Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including approval and adoption of building standards and codification of those standards into the California Building Standards Code. Existing law also establishes that in the Department of General Services, there is a State Architect, appointed by the Governor, as specified, who is required to report directly to the Director of General Services.

This bill would require the Division of the State Architect, as part of the next intervening edition of the California Building Standards Code adopted after January 1, 2025, to propose for adoption building standards that lower the threshold of toilet compartments required for an ambulatory accessible toilet compartment to be required in addition to a wheelchair accessible toilet compartment. increase the total minimum number of ambulatory accessible toilet compartments to 5% of the total number of toilet compartments, with at least one ambulatory accessible toilet compartment. The bill would require that these standards be in addition to wheelchair accessible toilet compartment standards. The bill would also require the Division of the State Architect to consider additional changes to ambulatory accessible toilet compartment standards to improve accessibility.