On Friday, July 23, 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder signed final regulations revising the Department's ADA regulations, including its ADA Standards for Accessible Design, these final rules will take effect March 15, 2011, and be required March 15, 2012.  The Department of Justice may enforce the ADA code under Title III by obtaining civil penalties for initial violations, and increasing penalties for subsequent violations.

Basics of ADA Accessibility:

Installation Compliance:
-  Most swimming pools require two means of accessible entry, a spa usually requires only one.

-  If a lift is chosen as a means of entry, the water at the point of entry must be less than 48" deep, there must be a three foot by four foot area of clear deck space with a slope no greater than 1:48 (see figure).

-  The center of the seat must be 16" from the edge of the pool when loading.

Lift Compliance:
-  The lift must have a solid seat of at least sixteen inches in width, with a footrest and armrests that can move out of the way when transferring.

-  The lift will transport a minimum of 300 lbs. at the seat, and the seat will stop above the deck in the transfer position between 16" (min) and 19" (max) above the deck.  The lift will submerge the seat at least 18" below the surface of the water to transfer into the pool.

-  The lift will be operable by the user from either the deck or water regardless of the position of the chair.

For the full listing of code visit: http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/final.cfm#recr\n\n\neation

and: http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#1\n\n\n\n\n5*