Schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, must follow ADA compliance standards when producing building access ramps. These rules are necessary for allowing people who require wheelchairs to safely and easily go up and down different spaces on campus. REDD Team is available to serve schools in the county by producing high-quality aluminum ramps that are made in the United States.
A ramp will ensure a building meets Level I Accessibility standards based on what the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services lists for properties. Level I standards state that a building must have necessary surfaces for accessibility with slopes that are reasonable to handle.
General Slope Rules For Ramps
While a walking surface in a Montgomery County school must have a slope of 1:20 at the most, a ramp can have a slope of 1:12. The running slope must not be any steeper, although there is an exception for cases where space limitations make this type of ramp slope impractical.
The slope can be steeper than 1:12 if the maximum rise is short enough. The slope can be from 1:8 to 1:10 if the rise is 3 inches, or it can be 1:10 to 1:12 when the rise is 6 inches.
The cross slope must not be steeper than 1:48. The sizing is necessary for keeping items from collecting on the ramp.
Length
The ramp can have a rise of up to 30 inches. The size standard is necessary for how many people who use wheelchairs might struggle to go on ramps that are any longer or higher.
Width Plans
The ramp should have a width of at least 36 inches to meet ADA standards. Montgomery County recommends schools install wider ramps to accommodate two wheelchairs at once.
Landings
The landings on the top and bottom of the ramp must be at least 60 inches long and as wide as the widest part of the ramp.
Landings can also appear in the middle of a ramp run. These landings are particularly critical for cases where the ramp is very long, or there’s a turn due to a lack of space for something.
Any landing midway through the ramp must be as wide as the widest part of the ramp while also being 60 inches long. If there’s a change in direction, all sides of the landing must be 60 inches long.
Edge Protection
All ramp edges must have a projecting surface at least 2 inches high. The height is necessary to keep a wheelchair or another device from slipping off the ramp. This feature is necessary even if the ramp doesn’t have handrails.
Handrails
Handrails are not necessary for all ramps, as ramps that are less than six feet long don’t require them. But handrails are vital for anything longer. These handrails should be 36 inches high from the bottom of the ramp to the top of the rail. The sizing is necessary to allow most wheelchair users to grasp onto the rail.
REDD Team is here to help you design and build a ramp for your Montgomery County, Maryland, school. You can consult us online or by phone at (800) 648-3696 for more information. We can create a custom-made ramp that fits your campus, so let us know your requirements.
