ADA Compliance and Your Tenant Finish-Out: What You Need to Know

When people plan a tenant finish-out, most of the early conversations are about layout, branding, and how the space will look.

ADA compliance rarely gets the same attention ... until it stops a project.

Accessibility requirements affect permitting, inspections, and your ability to legally open the doors. They also affect whether your business is exposed to lawsuits and forced retrofits. This is not a decorative layer. It is structural, technical, and enforced.

Treating ADA as a box to check late in the process is one of the most common and expensive mistakes in commercial construction.

Why ADA compliance matters beyond code

First, it’s the law. Projects that miss accessibility requirements can be delayed at plan review, fail final inspection, or be forced into corrective construction after the space is occupied.

Second, it’s business protection. ADA-related lawsuits are common, fast-moving, and costly. Even small violations can trigger legal action and expensive modifications.

Third, it shapes who can use your space. An accessible environment is not a favor. It determines whether customers, employees, and vendors can move through your business safely and independently.

Where ADA issues most often appear in finish-outs

While the full standards are extensive, tenant finish-outs are routinely evaluated around:

Accessible routes

There must be a continuous, unobstructed path from the entry to all public areas. That includes corridor widths, turning clearances, door swings, display spacing, and access to restrooms and service points.

Doors and hardware

Clear opening widths, maneuvering space, and operable hardware are tightly regulated. Many violations happen at doors.

Restrooms

This is where most projects run into trouble. Stall dimensions, grab bar placement, fixture heights, clearances, mirror mounting, and accessories are all inspected.

Service counters and transaction points

At least a portion of counters must be accessible. Queue and checkout paths must allow passage and turning space.

Permanent signage

Room identification signage must meet tactile, braille, height, and mounting-location requirements.

These are not guidelines. They are measurable standards.

How Five Mile manages ADA compliance

At Five Mile Construction, ADA compliance is addressed at the planning level, not after framing is already in place.

We review drawings for accessibility before submission, coordinate requirements with designers and inspectors, and verify critical dimensions throughout construction. That includes clearances, fixture placements, counter heights, and access routes before finishes ever go in.

Our role is to remove uncertainty. By managing accessibility from design through final inspection, we protect schedules, budgets, and our clients’ ability to occupy their space without legal or regulatory problems.

If you’re planning a tenant finish-out, ADA compliance should never be a question mark. Contact Five Mile Construction and let’s make sure it’s handled correctly from the start.