Accessibility Requirements for State Facilities

All Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) funded projects must be in compliance with state and federal accessibility laws and regulations.

State laws and regulations that cover renovation and new construction of state facilities:            

• 521CMR, the Rules and Regulations of the MA Architectural Access Board
• The Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law
• Other legislation and executive orders that ensure the rights of people with disabilities to equal access to programs, services, and activities of the Commonwealth and it’s agencies including Article 114 of the Massachusetts Constitution, Massachusetts Equal Rights Law, and Massachusetts Executive Order 526 of 2011.

Federal laws and regulations include:

• Title II of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (replaced ADAAG in 2012)

• Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act

State and federal regulations apply to state facilities differently. Even when building code requires only minimal improvements to the building, longstanding ADA obligations to provide program access must be considered in the scope of a project.

If you are a designer or contractor on a DCAMM-funded project, the Statewide Accessibility Initiative is available to work with you to achieve full accessibility compliance.

Review for compliance is done for the following:

• Study and code review
• All design phases
• Construction
• Post-construction and project close out

What would you like to do?

Learn about the DCAMM Statewide Accessibility Initiative

Learn about Statewide Accessibility Initiative programs

Use compliance tools developed by Statewide Accessibility Initiative

Find additional accessibility resources