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§ 4751-105. Design standards

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 72 P.S. Taxation and Fiscal AffairsEffective: October 28, 2006

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 72 P.S. Taxation and Fiscal Affairs
Chapter 4. Local Taxation (Refs & Annos)
Exemptions (Refs & Annos)
Residential Visitability Design Tax Credit Act
Effective: October 28, 2006
72 P.S. § 4751-105
§ 4751-105. Design standards
Currentness
(a) General standards.--The architectural design of a visitable home shall comply with all of the following requirements:
(1) The path from either a vehicle parking area or a pedestrian entrance to the lot to the no-step entrance shall be firm, stable and slip resistant.
(i) The grade of the path shall not exceed the following acceptable slopes: 1:8 for slope length of five feet or less with a maximum rise of 7.5 inches; 1:10 for slope length of 12 feet or less with a maximum rise of 14.4 inches; and 1:12 for slope length of more than 12 feet.
(ii) Notwithstanding subparagraph (i), if the average slope of the property line along and contiguous to the public right-of-way exceeds a slope of 1:12, the slope of the exterior circulation path may be greater, if necessary, to provide access to the no-step entry, but it may not exceed the average slope of the property line.
(2) The residence shall provide at least one no-step entrance approachable by a firm, stable and slip-resistant path with an acceptable slope. The no-step entrance shall have a threshold of no greater than three-fourths of an inch. The no-step entrance to the residence may be located on any exterior side of the house or an entrance through the integral garage to the visitable level of the residence.
(3) All no-step entry doors must have a minimum clear open width of at least 32 inches and be equipped with lever handle hardware.
(4) Interior circulation paths on the visitable level of the dwelling must be at least 36 inches in width.
(5) All interior doorways on the visitable level of the dwelling, excluding closets and doorways to floors below the visitable level, shall have a minimum clear open width of 32 inches.
(6) Each visitable dwelling shall have a minimum of one powder room or bathroom on the visitable-level floor. The powder room shall have a 30-inch by 48-inch minimum clear floor space contiguous to the water closet and the lavatory. The clear space under the lavatory may be included in these measurements, and clear spaces contiguous to the water closet and lavatory may overlap. Plumbing fixtures and entry room doors accessing the visitable powder room must be equipped with lever-style hardware.
(7)(i) All bathrooms and powder rooms throughout the residential unit shall have reinforcement of at least two inches by eight inches of blocking between the studs placed inside the walls for easy installation of grab bars if needed. Reinforcement shall be capable of supporting grab bars that resist shear and bending forces of 250 pounds or greater. Blocking should be centered at 34 inches from and parallel to the finished floor.
(ii) Notwithstanding subparagraph (i), in renovated homes only the walls in powder rooms or bathrooms on the visitable floor and those on floors that have the stud walls exposed as part of the renovation process need to comply with this paragraph.
(8)(i) Light switches may not be higher than 48 inches above the finished floor of the residential unit. If there are two controls for the same light, only one need be in compliance with these standards.
(ii) Notwithstanding subparagraph (i), in renovated homes only the switches on the visitable floor need to comply with this paragraph unless the electrical renovations extend beyond the visitable floor.
(b) Modifications.--The design standards contained in this section may not be modified or made mandatory, except as provided by the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L. 491, No. 45),1 known as the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act.

Credits

2006, Oct. 28, P.L. 1207, No. 132, § 5, imd. effective.

Footnotes

1
35 P.S. § 7210.101 et seq.
72 P.S. § 4751-105, PA ST 72 P.S. § 4751-105
Current through Act 10 of the 2024 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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