--- title: "ADA door hardware requirements — LocksmithBro" description: "The exact text of ADA 404.2.7, 309.4 and 404.2.9 — mounting height, the no-tight-grasping rule, and the two different 5-pound limits that get confused with each other." canonical: https://locksmithbro.shop/code/ada-door-hardware/ note: "Canonical and hreflang point at the HTML. This mirror is for machine readers." --- # ADA door hardware: operating force, mounting height and why levers Written by [The LocksmithBro editorial desk](https://locksmithbro.shop/authors/editorial-desk/) Last reviewed 2026-08-17 Short answer ADA 404.2.7 requires door hardware to comply with 309.4 and to sit 34 to 48 inches above the floor. Section 309.4 requires operation with one hand, without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist, at 5 pounds maximum. Section 404.2.9 sets a separate 5-pound limit on opening the door itself. This varies by jurisdiction Licensing and consumer protection rules vary by state and change. Verify with the board or agency listed before relying on this page. ## What does ADA 404.2.7 actually say? The 2010 ADA Standards state it directly: handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other operable parts on doors and gates shall comply with 309.4, and operable parts of such hardware shall be 34 inches minimum and 48 inches maximum above the finish floor or ground. Where sliding doors are fully open, the operating hardware must be exposed and usable from both sides. There are stated exceptions for certain existing conditions — existing locks at existing glazed doors without stiles, existing overhead rolling doors or grilles, and similar existing doors designed with locks activated only at the top or bottom rail. Pool, spa and hot tub barrier gates get a separate allowance up to 54 inches for self-latching release hardware. This is the clause that makes lever handles the practical default. Nothing in the standard names a lever; what it does is set a performance requirement that a round knob cannot meet. ## Why does a doorknob fail and a lever pass? Because of 309.4, which 404.2.7 points at: operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, and the force required to activate them shall be 5 pounds maximum. Turning a round knob requires exactly the wrist rotation and grip the clause rules out. A lever can be operated with a closed fist, a forearm, or an elbow. The standards' own advisory makes the same point: hardware operable with a closed fist or a loose grip accommodates the greatest range of users, and hardware requiring simultaneous hand and finger movements needs more dexterity and is not recommended. That is also why it is worth specifying levers well beyond the buildings the ADA reaches. The requirement is written for disability access and it happens to describe hardware that is easier for everyone carrying groceries. ## The two 5-pound limits are not the same limit This is the detail almost every consumer article gets wrong. Section 309.4's 5 pounds is the force to operate the hardware — to turn the lever or throw the latch. Section 404.2.9's 5 pounds is the force to push or pull the door open, which is about the closer and the door itself, not the lock. And 404.2.9 is narrower than it is usually reported. It gives a maximum of 5 pounds for interior hinged doors and gates and for sliding or folding doors. Exterior hinged doors are simply not given a figure by the standard. That is an omission, not an exception, and it is why an accessible entrance can still be heavy in a way the standard does not directly prohibit. Fire doors are handled separately: they shall have a minimum opening force allowable by the appropriate administrative authority, because a fire door has to latch. And in both cases the force does not apply to retracting a latch bolt or disengaging devices holding the door closed. ## How should you use this section? Start with whichever page matches the situation you are actually in, then read the checklist once while nothing is wrong. Almost everything on this site is easier to act on before you need it. The six questions in the Verify checklist take about a minute and are considerably easier to ask from your sofa than from your doorstep at midnight, which is the moment they are designed for. Every page here names its sources and shows when each was retrieved. Where we could not confirm something — a board URL, a price range, a figure attributed to an agency — the page says so rather than guessing, and that gap is itself information about how much of the published material in this trade is worth trusting. ## What will you not find here? Anything about defeating a lock, and any reason for us to send you somewhere. We do not publish entry techniques of any kind. That is a permanent editorial boundary rather than a gap, and it is enforced against every page before it can ship. The reasoning is set out on the [scope boundary](https://locksmithbro.shop/scope-boundary/) page. We are also not a locksmith, we do not dispatch anyone, and we do not sell leads. There is no phone number anywhere on this site, and the build fails if one appears. On a site whose advice is "do not call the first number you see", that seemed like the minimum. ## How do we decide what to publish? Sources are ranked, and the ranking decides what a page is allowed to claim. Tier one is primary: the FTC, state attorneys general, state licensing boards, ADA.gov and the Access Board, NFPA, the eCFR. Tier two is the trade and standards bodies — ALOA, SAVTA, DHI, BHMA, UL, and manufacturer technical documentation. Tier three is cost aggregators and company blogs, and it is only ever used for estimates, always attributed. Locksmith company content is the dominant source of published material in this trade, and a meaningful share of it comes from the operations this site exists to warn people about. All of it is treated as tier three, and none of it is ever the source for a pricing claim, a licensing claim, or a claim about when a lock needs to be destroyed. Pages that touch law or regulation carry a further requirement: a primary government or standards source, and a dated notice saying which one and when. A page that cannot meet that does not ship. ## How current is any of this? Every page carries the date it was last reviewed, and that date is not decorative. It comes from a record of when the page's content actually changed, not from the date of the most recent build. A page that has not been edited keeps its original date rather than quietly resetting to today, because a site that claims everything was reviewed this morning is telling you nothing. The same applies to the sitemap we give search engines. Regulatory pages are the ones that move: a state repeals a licensing act, a board changes its address, an agency publishes an alert. Where we retrieved something on a specific date, the page says so, and where a link could not be confirmed we name the agency instead of publishing an address we have not tested. ## What does a fair locksmith visit actually look like? Worth describing, because most coverage of this trade only describes the bad version and leaves you with no baseline. You call. Someone answers with a business name rather than a generic greeting. They ask what the lock is, where you are, and whether you can prove you belong there — a legitimate technician will ask for identification matching the address before opening anything, and being asked is a good sign rather than an inconvenience. They quote a total, itemised, and will put it in a text message. They give an arrival window and a vehicle. The technician arrives in that vehicle, shows identification without being prompted, and confirms the price before touching the door. If the job turns out to be different from what was described, they stop and tell you what the new price would be before continuing rather than after. The work is non-destructive where that is possible, and where it is not they explain why, get your agreement, and price the replacement before starting. You get an itemised receipt with a business name on it, and you can pay by card. None of that is exotic. It is simply what a functioning trade looks like, and most locksmiths operate this way — which is the thing the scam coverage tends to obscure. Sources - Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Consumer Alert: Locked Out? Be Wary of Scammers Posing as Locksmith Technicians2026-07-16 - Federal Trade Commission. FTC Urges Consumers to Use Caution When Seeking a Locksmith2008-05-30 - Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. ANSI/BHMA Standards — Product Grade Levels2026-08-17 - Nebraska Legislature. Legislative Bill 169 (2021)2021-04-07 Sources (2) Every claim on this page traces to one of these. - U.S. Department of Justice. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Tier 1 accessed 2026-08-17 - U.S. Access Board. ADA Accessibility Standards. Tier 1 accessed 2026-08-17