Maybe a tenant complained. Maybe an inspection report flagged the entrance walk. Maybe a resident who uses a wheelchair mentioned that the path to the clubhouse catches her front wheels every time.
Either way, you need the actual numbers, which walks they apply to, and what it takes to fix the ones that don't measure up.
One thing up front: we're a concrete crew, not lawyers. This guide explains the federal design standards and how concrete fails them. Whether and how your property has to comply is a question for your attorney or an accessibility consultant.
The Numbers at a Glance
All numbers below come from the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and apply to accessible routes.
| Requirement | The number | How concrete usually fails it | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical change in level | 1/4" max with no edge treatment | A panel sinks at a joint and leaves a sharp lip | Lift the low panel flush |
| Beveled change in level | Over 1/4" up to 1/2", beveled no steeper than 1:2 | The lip keeps growing as the panel keeps settling | Lift it, or grind a bevel on a small, stable lip |
| Changes over 1/2" | Must meet ramp requirements (1:12 max running slope) | A dropped or heaved panel leaves an inch-plus step | Lift a sunken panel. Grind or replace a heaved or broken one. |
| Running slope | 1:20 max (5%), or it counts as a ramp | One end of a panel settles and tips it | Lift, if settling caused it. Rebuild if it was poured too steep. |
| Cross slope | 1:48 max (about 2%) | A panel tilts toward a washed-out edge | Lift the low side, if settling caused it. Rebuild if it was poured that way. |
| Openings and gaps | Can't pass a 1/2" sphere. Long openings run perpendicular to travel. | Joints open up as panels settle and drift. Old filler rots out. | Caulk the joint with flexible sealant |
| Curb ramps | 1:12 max running slope, 1:10 max flared sides, no lip at the bottom | Ramp or the slab at its base settles and leaves a lip | Lift a settled piece that's intact. Rebuild a ramp that's too steep. |
| Surface | Firm, stable, slip resistant (no friction number is set) | Scaled or crumbling surface, loose stone | Repair or replace the surface |
| Clear width | 36" min. 32" allowed for up to 24" of length. | Walk built narrow, or shrubs, signs, and bike racks crowd it | Not a lifting fix. Trim, relocate, or widen. |
| Passing spaces | Routes under 60" wide need one at least every 200 ft (60" x 60", or a T with 48" arms) | Long, narrow walks through a complex | Not a lifting fix. Add concrete. |
| Detectable warnings | Not required at curb ramps on non-transit sites under the 2010 Standards | Public right-of-way rules differ (see below) | Installed by a concrete contractor. Check local code. |
Which Walks Have to Meet These Numbers
The standards don't apply to every square foot of concrete on a property. They apply to accessible routes.
At minimum, a site needs at least one accessible route from its arrival points (public streets and sidewalks, accessible parking, passenger loading zones, and transit stops) to the accessible entrance, plus routes connecting accessible buildings and facilities on the site. Accessible parking spaces and their access aisles carry their own limit: no slopes steeper than 1:48.
In practice, start with two walks: from your accessible parking stalls to the front door, and from the public sidewalk to the front door. Those are the routes that matter most.
Who Has to Comply (the Short, Non-Legal Version)
- Businesses open to the public. Title III of the ADA covers public accommodations: shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms, day cares, private schools, and similar places. New construction and alterations have to meet the 2010 Standards. In existing buildings, businesses have to remove barriers where that's readily achievable, and the federal regulations put access from public sidewalks, parking, and transit at the top of the priority list.
- Offices, warehouses, and factories. These count as commercial facilities, which mainly have to follow the standards when they build new or alter.
- State and local governments. Cities, counties, and school districts fall under Title II, which has its own rules.
- HOAs and condo associations. Title III doesn't cover strictly residential facilities. Parts of a residential property that are open to the public, like a rental or sales office, can be covered. Separately, the Fair Housing Act has design requirements for many multifamily buildings first occupied after March 13, 1991.
- Private homes. The ADA doesn't apply to your own front walk, though your city may still order you to fix a public sidewalk out front.
- State and local codes. These can add requirements on top of the federal ones.
Each of these has exceptions. Before making a compliance decision, talk to your attorney or an accessibility consultant.
How One Sunken Panel Turns Into Three ADA Problems
Picture the walk outside a small office in Green Bay. A downspout empties near one panel. Every spring, snowmelt soaks the loose backfill along the foundation, and a few freeze-thaw cycles later, that panel has a soft spot under one corner.
Over a couple of winters:
- The corner drops below its neighbor. At 3/8", that sharp edge is past the 1/4" limit. At 3/4", it's past what a bevel can handle.
- The panel tilts sideways. The low corner can pull the cross slope past 1:48.
- The joint opens up. As the panel tips and drifts, the gap between panels can widen past 1/2", enough to catch a front caster or a cane tip.
- And then the water. The low corner holds meltwater, which freezes into a patch of ice right on your accessible route.
That's one panel, and most sunken walks around here trace back to the same causes: downspouts, sump lines, snowmelt, frost, and loose fill next to the building. Our uneven sidewalk fix article compares the options for a single bad panel.
What Lifting and Caulking Fix, and What They Don't
Foam lifting can:
- Raise a sunken panel flush with its neighbor, which removes the vertical change in level.
- Restore running and cross slope when settling caused the tilt.
- Fill the voids that make a panel rock, including a settled slab at the base of a curb ramp.
Joint caulking can:
- Close open joints so wheels and cane tips can't drop in, and keep water from getting under the slab. On accessible routes, we keep the bead close to flush so it doesn't create a new edge of its own.
Neither one can:
- Widen a narrow walk or add passing spaces.
- Fix a walk that was poured too steep or with too much cross slope.
- Lower a heaved panel. Foam can only raise concrete. Raising the neighbors to blend a heaved panel creates slopes, and on an accessible route those slopes still have to stay inside 1:20 running and 1:48 cross. Often the answer is grinding or replacement.
- Repair a scaled or crumbling surface, or install detectable warnings.
When you don't need us: a small, stable lip between 1/4" and 1/2" can often be ground into a bevel at 1:2 or flatter. It's quick and inexpensive. If the panel is still sinking, though, the lip will be back.
On jobs that need both, we lift first, patch the holes, then caulk.
Public Sidewalks, Curb Ramps, and PROWAG
The public sidewalk along the street plays by somewhat different rules.
- Who maintains it. In many Wisconsin communities, the property owner next to a public sidewalk is responsible for keeping it repaired, and work in the right-of-way needs a permit. Green Bay is one of them. Call your city's public works department before scheduling work on a public walk.
- Which standard applies. The U.S. Access Board finalized its Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) in 2023. They cover public sidewalks, street crossings, and curb ramps, and they call for detectable warnings at curb ramps. Guidelines like these become enforceable when the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation adopt them. DOT adopted them for transit stops effective January 2025. As of early 2026, DOJ had not adopted them. Ask your city engineer what applies today.
- Truncated domes on private sites. The 2010 Standards don't require detectable warnings at curb ramps on non-transit sites, but state or local codes can. Check with your building inspector before you assume either way.
A 15-Minute Walk With a Tape Measure
You can check most of this yourself with a tape measure and a 2-foot level.
- Lips. Lay the level across the joint so it rests on the higher panel. Measure down to the lower panel. A sharp edge over 1/4" is a problem. Anything over 1/2" is a bigger one.
- Cross slope. Set the level across the walk, side to side. Raise the low end until the bubble centers and measure the space underneath. More than 1/2" over 24" is steeper than 1:48.
- Running slope. Same thing along the walk. More than 1.2" over 24" is steeper than 1:20. A phone level app reading percent works too: 1:48 is about 2%, and 1:20 is 5%.
- Gaps. Measure the width of open joints. Over 1/2" needs attention.
- Width. Under 36" of clear path between edges and obstructions is a flag.
Photograph each problem spot with the tape in the frame. That's your quote request.