3.8.1.

(1) The requirements of this Section apply to all buildings except,

(a) houses, including semi-detached houses, duplexes, triplexes, town houses, row houses and boarding or rooming houses with fewer than 8 boarders or roomers,

(b) buildings of Group F, Division 1 major occupancy, and

(c) buildings that are not intended to be occupied on a daily or full time basis, including automatic telephone exchanges, pumphouses and substations.

(1) In addition to the barrier-free entrances required by Sentence (2), the number of barrier-free entrances in a building referred to in Sentence 3.8.1.1.(1) shall be no fewer than those as specified in Table 3.8.1.2. and shall lead from,

(a) the outdoors at sidewalk level, or

(b) a ramp that conforms to Article 3.8.3.4.v1 and leads from a sidewalk.

(2) A suite of assembly occupancy, business and personal services occupancy or mercantile occupancy that is located in the first storey of a building or in a storey to which a barrier-free path of travel is provided, and that is separated from the remainder of the building, so that there is no access to the remainder of the building, shall have at least one barrier-free entrance.

(3) A barrier-free entrance required by Sentences (1) or (2) shall be designed in accordance with Article 3.8.3.3.v1

(4) At a barrier-free entrance that includes more than one doorway, only one of the doorways is required to be designed in accordance with the requirements of Article 3.8.3.3.v1

(5) If a walkway or pedestrian bridge connects two barrier-free storeys in different buildings, the path of travel from one storey to the other storey by means of the walkway or bridge shall be barrier-free.

(1) Except as required in Sentence (4) and except as permitted in Subsection 3.8.3., every barrier-free path of travel shall provide an unobstructed width of at least 1 100 mm for the passage of wheelchairs.

(2) Interior and exterior walking surfaces that are within a barrier-free path of travel shall,

(a) have no opening that will permit the passage of a sphere more than 13 mm in diam,

(b) have any elongated openings oriented approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel,

(c) be stable, firm and slip-resistant,

(d) be bevelled at a maximum slope of 1 in 2 at changes in level not more than 13 mm, and

(e) be provided with sloped floors or ramps at changes in level more than 13 mm.

(3) A barrier-free path of travel is permitted to include ramps, passenger elevators or other platform equipped passenger elevating devices to overcome a difference in level.

(4) Every barrier-free path of travel less than 1 600 mm in width shall be provided with an unobstructed space not less than 1 600 mm in width and 1 600 mm in length located not more than 30 m apart.

(5) Where the headroom of an area in a barrier-free path of travel is reduced to less than 1 980 mm, a guardrail or other barrier with its leading edge at or below 680 mm from the floor shall be provided.

(1) In a building in which an escalator or inclined moving walk provides access to any floor level above or below the entrance floor level, an interior barrier-free path of travel shall be provided to that floor level.

(2) The route from the escalator or inclined moving walk to the barrier-free path of travel that leads from floor to floor required by Sentence (1) shall be clearly indicated by appropriate signs.

(1) Except as required by Sentences 3.5.2.2.(1)v1 and 3.8.3.5.(1) for elevators and Sentence 3.8.3.3.(17)v1 for power door operator controls, controls for the operation of building services or safety devices, including electrical switches, thermostats and intercom switches, intended to be operated by the occupant and located in a barrier-free path of travel shall be accessible to a person in a wheelchair, operable with one hand and mounted at not less than 900 mm and not more than 1 200 mm above the floor.

(2) A signal intended for the public to indicate the operation of a building security system that controls access to a building shall consist of an audible and visual signal.

(1) All portions of a barrier-free path of travel shall be equipped to provide a level of illumination in accordance with Sentence 3.2.7.1.(1).