What is the minimum clear width required for accessible door openings under many accessibility standards?

• A. 28 inches (711 mm) clear width.
• B. 34 inches (864 mm) clear width.
• C. 36 inches (914 mm) clear width.
• D. 32 inches (813 mm) clear width.

Answer: (D)

The essential idea here is ensuring there is enough doorway space for a wheelchair to pass through. Under many accessibility standards, the smallest acceptable clear opening when a door is fully open is thirty-two inches. This width is measured as the unobstructed gap the person can pass through with the door swung open to ninety degrees, not the door’s nominal width, and it takes into account any hardware or trim that might intrude into the opening. In practice, you measure the clear space at the doorway with the door open, ensuring that hardware projections and thresholds don’t reduce the opening below thirty-two inches. This minimum keeps passage feasible for standard wheelchairs; narrower widths would not meet accessibility requirements, while wider openings are allowed but not required by the minimum.