The ADA Rule That Catches California Property Owners Off Guard: The 20% Rule

Planning a tenant improvement or remodel in California? Here is something that surprises a lot of property owners.

When you renovate an existing building, you are often required to spend up to 20% of your construction budget on upgrading the path of travel to the improved area — even if that work was not part of your original scope.

What Is the Path of Travel?

The path of travel is not just the hallway outside your suite. Under both the ADA Standards and California Building Code Chapter 11B, the path of travel includes:

- The accessible route from the parking lot or sidewalk to your entrance

- Entrance doors and hardware

- Restrooms serving the area

- Drinking fountains, signage, and public phones along the way

All of these elements must be brought up to current accessibility standards as part of your renovation — up to 20% of the total construction cost of the primary work.

Why This Matters

Owners frequently budget for the visible remodel — new finishes, new fixtures, updated layout — and get blindsided by required accessibility upgrades at plan check. By the time the plan checker flags it, the design is done, the contractor is priced, and the schedule is set.

Adding path-of-travel work at that stage costs more, takes longer, and creates friction with everyone on the project. Knowing this up front means no surprises, no delays, and a smoother path to your certificate of occupancy.

The Disproportionality Cap

The 20% is a cap, not a floor. If the required path-of-travel upgrades would exceed 20% of the primary construction cost, you are not required to exceed that threshold — but you must document it, prioritize the upgrades by impact, and have a plan for addressing the remainder.

This is where a CASp assessment early in the process pays for itself. We can evaluate the existing path of travel, estimate the cost of required upgrades, and help you structure the project scope to manage both the compliance obligation and the budget.

As a Certified Access Specialist (CASp #1063), this is exactly the kind of issue we flag before it becomes a costly problem. Have a project coming up? Let's make sure accessibility is handled right from day one.

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