§ 382.63 What are the requirements for accessible lavatories? ( a ) As a carrier, you must ensure that aircraft with more than one aisle in which lavatories are provided shall include at least one accessible lavatory. ( 1 ) The accessible lavatory must permit a qualified individual with a disability to enter, maneuver within as necessary to use all lavatory facilities, and leave, by means of the aircraft's on-board wheelchair.
( 2 ) The accessible lavatory must afford privacy to persons using the on-board wheelchair equivalent to that afforded ambulatory users.
( 3 ) The lavatory shall provide door locks, accessible call buttons, grab bars, faucets and other controls, and dispensers usable by qualified individuals with a disability, including wheelchair users and persons with manual impairments.
( b ) With respect to aircraft not covered in paragraph (f) of this section with only one aisle in which lavatories are provided, you may, but are not required to, provide an accessible lavatory.
( c ) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing aircraft to comply with the requirements of this section. However, if you replace a lavatory on an aircraft with more than one aisle, you must replace it with an accessible lavatory.
( d ) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after May 13, 2009 or which are delivered after May 13, 2010. As a U.S. carrier, this requirement applies to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after April 5, 1990, or which were delivered after April 5, 1992.
( e ) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section beginning May 13, 2009. As a U.S. carrier, these requirements apply to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after April 5, 1990, or which were delivered after April 5, 1992.
( f ) As a carrier, you must ensure that all new single-aisle aircraft that you operate with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 125 or more that are delivered on or after October 2, 2026, and on which lavatories are provided shall include at least one lavatory that meets the following specifications: ( 1 ) Grab bars must be provided and positioned as required to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.
( 2 ) Lavatory faucets must have controls with tactile information concerning temperature. Alternatively, carriers may comply with this requirement by ensuring that lavatory water temperature is adjusted to eliminate the risk of scalding for all passengers. Automatic or hand-operated faucets shall dispense water for a minimum of five seconds for each application or while the hand is below the faucet.
( 3 ) Attendant call buttons and door locks must be accessible to an individual seated within the lavatory.
( 4 ) Lavatory controls and dispensers must be discernible through the sense of touch. Operable parts within the lavatory must be operable with one hand and must not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. You must comply with these requirements to the extent that such accessible components are reasonably available and certificated for the applicable aircraft type. You are not responsible for acquiring lavatory controls and dispensers with an accessible feature described above so long as you inform the Department of their unavailability despite your reasonable efforts.
( 5 ) The lavatory door sill must provide minimum obstruction to the passage of the on-board wheelchair across the sill while preventing the leakage of fluids from the lavatory floor and trip hazards during an emergency evacuation.
( 6 ) Toe clearance must not be reduced from current measurements.
( 7 ) The aircraft must include a visual barrier that must be provided upon request of a passenger with a disability. The barrier must provide passengers with disabilities using the lavatory (with the lavatory door open) a level of privacy substantially equivalent to that provided to ambulatory users. Visual barriers are not an acceptable method of providing privacy with respect to lavatories covered in § 382.64.
( g ) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing single-aisle aircraft to comply with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section. However, if you replace a lavatory on a single-aisle aircraft after October 2, 2026, you must replace it with a lavatory complying with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section. Under this paragraph (g), a lavatory is not considered replaced if it is removed for specified maintenance, safety checks, or any other action that results in returning the same lavatory into service. For retrofit lavatories, there shall be no requirement to install a visual barrier if doing so will obstruct the visibility of exit signs.
( h ) As a carrier operating at least one aircraft with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 60 or more, you must comply with the following requirements: ( 1 ) You must train flight attendants to proficiency on an annual basis to provide assistance in transporting qualified individuals with disabilities to and from the lavatory from the aircraft seat. Such training shall include hands-on training on the retrieval, assembly, stowage, transfer features, and use of the aircraft's on-board wheelchair, and regarding the accessibility features of the lavatory, including any assembly or modifications to accessibility features.
( 2 ) You must provide information, on request, to qualified individuals with a disability or persons making inquiries on their behalf concerning, at a minimum, the accessibility features of aircraft lavatories set forth in paragraph (f) of this section. This information must also be available on the carrier's website (if the carrier markets tickets to the public), and in printed or electronic form on the aircraft, including picture diagrams of accessibility features in the lavatory and the location and usage of all controls and dispensers.
( 3 ) You must remove or conceal the International Symbol of Accessibility from new and in-service aircraft equipped with lavatories that are not capable of facilitating a seated independent transfer (*i.e.,* a transfer from an on-board wheelchair to the toilet seat without requiring the use of an assistant). You must include the International Symbol of Accessibility if the lavatory is capable of providing a seated independent transfer.
( 4 ) You must develop and, upon request, inform passengers of trash disposal procedures and processes for sharps and bio-waste.
( 5 ) You must comply with the provisions of this paragraph (h) by October 2, 2026.
[Doc. No. DOT-OST-2004-19482, 73 FR 27665, May 13, 2008, as amended by Docket No. DOT-OST-2021-0137, 88 FR 50034, Aug. 1, 2023]