California Restroom Door Signs

In California, public buildings and spaces must follow three sets of restroom signage requirements:

1. Title 24 of the California Building Standards Code rules for geometric restroom signs,

2. California’s Equal Restroom Access Act requiring all single user restrooms be unisex, and

3. Federal 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) restroom signage requirements for tactile identification signs. The ADA sometimes requires use of the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA or person in a wheelchair pictogram) and directional assessible restroom signs as detailed in the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (SAD). Additionally, CA Title 24 has tighter ADA braille requirements and sign hanging heights than most other states.

Below is a brief summary of the California Restroom door sign requirements.

California Restroom Door Signs

In addition to an ADA restroom wall sign, the State of California also requires a restroom door sign (Title 24). A few things to be mindful of, for California restroom door sign compliance, are as follows:

Location: Centered on the door.
Height: Between 58” & 60” above the finished floor, to the centerline of the symbol.
Shapes:
- Female: 12” diameter circle.
- Male: 12” equilateral triangle.
- Unisex/Family: triangle on top of 12” circle.
Color: The color of the door sign must contrast with the color of the door.

It is worth noting that if not every bathroom is accessible, then you must post wayfinding signs to the accessible bathroom(s), from the inaccessible bathrooms, and use signs with the ISA to identify accessible restrooms (typically on the wall sign, as the door sign pictogram is not required but optional). If all restrooms are accessible, then the ISA is optional.

We are here to inform and help you buy the right ADA compliant sign. When in doubt, contact your local building inspector to confirm California bathroom signage compliance.

If you’re ready to buy California restroom signs, click here to order now. You can rest assured that our CA restroom signs meet state and federal requirements!