ADA & braille signs built to section 703 specs
Room ID, restroom, suite number and tactile exit signs with raised characters and Grade 2 braille, laid out from your sign schedule or floor plan and shipped ready to mount. One sign or a whole building.
ADA room signs that look like they belong
A tactile room sign does not have to look like it came out of a catalog. We design ADA and braille signs in Buffalo, MN to match your lobby and directional signs, and build each one to the section 703 tactile and braille specifications of the 2010 ADA Standards. Characters are raised 1/32 inch, and the braille dots are printed as part of the sign in the same UV-cured process, not set in as separate beads.
- Raised copy and braille
Uppercase sans serif characters with Grade 2 braille below.
- Laid out sign by sign
Character height, spacing, braille position and contrast checked on every layout.
- Tape or plain back
Mounting tape on the back for interior walls, or a plain back for your own adhesive or fasteners.
Spec your signs
Typical turnaround: made to order; production time depends on the material, and we confirm a ship date with your proof.
Signing a whole building? Start with our Minnesota ADA sign requirements guide.
Get a free quote →What section 703 asks of a tactile sign
| Item | What the standard says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Raised depth | 1/32 inch minimum above the background | 703.2.1 |
| Case and style | Uppercase, sans serif; no italic, oblique, script or highly decorative letters | 703.2.2, 703.2.3 |
| Character height | 5/8 inch to 2 inches, measured on the uppercase I (1/2 inch minimum where separate visual characters repeat the same information) | 703.2.5 |
| Stroke width | 15 percent maximum of the character height (uppercase I) | 703.2.6 |
| Line spacing | 135 to 170 percent of character height, baseline to baseline | 703.2.8 |
| Clearance | Raised text and braille 3/8 inch minimum from raised borders and decorative elements | 703.2.7, 703.3.2 |
| Braille | Contracted (Grade 2), below the text (the Access Board accepts UEB as Grade 2) | 703.3, 703.3.2 |
| Braille dots | Domed or rounded; 0.059 to 0.063 inch base diameter, 0.025 to 0.037 inch high | Table 703.3.1 |
| Finish and contrast | Non-glare; light on dark or dark on light | 703.5.1 |
| Pictograms | 6 inch minimum field height, text descriptor directly below | 703.6 |
| Mounting height | 48 inches minimum above the floor to the lowest tactile baseline, 60 inches maximum to the highest | 703.4.1 |
| Location | Latch side of the door, with an 18 by 18 inch minimum clear floor space centered on the characters, beyond the door's swing from closed to 45 degrees open | 703.4.2 |
Height and location are set on site by whoever mounts the sign; our proof notes the height rule and the latch side. Minnesota's code uses ICC A117.1-2009, which matches these numbers except for its stroke width rules and a separate 48 to 60 inch rule for the braille baseline. We lay out to meet both. Which signs your project needs is a call for your building official, architect or code consultant, and this table is a summary, not legal advice. Our part is the build: every sign made to the section 703 tactile and braille specifications. We do not certify a building or an installation as compliant.
Which signs need raised text and braille
Not every sign on the wall. Section 216 of the 2010 ADA Standards sorts signs into tactile, visual only, and not covered.
| Sign | Raised text and braille? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Room names, room and floor numbers, restrooms, suite and dwelling unit numbers | Yes, plus visual characters | 216.2 |
| Doors to exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge | Yes, plus visual characters | 216.4.1 |
| Directional and informational signs: hours, rules, arrows | No, visual only | 216.3 |
| Exterior sign not at the door of the space it names | No, visual only | 216.2 exception |
| Building directories, menus, occupant names, building addresses, company names and logos | Not covered | 216.1 |
| Temporary signs posted 7 days or less | Not covered | 216.1 |
The Standards do not require room signs, but any you put up must comply. One sign can mix all three groups: a tactile room number, visual-only office hours, and an occupant name neither rule covers. We make the matching visual-only signs too. Our Minnesota ADA sign requirements guide covers exit, restroom and parking signs in more detail.
What changes in Minnesota
- The code in force
The Minnesota Accessibility Code (Minnesota Rules chapter 1341) took effect March 31, 2020 and adopts the 2018 IBC chapter 11 and ICC A117.1-2009. Its section 1111.2 covers signs for toilet, bathing, locker, dressing and fitting rooms, room numbers and room names. An update based on the 2024 IBC has no effective date yet.
- Adult changing stations
Since August 15, 2025, a room with a required adult changing station needs an Adult Changing Station sign at the entrance, meeting the tactile and visual rules, and a sign inside with the weight capacity and operating instructions.
- Who decides
The code applies statewide (Minn. Stat. 326B.16), and the municipal building official enforces it in code-enforced areas. That official decides what the Minnesota code requires on your project. The federal ADA Standards apply separately, so your architect or code consultant should confirm the full sign list. Our Minnesota ADA sign guide explains how the two fit together.
From room list to wall-ready signs
These suit cities and counties, clinics and dental offices, schools, churches, property managers who need suite numbers, and contractors who need the sign package before final inspection. We serve buyers across Wright County, the West Metro and Central Minnesota.
- 1. Send the list
A sign schedule, room list or marked-up floor plan. Flag double doors and which leaf opens.
- 2. We lay out every sign
Raised copy and braille set to section 703, in your colors and style.
- 3. You approve a proof
Each sign at size, with the mounting height noted: braille baseline at 48 inches minimum, baseline of the top line of raised text at 60 inches maximum, latch side.
- 4. We produce
Made to order with our manufacturing partners; we confirm a ship date with your proof.
- 5. It ships ready to mount
Your maintenance staff or contractor puts each sign up following the proof.
Finish the building
Lobby Signs
Dimensional logos and letters for the reception wall.
Explore →SignageParking & Metal Signs
Accessible, reserved and no parking signs for the lot.
Explore →StorefrontWindow Graphics
Hours, suite names and privacy film on the glass.
Explore →ArchitecturalPlaques
Cast and etched plaques for dedications and donors.
Explore →Why businesses choose Shift
- Design first
A layout for your building, not a stock template.
- Proof before production
You approve every sign and its mounting height first.
- One point of contact
Room list through delivery, one local team.
- Local & personal
A real person who knows your brand and is invested in it.
ADA sign FAQ
No. Braille goes on the signs that name a permanent room or space (restrooms, room and suite numbers, room names) and on the tactile signs at doors to exit stairways, exit passageways and exit discharge. Hours, rules, arrows and other directional or informational signs are visual only, and so is an exterior sign that is not at the door of the space it names. Your architect or code consultant can confirm the list for your project.
The latch side. At double doors with one active leaf it goes on the inactive leaf; with two active leaves, to the right of the right-hand door. With no wall space there, use the nearest adjacent wall (section 703.4.2).
Yes. Every proof carries the section 703.4.1 rule for that sign: the baseline of the lowest tactile line, which the Access Board guide shows as the braille, at 48 inches minimum above the floor, and the baseline of the top line of raised text at 60 inches maximum. Minnesota's code also keeps the braille between 48 and 60 inches. Measure to those baselines, not to the center of the sign as the 1991 rule did.
No. They are made to go up without a sign installer: mounting tape on the back for interior walls, or a plain back if you would rather use your own adhesive or fasteners, plus a proof that notes the mounting height rule and the latch side. Unsure about a wall or a tight door? Send a photo and we can talk it through before you order.
Contracted braille, which section 703.3 requires. Unified English Braille (UEB) became the official braille of the U.S. in 2016, and the Access Board accepts UEB as Grade 2 for the ADA Standards.
Yes. Color is your call: the 2010 Standards name no colors and no minimum contrast number (the familiar 70 percent figure traces back to an advisory note in the 1991 rules). What they do require is a non-glare finish and light characters on a dark background, or the reverse. Your logo can go on the sign, since logos are exempt under section 216.1, as long as the raised text and braille stay 3/8 inch minimum from raised borders and decorative elements. Raised text has to be uppercase sans serif, so save a script brand font for the logo, not the room name.
No. Section 216.8 uses the International Symbol of Accessibility to point out the accessible toilet rooms only when some of the building's toilet rooms are not accessible. If every one of them is accessible, the symbol can be left off. Either way, the room name sign still needs raised text and braille.
Who buys this & helpful guides
What customers say about our signs
He's knowledgeable and responds very quickly to requests, always willing to take on a new challenge. Luke provides high quality services with creativity and technical skills that solve every problem we ask him to tackle!
We have used them to make business cards(multiple times), they made some stand up displays for trade shows, signs on the outside of my buildings, as well as graphics on vehicles. Top notch and beautiful work.
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