ACCESSIBILITY LAW (Batas Pambansa Bilang 344)

- Provisions Related to the National Building Code (PD 1096)

1) Compliance is required for the issuance or license or permit for the construction, repair or
renovation of public and private buildings for public use, educational institutions, airports, sports
and recreation centers and complexes, shopping centers or establishments, public parking places,
work-places and public utilities.
2) Architectural & structural features: sidewalks, ramps, railings and the like.
3) Ministry of Public Works and Highways to oversee compliance of government buildings, street
and highways.
4) For parking places, the owner or operator shall reserve sufficient and suitable space for the use
of disable persons.

RULE I – Scope and Application

Scope
1) Public and private buildings and related structures for public use.
2) Streets and highways
3) Public utilities including public transport vehicles (ex. buses, jeepneys, trains, domestic inter-
island vessels, domestic aircraft of air carriers), telephones, and transport terminals.

Building and Related Structures to be Constructed

1) At the space where the primary function is served and where facilities and ingress/egress of the
building or structure are located.
2) 10% of the total number of units of government-owned living accommodations (with any fraction
in excess of ½ in the computation thereof, to be considered as one unit). For privately-owned
living accommodations, the number of accessible units shall be as provided in Rule III Section 3.
3) Accessible slots in parking areas shall be located as near as possible to ingress/egress spaces of
the building.

Building and Related Structures to be Repaired or Renovated

- Feasibility of incorporation of barrier-free facilities and accessibility features shall be determined
from all the following conditions:
1) when repair or renovation is to be done in the space where the primary function is served;
2) minimum elevator width of 800mm to access facilities at any other level;
3) will not diminish by more than 10% the original area of the primary function space;
4) capacity of major structural components will not be diminished;
5) When the cost of repair/renovation work (excluding the exception) exceeds 20% of the total cost
of the building (based on the computation of permit fees as provided under Rule III of the IRR of
PD 1096)
Exception: repair or renovation work which consists only of heating, ventilating and air-
conditioning systems, including those which maybe required only with respect to fire panic and
explosion safety for existing spaces, shall not be subject to the requirements for accessibility.
Public Transport Terminals
- See private and public buildings and related structures for public use criteria and accessibility
requirements.

RULE II – Minimum Requirements for Accessibility

Anthropometrics and Dimensional Data as Guides for Design

1) Length of wheelchairs: 1.1m to 1.3m
2) Width of wheelchairs: 0.6m to 0.75m
3) A circle of 1.5m diameter is suitable guide in the planning of wheelchair turning spaces.
4) Comfortable reach of persons confined to wheelchairs is from 0.70m to 1.20m above the floor
and not less than 0.4m from room corners. The comfortable clearance for knees and leg space
under tables for wheelchair users is 0.70m.
5) Counter height shall be placed at a level comfortable to disabled person’s reach.

RULE III – Specific Requirements for Buildings and Related Structures for Public Use

Classification of Building by Use or Occupancy:

BP 344 CATEGORIES PD 1096 SECTION 701 CATEGORIES
I - Residential Group A and partly Group B Buildings
II – Commercial and Industrial Partly Groups B, C, E, F, G, H, and I Buildings
III – Educational and Industrial Partly Group C, D, E, and H Buildings
IV – Agricultural Partly Group J Buildings
V – Ancillary Partly Group J Buildings

Architectural Features and Facilities

- Corresponding graphic signs included.
- Architectural facilities and features:
A. Stairs
B. Walkways
C. Corridors
D. Doors and Entrances
E. Washrooms and Toilets
F. Lifts/Elevators
G. Ramps
H. Parking Areas
I. Switches, Controls, Buzzers
J. Handrails
K. Thresholds
L. Floor Finishes
M. Drinking Fountains
 N. Public Telephones
O. Seating Accommodations

BARRIER-FREE
FACILITIES AND
FEATURES
GROUP TYPE ACCESSIBLE UNITS REQUIRED IN:
CATEGORY I – Applicable to Government-owned Buildings Only
A 0 – Single detached 10% of the total units to be constructed. A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, & L
1 – Duplexes 10% of the total units to be constructed. A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, & L
2 – School or 1 unit for 26 to 50 units to be constructed A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
company staff and 1 additional unit for every 100 units K, & L
housing units thereafter.
B 0 – Multiple dwelling 1 unit from 26 up to 50 units to be A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.
units or high-rise constructed and an additional unit for J, K, L, & M
residential every 100 units thereafter, with all such
condominiums or units at ingress level in case there is not
tenement houses barrier-free elevator provided.
CATEGORY II – Applicable to Both Government- and Privately-owned Buildings
B 0 – Accessories, 1 unit for every 50 units up to 150 units A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
tenement houses and an additional unit for every 100 units K, & L
and/or row houses, thereafter.
apartment houses
and/or town houses
1 – Hotels, motels, 1 unit per every 50 units up to 150 units A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
inns, pension houses and an additional unit for every 100 units J, K, L, M, & N
and/or apartels at ingress level. In case there is no
barrier-free elevators: at least 1 unit shall
be provided at ingress level.
2 – Private or “off 1 unit per every 50 units up to 150 units A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J
campus” dormitories and an additional dwelling unit for every K, L, M, & N
100 units thereafter at ingress level.
C 0 – Amusement halls and parlor A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
1 – Massage and sauna parlors A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & M
E1 0 – Train stations and terminals A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
1 – Bus depots and terminals A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
2 – Transportation office A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
E1 cont. 3 – Airport terminal buildings, heliports A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
4 – ports and harbor facilities, landing piers, sheds, ferry landing A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
stations J, K, L, M, N, & O
E2 0 – General wholesale and retail stores A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & N
1 – Shopping centers and supermarkets and public markets A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & N
2 – Restaurants, dining and drinking establishments A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & N
3 – Office buildings A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & N
4 – Financial institutions A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, & N
5 – Funeral parlors, morgues and crematories A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
6 – Memorial and mortuary chapels A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K, L, M, N, & O
F 0 – Dairies and creameries A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
1 – Factories and workshops using incombustible or non- A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
explosive materials K, L, & M
2 – Breweries bottling plants, canneries and tanneries A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
G-3 0 – Wood working establishments, lumber and timber yards A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
1 – Pulp, paper and paper board factories A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
2 – Textile and fiber spinning mills A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
3 – Garment and undergarment factories A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
H-1 0 – Theaters, auditoriums and convention halls A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
H-4 L, M, N, & O
I 1 – Concert halls and opera houses A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
L, M, N, & O
2 – Colisea and sports complexes and stadiums A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
L, M, N, & O
CATEGORY III
C 0 – Educational institution (schools, colleges, universities, A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
vocational schools, seminaries and novitiates) including school L, M, N, & O
auditoriums, gymnasia, reviewing stands, little theaters and
concert halls
C cont. 1 – Libraries, museums, exhibition halls and at galleries A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
L, M, N, & O
2 – Civil centers A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
L, M, N, & O
3 – Clubhouses lodges A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K,
L, M, N, & O
D-1 0 – Mental hospitals, mental sanitaria, mental asylums A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
1 – Jails, prisons, reformatories, correctional institutions A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
2 – Rehabilitation centers A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
3 - Leprosia A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
D-2 0 – Homes for the aged A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
1 – Hospitals and sanitaria A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
D-3 0 – Nursing homes for ambulatory patients A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
1 – Orphanages A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
E-7 1 – Police and fire stations A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, & M
H Churches, temples, chapels and similar places of worship A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, J,
K, L, M, & O
CATEGORY IV
1 – Agricultural buildings A, B, C, D, G, H, I, J, K,
&L
STANDARD OF ACCESSIBILITY FOR SPECIAL TYPE OF FACILITIES
0 – Auditoriums, assembly halls, theaters, and related facilities: seating for disabled shall be accessible
from the main lobby to primary entrances, together with related toilet facilities

Seating Capacity Wheelchair Seating Capacity

4 – 50 2
51 – 300 4
301 – 500 6

In excess of 500 seating capacity, an additional wheelchair seating space for each total seating
capacity increase of 100 seats.
APPLICATION OF BARRIER-FREE FACILITIES AND FEATURES
1. Graphic signs shall be bold and conspicuously installed in every access from point of entry to
connecting destination.
2. Walkways shall be provided with adequate passageway in accordance with the provision.
 3. Width of corridors and circulation system integrated both and vertical access to ingress/egress
level of the building shall be provided.
4. Doors and entrances provided herein used as entry points at entrance lobbies as local points of
congregation shall be designed to open easily or accessible from floor to floor or to any point
of destination.
5. Washroom and toilets shall be accessible and provided with adequate turning space.
6. Whenever elevator/s is required it should meet the requirements provided.
7. Ramps shall be provided as means of access to level of change going to entry points and
entrances, lobbies influenced by condition of location or use.
8. Parking areas shall be provided with sufficient space for the disabled persons to allow easy
transfer from carpark to ingress/egress levels.
9. Height above the floor of switches and controls shall be in accordance with the provisions.
10. Handrails shall be provided at both sides of ramps.
11. Floors provided for every route of the wheelchair shall be made of non-skid material.
12. Water fountains shall be installed as required.
Note: In the computation for the allocation of accessible units and seating capacity, decimal greater
than 0.5 shall be considered as one unit. In all cases a minimum of 1 accessible unit shall be provided.

RULE IV – Requirements for Public Transportation

RULE V – Administration and Enforcement

Responsibility for Administration and Enforcement

- Vested in the Secretary of Public Works and Highways and the Secretary of Transportation and
Communication.
- The Secretary through Heads of attached agencies of the Department of Public Works and
Highways, with technical assistance of the Building Research Development Staff, shall administer
and enforce the provisions of these Rules and Regulations thru the City/Municipal Engineer who
shall also act as Local Building Official pursuant to Section 477 of RA 7160, otherwise known as
the Local Government Code of 1991 and as applied to the following:
1) Building and related structures including public transport terminals
2) Streets and highways

Persons/Individual Liable of any Violation of the Act

- For Buildings/Establishment/Structure
1) Owner or Operator of the Building, Establishment or Structure
2) Contractor
3) Architect
4) Engineer
5) Building Official or Other Public Official in-charge with the issuance of building permit,
registration, certification and/or inspection of the building, establishment or structure
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

PARKING AREAS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Parking spaces for the disabled should allow enough
1 space for a person to transfer to a wheelchair from a
vehicle.

Accessible parking spaces should be located as close as

2
possible to building entrances or to accessible entrances.

Whenever and wherever possible, accessible parking

3 spaces should be perpendicular or to an angle to the
road or circulation aisles.

Accessible parking slots should have a minimum width

4
of 3.70m.
A walkway from accessible spaces of 1.20m clear with
5
shall be provided between front ends of parked cars.
Provide dropped curbs or curb cut-outs to the parking
6
level where access walkways are raised.

Pavement markings, signs or other means shall be

7 provided to delineate parking spaces for the
handicapped.

Parking spaces for the disabled should never be located

8
at ramped or sloping areas.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

ENTRANCES
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Entrances shoulld be accessible from arrival and
1
departure points to the interior lobby.
One (1) entrance level should be provided where
2
elevators are accessible.

In case entrances are not on the same level of the site

3 arrival grade, ramps should be provided as access to the
entrance level.

Entrances with vestibules shall be provided a level area

4
with at least a 1.80m depth and a 1.50m width.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

RAMPS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Changes in level require a ramp except when served by
1
a dropped curb, an elevator or other mechanical device.

2 Ramps shall have a minumum clear width of 1.20m.

3 The maximum gradient shall be 1:12.

The length of a ramp should not exceed 6.00m if the

4 gradient is 1:12; longer ramps whose gradient is 1:12
shall be provided with landings not less than 1.50m.

A level area not less than 1.80m should be provided at

5
the top and bottom of any ramp.
Handrails will be provided on both sides of the ramp at
6
0.70m and 0.90m from the ramp level.
Ramps shall be equipped with curbs on both sides with
7
a minimum height of 0.10m
Any ramp with a rise greater than 0.20m and leads
down towards an area where vehicular traffic is
8
possible, should have a railing across the full width of its
lower end, not less than 1.80m from the foot of the
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

DOORS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO

1 All doors shall have a minimum clear width of 0.80m.

Clear openings shall be measured between the surface

2 of the fully open door at the hinge and the door jamb at
the stop.

Doors should be operable by a pressure or force not

3 more than 4.0kg; the closing device pressure an interior
door shall not exceed 1kg.

A minimum clear level space of 1.50m x 1.50m shall be

provided before and extending beyond a door;
Exception: where a door shall open onto but not into a
4
corridor, the required clear, level space on the corridor
side of the door may be a minimum of 1.20m corridor
width.
Protection should be provide from doors that swing into
5
corridors.
Outswinging doors should be provided at storage
6
rooms, closets and accessible restroom stalls.
Latching or non-latching hardware should not require
7
wrist action or fine finger manipulation.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

DOORS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Doorknobs and other hardware should be located
8 between 0.82m and 1.06m above the floor; 0.90m is
preferred.

Vertical pull handles, centered at 1.06m above the floor,

9 are preferred to horizontal pull bars for swing doors or
doors with locking devices.

Doors along major circulation routes should be provided

10 with kick plates made of durable materials at a height of
0.30m to 0.40m.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

THRESHOLDS, SWITCHES & CORRIDORS

COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Thresholds shall be kept to a minimum; whenever
1.1 necessary, thresholds and sliding door tracks shall have
a maximum height of 25mm and preferably ramped.

Manual switches shall be positioned within 1.20m to

2.1
1.30m above the floor.
Manual switches should be located no further than 0.20
2.2
from the latch side of the door.

Corridors shall have a minimum clear width of 1.20m;

3.1 waiting areas and other facilities or spaces shall not
obstruct the minimum clearance requirement.

Recesses or turnabout spaces should be provided for

wheelchairs to turn around or to enable another
3.2 wheelchair to pass; these spaces shall have a minimum
area of 1.50m x 1.50m and shall be spaced at a
maximum of 12.00m.

Turnbout spaces should also be provided at or within

3.3
3.50m of every dead end.
As in walkways, corridors should be maintained level
3.4
and provided with a slipresistant surface.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

WASHROOMS & TOILETS

COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Accessible public washrooms and toilets shall permit
easy passage of a wheelchair and allow the occupant to
1
enter a stall, close the door and transfer to the water
closet from either a frontal or lateral position.
Accessible water closet stalls shall have a minimum area
of 1.70m x 1.80m. One movable grab bar and one fixed
to the adjacent wall shall be installed at the accessible
2
water closet stall for lateral mounting; fixed grab bars
on both sides of the wall shall be installed for stalls for
frontal mounting.

A turning space of 2.25sqm with a minimum dimension

3 of 1.50m for wheelchair shall be provided for water
closet stalls for lateral mounting.

All accessible public toilets shall have accessories such

as mirrors, paper dispensers, tower racks and fittings
4
such as faucets mounted at heights reachable by a
person in a wheelchair.

The minimum number of accessible water closets on

each floor level or on that part of a floor level accessible
5 to the disabled shall be: 1 where the total number of
water closets per set on that level is 20; 2 where the
number of water closet exceed 20.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

WASHROOMS & TOILETS

COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO

In order to aid visually impaired persons to readily

determine whether a washroom is for men or for
women, the signage for men's washroom door shall be
an equilateral triangle with a vertex pointing upward,
and those for women shall be a circle; the edges of the
triangle should be 0.30m long as should be the
6 diameter of the circle; these signages should at least be
7.5mm thick; the color and gray value of the doors; the
words "men" and "women" or the appropriate stick
figures should still appear on the washroom doors for
the convenience of the fully sighted; Note: the totally
blind could touch the edge of the signs and easily
determine whether it is straight or curved.

The maximum height of water closets should be 0.45m;

7
flush control should have a maximum height of 1.20m.

Maximum height of lavatories should be 0.80m with a

8 knee recess of 0.60 - 0.70m vertical clearance and a
0.5m depth.

Urinals should have an elongated lip or through type;

9
the maximum height of the lip should be 0.48m.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

STAIRS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Tread surfaces should be slip-resistant material; nosings
1 may be provided with slip-resistant strips to further
minimize slipping.

Slanted nosings are preferred to projecting nosings so as

not to pose difficulty for people usinng crutches or
2 braces whose feet have a tendency to get caught in the
recessed space or projecting nosings. For the same
reason, open stringers should be avoided.

The leading edge of each step on both runner and riser

should be marked with a paint or non-skid material that
has a color and gray value which is in high contrast to
3
the gray value of the rest of the stairs; markings of this
sort would be helpful to the visually impared as well as
to the fully sighted person.

A tactile strip 0.30m wide shall be installed before

hazardous areas such as sudden changes in floor levels
4 and at the top and bottom of the stairs; special case
must be taken to ensure the proper mounting or
adhesion of tactile strips so as not to case accidents.
 BP344 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
DATE:
BUILDING NAME:
LOCATION:

ELEVATORS
COMPLIANCE
NO. PROVISION NOTES
YES NO
Accessible elevators should be located not more than
1 30.00m from the entrance and should be easy to locate
with the aid of signs.

Accessible elevators shall have a minimum dimensions

2
of 1.10m x 140m.
Control panels and emergency system of accessible
elevators shall be within reach of a seated person;
3
centerline heights for the topmost buttons shall be
between 0.90m to 1.20m from the floor.

Button controls shall be provided with braille signs to

indicate floor level; at each floor, at the door frames of
elevator doors, braille-type signs shall be placed so that
4 blind persons can be able to discern what floor the
elevator car has stopped and from what level they are
embarking from; for installation heights, see Section
6.6, Signages.

Button sizes at elevator control panels shall have a

5 minimum diameter of 20mm and should have a
maximum depression depth of 1mm.