Source: http://ksag.washburnlaw.edu/opinions/2000/2000-034.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 03:02:20+00:00

Document:
A fraternity house occupied by individual members of the fraternity on an annual basis is a residential facility, rather than a place of lodging, and is, therefore, not a public accommodation subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a residential facility, the fraternity house is likewise not subject to the Kansas Architectural Accessibility Standards Act. Cited herein: K.S.A. 58-1301; 42 U.S.C.A. § 3601; 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101; 42 U.S.C.A. § 12181; 42 U.S.C.A. § 12182; 42 U.S.C.A. § 12186; 42 U.S.C.A. § 12189; 28 C.F.R. § 36.104; L. 1994, Ch. 195, § 2.
"[T]he category 'places of lodging' would exclude solely residential facilities because the nature of a place of lodging contemplates the use of the facility for short-term stays.
According to information provided by representatives of the fraternity, "the fraternity house is a privately owned residential facility, with sleeping rooms assigned and leased to members of the fraternity on an annual basis, pursuant to a Membership Agreement which includes the lease terms. The fraternity house is not open to the public, and there are no non-member tenants."(13) Based on this information, individual members of the fraternity occupy the facility on an annual basis. While the ADA does not specifically establish the length of time for stays to be considered short-term, stays equivalent to a school year or calendar year are not viewed as short-term as are commonly associated with stays in an inn, hotel, or motel. There is no indication that a portion of the fraternity house is maintained or offered for short-term stays. Therefore, the fraternity house is regarded as a residential facility, rather than a place of lodging. The fraternity house is not a public accommodation subject to the requirements of the ADA.
Through this language, the Legislature has exempted from application of the Kansas accessibility standards those facilities that are not subject to the ADA.(17) Because residential facilities are not subject to the ADA, such facilities are likewise not subject to the Kansas architectural accessibility standards set forth in K.S.A. 58-1301 et seq. A fraternity house that is occupied by individual members of the fraternity on an annual basis such that it constitutes a residential facility, rather than a place of lodging, is not subject to the Kansas Architectural Accessibility Standards Act.
1. 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 12101 et seq.
2. K.S.A. 58-1301 et seq.
3. 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101.
4. 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 12181-12189.
5. 42 U.S.C.A. § 12182.
6. 28 C.F.R. Ch. 1, p. 622-23 (7-1-99 Edition) Append. B to Part 36-Preamble to Regulation on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities (Published July 26, 1991).
7. 42 U.S.C.A. § 12181 (emphasis added).
8. 28 C.F.R. § 36.104.
9. 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 3601 et seq.
10. 28 C.F.R. Ch. 1, p. 623 (7-1-99 Edition) Append. B to Part 36-Preamble to Regulation on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities (Published July 26, 1991) (emphasis added).
11. Martin v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm'n., 499 U.S. 144, 150-51, 111 S.Ct. 1171, 113 L.Ed.2d 117 (1991); Bancamerica Commercial Corp. v. Mosher Steel of Kansas, Inc., 100 F.3d 792, 797 (10th Cir. 1996).
12. Indep. Housing Services v. Fillmore Ctr., 840 F.Supp. 1328, 1344, fn. 14 (N.D. Cal. 1993). See also H.R.Rep. No. 101-485(II), 101st Cong., 2d Sess. 383 (1990), U.S. Code Cong. & Admin. News 1990, p. 267.
13. Dan Werts, Lathrop & Gage L.C., Correspondence, March 21, 2000.
14. See L. 1994, Ch. 195, § 2.
15. Link, Inc. v. City of Hays, 266 Kan. 648, 655 (1999).
16. K.S.A. 58-1301 (emphasis added).
17. See Attorney General Opinion No. 97-9.

References: § 3601
 § 12101
 § 12181
 § 12182
 § 12186
 § 12189
 § 36
 § 2
 § 12101
 § 12182
 § 12181
 § 36
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 § 2
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