National baseline
Start with the barrier-free entrance and door-clearance provisions in the adopted building code, including how the clear opening is measured.
Canadian building code question
What door clear width is required for a barrier-free entrance in Canada?
For a barrier-free entrance, the required width is based on the clear opening condition at the door, not just the nominal door leaf size. You need to verify how the adopted code measures the clear opening and whether hardware, door stops, maneuvering clearances, vestibules, or provincial accessibility rules affect the compliant result.
This page is intentionally limited to barrier-free entrance doors. It does not try to answer every accessible interior-door question. The safest first-pass workflow is to confirm how the clear opening is measured, then test whether the actual entrance condition still works once hardware, closers, approach space, and vestibule coordination are taken into account.
What to check first
- Do not assume the nominal leaf size equals the required clear width. The code check is about the clear opening under a specific door condition.
- Barrier-free entrance compliance can fail even when the opening dimension looks right if maneuvering clearance, vestibule geometry, or hardware conditions are wrong.
- Provincial accessibility adoption can add nuance, so the final answer should be tied to the project's jurisdiction and entrance configuration.
Jurisdiction notes
Province and accessibility check
Confirm whether the province adds accessibility-layer requirements or amendments that affect the entrance condition, especially where local practice is stricter than the baseline building-code path.
Entrance-specific variables
Door hardware, the stop position, maneuvering clearance, vestibule depth, paired-door conditions, and power-operator expectations can all change whether the entrance is truly compliant.
Work through it in this order
- Confirm that you are checking a barrier-free entrance door, not a different interior or secondary accessible-door condition.
- Review how the adopted code defines and measures the clear opening at the door condition being proposed.
- Test the opening with hardware, closer, approach-side maneuvering space, and vestibule geometry instead of relying on nominal door size alone.
- Keep the cited dimensional rule and the entrance-specific assumptions together before finalizing the detail or permit response.
Common questions
Is the nominal door size the same as the required clear width?
No. The code check is based on the clear opening condition, which can be reduced by hardware, stops, and the actual position of the door when measured.
Why mention maneuvering clearance if the question is about width?
Because a barrier-free entrance can fail as a usable accessible entrance even when the clear opening dimension appears acceptable. Maneuvering space and door operation are part of the real-world compliance path.
Can this page answer every barrier-free door question in a building?
No. This page is intentionally limited to barrier-free entrance doors. Interior accessible doors, specialty doors, and retrofit conditions often need separate analysis.