Accessibility is an important objective of the BC Building Code. It ensures buildings are designed and constructed so a person with a physical or sensory limitation can:
- Reasonably access and move around within the building
- Use the building facilities
Find illustrations and explanations related to accessibility requirements:
- Building Access Handbook (PDF, 3.6MB)
Adaptable housing: This approach is used to design and build residential homes with features that can later be modified at minimal cost in order to meet the changing needs of occupants. This kind of flexibility:
- Helps people stay in their own homes through illness, injury or aging
- Provides more accessibility for people with disabilities
- Reduces the cost of future renovations to accommodate people whose abilities change
Design and construction includes:
- Corridors, doorways, bathrooms and kitchens that are easier for people with mobility limitations to use
- Features like easy-to-reach electrical outlets and switches or easy-to-use door and faucet handles
- Building in a way that allows for future installation of necessary items – for example, installing grab bars in the bathroom
- Main entrances that don't use steps making it easier for strollers, scooters and wheelchairs to access the building
Multi-unit residential buildings: The BC Building Code requires a minimum level of accessibility for these types of buildings – primarily for visitors.
The content on this page is periodically updated by the Province of British Columbia per the date noted on the page: June 2015.