Every door in a Richardson commercial building decides who gets inside easily and who does not. A customer using a wheelchair, a tenant with a walker, and a parent pushing a stroller all depend on the same opening. In Texas, the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) set the rules for that opening. Property managers, contractors, and builders who learn these rules before ordering doors save time, money, and rework.

What the Texas Accessibility Standards Require

TAS is the state's set of design rules for accessible buildings and facilities. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) administers it under Texas Government Code, Chapter 469, and the current 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards took effect on March 15, 2012. TAS closely follows the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which you can read in full through the Department of Justice. The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal civil rights law behind those standards.

These rules reach well beyond new construction. TAS applies to commercial buildings, public facilities, and the shared spaces of multifamily properties, including lobbies, leasing offices, and common-area doors. Single-family homes generally fall outside it. Richardson's mix of office parks, medical suites, retail centers, and apartment communities means a large share of local door projects falls under these rules.

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Core Door Requirements Under TAS Section 404

Section 404 of TAS governs doors, doorways, and gates along an accessible route. An accessible route is a continuous, unobstructed path that connects entrances, rooms, and amenities. Four requirements drive most product decisions:

• Clear width: A doorway needs at least 32 inches of clear opening, measured between the face of the open door at 90 degrees and the stop on the opposite side. A 36-inch door typically achieves this.

• Clear height: The opening must measure at least 80 inches high.

• Opening force: Interior hinged doors may require no more than 5 pounds-force (lbf), which measures the push or pull needed to open them.

• Closing speed: A door closer must take at least 5 seconds to swing the door from 90 degrees open to 12 degrees from the latch.

Those numbers look simple on paper. In practice, heavy solid-core interior doors paired with strong closers often exceed the 5 lbf limit until an installer adjusts the closer. Crews should verify that setting at handover, not just at installation. Clearances around the door create the next set of challenges.

Clearances, Hardware, and Thresholds

Maneuvering Clearance

Maneuvering clearance is the level, clear floor space a person needs beside and in front of a door to approach and operate it. The required depth and latch-side width change with the approach direction and whether the user pushes or pulls. A front approach to the pull side of a door typically needs 18 inches of clear space beside the latch edge. The Access Board's illustrated guides show each approach layout in detail.

Hardware and Thresholds

Door hardware must work with one hand and without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. Lever handles, push plates, and U-shaped pulls all qualify, while round knobs do not. Installers must mount operable parts between 34 and 48 inches above the floor. A threshold, the raised strip at the base of a doorway, may rise no more than 1/2 inch, and anything above 1/4 inch needs a beveled edge.

Existing doors often need small fixes to meet these limits. Door repairs can restore a sagging door that drags or sticks, and fresh weatherstripping keeps seals tight without raising opening force. Accessible multifamily units often include patio doors and sliding doors, and their thresholds must meet the same height limits. Our Education Hub covers more door selection and care topics.

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How TAS Affects Richardson Projects

Compliance becomes a formal process once a project reaches a certain size. According to TDLR, projects with a total estimated cost of $50,000 or more must be registered with the agency and reviewed by a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS), a TDLR-licensed professional who performs plan reviews and inspections. Projects below that threshold still must comply with TAS. Richardson tenant finish-outs, medical office remodels, and apartment renovations can reach that figure once door packages, frames, and hardware enter the budget.

Door selection matters most at inspection. A RAS checks clear width, hardware, thresholds, and closer settings on installed doors, so one mismatched product can fail an otherwise finished job. Specifying compliant doors, frames, and hardware before construction avoids door replacement, schedule delays, and corrective costs. Contractors and property managers who confirm these details with a door supplier early keep their projects on track.

Plan Compliant Doors with Your New Door in Richardson, TX

Knowing the TAS door rules turns a confusing compliance question into a clear checklist. At Your New Door in Richardson, we supply interior doors, exterior doors, custom doors, and replacement doors for homeowners, contractors, builders, remodelers, property managers, and businesses across Richardson and nearby communities including Garland, Allen, Sachse, Lucas, and Wylie. When your project involves a public entrance, a tenant suite, or multifamily common areas, we help you choose door sizes, hardware, and finishes that fit your plans and your timeline, and our project gallery shows completed work. Contact us to talk through your Richardson door project, and we will help you move forward with confidence.