for that item, newest first, with the date, the value, and whether it passed or failed — useful for showing a door or ramp moving from first inspection to remediation. Quick edits while you are on site count as one reading, so typing a number doesn't fill the history with keystrokes.

From "My audits" you can copy a read-only link or download a PDF. The link shows the findings — space, location, what passed and failed, and every measurement — without giving anyone access to your account. You can stop sharing at any time, and the link stops working immediately.

The PDF is titled "Accessibility Report" and includes the audit name, the space, the location and the local rules that applied, a pass and fail count, and every rule with its status, requirement, and the measurement you entered. It is a plain document, so it can be emailed, printed, or attached to a permit file.

It is a saved to-do list built from the rules you pick. Every rule comes with step-by-step retrofit actions and links to the products that satisfy it. The list autosaves to your account, and it keeps any steps you have already marked complete when you add or remove rules.

The Audit menu has two ready-made starting points — one for homeowners and one for event planners. Opening one adds its rules to your checklist; nothing is replaced, so you can combine a starter list with your own selections.

Choose the audit you are working on and each measurement step links straight to the matching audit item, showing its current reading and pass or fail status. A failed audit item can be added to the checklist with one tap, and a step can jump back to the audit to measure again.

Yes — the same way as an audit report: a read-only link anyone can open, and a downloadable PDF. Both are controlled from "My audits", and you can stop sharing at any time.

"Buy now" opens a checkout panel on the right (on a phone, from the bottom) where you pay for the item directly. "Request a quote" opens the same panel with a short form — your name, email, and what you need — and we connect you with that vendor by email. Nothing is charged for a quote request.

Those are sample products used to show how the marketplace works. They are highlighted with a dashed border and a "Demo only" badge wherever they appear, including under matching rules and in the admin area. Only listings without that badge are real and orderable.

Sales tax is calculated and added automatically at checkout based on where the order ships. You see the total before you pay.

Use the "Want to become a vendor?" section at the bottom of the Shop page. Tell us your name, email, company, and what you offer, and we follow up by email. Once you are listed, your products can be linked to the specific requirements they satisfy, so they show up on those rule cards.

Vendors link each product to the requirements it meets. When you are browsing a rule — in Explore, Search, or an audit checklist — the products and services that help satisfy that exact requirement appear beneath it, including ones that only apply where you are if you have set a ZIP code.

Use the spec table view: one row per product with the space it serves, the requirements it meets, and the price or purchase type — plus filters for space, hardware category, vendor, and purchase method, and a search box. Each row opens a details panel with the full listing and the vendor's business contact details.

Yes. If you have a retrofit checklist and you are signed in, tick "Only items for my checklist" to filter the Shop down to products linked to the rules on your list.

So you can comparison-shop. The "Compare on Amazon" link opens the same or a similar item on Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — it costs you nothing extra and does not change which products are listed.

The Shop pays for the site. Using our affiliate links, requesting a quote, and shopping directly in our marketplace all keep A11ySpaces free to use — nothing extra is added to your price. Please support keeping it a free-to-use resource by shopping the marketplace whenever you can.

Yes. The EN/ES toggle at the far right of the top menu switches the entire site — including the rule text, audit results, and reports — between English and Spanish (Mexican). Your choice is remembered on this device.