ICC A117.1-2026 is expected later this month. The updates are not limited to one project type.
This brief preview highlights a few items that retail, multifamily & residential development teams may want to watch, including self-service checkout, EV charging, common-use kitchens, pet washing stations, bathing options & adult changing criteria.
This is an informational preview of what is coming. Do not use it for design or compliance decisions or as a substitute for the complete published standard. Once available, project teams should refer to the official standard, adopted building codes, referenced accessibility edition, local amendments, other governing requirements & the AHJ for project-specific application.
Why 2026 — not 2027
The accessibility standard and the model codes run on different clocks. The prior full standard was ICC A117.1-2017, with adult-changing criteria published in 2024 as Supplement 1. ICC identifies the standard by its own publication year, and the 2027 I-Codes are expected to reference A117.1-2026. Name the edition and record the adopted model code, referenced accessibility edition and local amendments.
Changes across project types
- 01Chapter 3 building blocks and new Section 301.2, clarifying how a defined building block carries its criteria
- 02Elevators, coordinated and expanded to address new technologies
- 03EV charging, moved to its own section and expanded with U.S. Access Board guidance
- 04Signage and stair stripes, with contrast criteria based on light reflectance values
What changes the project brief
New technical criteria address elements often coordinated as equipment, amenities or operations: self-service checkout counters, rinsing and pet-washing stations, waste and linen chutes, and adult changing criteria that move into Chapter 6 and reference IAPMO/ANSI/CAN Z1390-2024, Assistive Tables.
Residential and amenity implications
Access to electrical controls and outlets over counters is revised for common-use kitchens and kitchens in Accessible, Type A and Type B units. Chapter 6 addresses center controls for water closets, provides three accessible bathtub options and five accessible shower options, and improves criteria for controls and hand-shower mounts. Clubhouses and leasing centers sit at the intersection of public-facing design, common-use functions and residential operations — so ownership of each detail matters.
Specialty-care settings: a separate read
Technical criteria tied to assisted toileting and bathing move from the IBC into A117.1 and are expanded for facilities where older adults live and receive care. Do not assume those provisions apply to typical multifamily; verify governing scoping.
The useful move now
- 01Record adopted codes, the referenced A117.1 edition and federal or state overlays
- 02Confirm local amendments and element scoping
- 03Flag affected prototype and site-survey items
- 04Coordinate architecture, interiors, MEP and vendors
A117.1 provides the technical “how.” Governing requirements determine when and where.
Which update will you be watching most closely?