Ramps and accessible approach, without the guesswork
The gradients, the landings and the reason a ramp that looks fine gets rejected. Access is what rules out the most tenancies, and it is decided at the front door.
The short answer
More clinical tenancies fail on access than on anything else, and the failure is almost always at the entry rather than inside. A floor plate that suits the practice perfectly is worth nothing if a compliant path cannot reach the front door.
Key points
- A ramp on an accessible path is a maximum of 1:14, with a level landing every 9 metres.
- The path of travel itself cannot exceed 1:40 crossfall. That catches existing footpaths.
- A ramp cannot connect a rise of more than 3.6 metres on an accessway under the NCC.
- Compliance with the Code is not automatically a defence to a discrimination complaint.
More clinical tenancies fail on access than on anything else, and the failure is almost always at the entry rather than inside. A floor plate that suits the practice perfectly is worth nothing if a compliant path cannot reach the front door.
The numbers that matter
These come from AS 1428.1, which the National Construction Code calls up. The standard itself is purchased rather than free, so treat these as the working figures and your certifier or access consultant as the authority on a specific building.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ramp, maximum gradient | 1:14 |
| Landings on a 1:14 ramp | Level landing at least every 9 m of ramp |
| Minimum clear ramp width | 1000 mm |
| Kerb rail | At least 65 mm high, both sides |
| Handrails | 865–1000 mm above the ramp surface |
| Path of travel, crossfall | No more than 1:40 |
| Maximum rise connected by a ramp on an accessway | 3.6 m (NCC) |
Why 1:14 is bigger than it sounds
A gradient of 1 in 14 means fourteen units of length for every unit of height. A single 190 millimetre step therefore needs about 2.7 metres of ramp before you add anything else.
Three steps, a common suburban shopfront entry at roughly 570 millimetres, needs around 8 metres of ramp run, plus a level landing at the top, plus a landing at the bottom, plus turning space if it has to change direction. Call it eleven or twelve metres of usable length.
That is why a tenancy with three steps and a two metre setback does not work, and why the answer is not a longer ramp. There is nowhere to put it.
The crossfall nobody checks
A continuous accessible path of travel cannot exceed a crossfall of 1:40. That applies to the path itself, not just the ramp, and it is where existing buildings quietly fail.
Footpaths fall towards the gutter. Driveways cross the path. Old concrete has settled. A path that looks flat and drains well can sit well outside 1:40 across its width, and the fix is usually rebuilding the path rather than adjusting a ramp.
Check it with a level before you sign, not after. It takes ten minutes and it is one of the few access questions you can answer yourself.
Inside the door
Once the path arrives, the same logic continues. Doorways need clear width and a level approach on both sides, which is why a door at the top of a ramp with no landing fails even when the ramp is perfect. Circulation space has to allow a wheelchair to turn, corridors to be negotiated, and the reception counter to be usable from a seated position.
And you need an accessible sanitary facility. In a practice this is not negotiable and it consumes about six square metres, which on a small tenancy is a room you were planning to use for something else.
The wider requirements are in AS 1428.1 explained, and if you have more than one closet pan in a bank you will also meet ambulant cubicle requirements.
The point most people miss
Meeting the Code is the minimum, not the end of the obligation. Access is also governed by the Access to Premises Standards, which commenced on 1 May 2011, and by the Disability Discrimination Act behind them. The Australian Human Rights Commission is explicit that complying with the Building Code does not necessarily mean a building complies with the DDA, and a business operating from a building that does not provide equitable access can still face a complaint.
That matters more in healthcare than almost anywhere else, because a materially higher proportion of your patients arrive on crutches, in a moon boot, with a walking frame or in a wheelchair. An entry that technically complies but is unpleasant to use is a clinical problem before it is a legal one.
Where the deemed-to-satisfy provisions genuinely cannot be met in an existing building, the pathway is a performance solution prepared by an access consultant. It is legitimate and common. It also takes time, so it belongs in the program at design stage rather than being discovered during construction.
Sources and further reading
AS 1428.1 is called up by the National Construction Code and is purchased from Standards Australia rather than published free. Figures here are the working numbers used in planning; a certifier or access consultant is the authority on a specific building.
Source for AS/NZS 4815 and 4187 reprocessing, AS 1428.1 access and AS 1668.2 ventilation. The standards themselves are purchased, not free.
The National Construction Code: building classification, fire separation, egress, sanitary provisions and access.
The Access to Premises Standards and the guidance behind them. Complying with the Building Code does not necessarily mean a building complies with the Disability Discrimination Act.
Questions
What is the maximum ramp gradient in Australia?
1:14 for a ramp on an accessible path of travel under AS 1428.1, with a level landing at least every 9 metres of ramp, a minimum clear width of 1000 millimetres, kerb rails of at least 65 millimetres and handrails between 865 and 1000 millimetres above the surface.
How long does a ramp need to be for one step?
At 1:14, roughly 2.7 metres of ramp for a single 190 millimetre step, before landings. Three steps at about 570 millimetres needs around 8 metres of ramp plus landings top and bottom, so eleven or twelve metres of usable length in practice. That is why shallow setbacks rule tenancies out.
What is the crossfall limit on an accessible path?
1:40. It applies to the whole continuous accessible path of travel, not only the ramp, and it is where existing buildings most often fail: footpaths fall to the gutter, driveways cross the path, and old concrete settles. Check it with a level before signing a lease.
Is there a limit on how much height a ramp can cover?
Under the NCC, a ramp cannot be used on an accessway to connect one level to another where the vertical rise is greater than 3.6 metres. Above that you are into lifts or another solution, which is a very different cost.
Does complying with the Code protect me legally?
Not entirely. Access is also governed by the Disability Discrimination Act, and meeting the deemed-to-satisfy provisions is not automatically a defence to a complaint. In healthcare, where a high proportion of patients have limited mobility, it is worth designing for genuine usability rather than minimum compliance.
Send us the floor plan
A site assessment tells you what the tenancy can take and what it will cost to get there, ideally before you have signed for it.