A sign with perfect braille still fails inspection if it hangs on the hinge side of the door. We make ADA signs with raised letters and Grade 2 braille in our Laredo shop, and the same crew installs them at the height the inspector measures.
ADA signs are one part of the custom signs in Laredo we design, fabricate and install for clinics, offices, restaurants and warehouses.
| What | The Rule |
|---|---|
| Raised characters | At least 1/32 inch off the face, uppercase, sans serif, nothing italic or decorative |
| Character height | 5/8 inch to 2 inches, measured on the uppercase "I" |
| Braille | Grade 2 braille directly below the text, at least 3/8 inch from it. Unified English Braille counts as Grade 2 |
| Mounting height | Baseline of the lowest tactile character at least 48 inches above the floor; baseline of the highest no more than 60 |
| Location | Latch side of a single door. Double doors: on the inactive leaf, or to the right if both leaves open |
| Clear space | An 18 by 18 inch floor space in front of the sign, outside the door swing |
| Finish and contrast | Non-glare face, light characters on a dark background or the reverse |
| Pictograms | A field at least 6 inches tall with no text inside; the raised text and braille go below it |
| Overhead signs | At least 80 inches of clearance below the sign |
Braille is required on signs that name a room or a space that won’t change. A sign that points somewhere or posts information only has to meet the visual rules, so paying for braille there buys nothing.
| Sign | What It Needs |
|---|---|
| Restrooms, room numbers, room names | Raised characters and Grade 2 braille |
| Exit doors and exit stairwells | Raised characters and Grade 2 braille |
| Directional and informational (“Restrooms →”, posted hours) | Visual rules only |
| Overhead or hanging | Visual rules only, 80 inches of clearance |
| Occupant names, logos, menus, signs up for 7 days or less | Exempt |
If a building has entrances that aren’t accessible, the accessible ones are marked with the International Symbol of Accessibility (the ISA, the wheelchair symbol), and the others get a sign pointing to the nearest one that is.
In Texas, accessibility is enforced under the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards, in effect since March 15, 2012 and administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. For signs, TAS follows the 2010 ADA Standards almost line for line.
Texas adds a registration step. A project with an estimated cost of $50,000 or more has to be registered with TDLR, gets a plan review, and is inspected by a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS) once it’s built. Below $50,000 nobody files anything, and the building still has to comply, according to TDLR’s own FAQ.
Inspectors check where a sign hangs as closely as what it says. They’ll flag a braille sign on the hinge side, or one whose top line sits at 62 inches. When one company makes and installs the sign, you aren’t refereeing between a sign vendor and an installer.
Send us the plan or a list of rooms. We mark every door that needs a tactile sign and every hallway that could use a directional one.
You get a room-by-room list of every sign with its text, size and location, then a proof to approve before anything is made.
We manufacture every sign in our shop and give you a delivery date with the quote, based on the number of signs and the materials.
The installer measures to the character baseline, checks the latch side and the door swing, and mounts to the numbers in the table above.
Send us the plan or a list of rooms. We mark every door that needs a tactile sign and every hallway that could use a directional one.
You get a room-by-room list of every sign with its text, size and location, then a proof to approve before anything is made.
We manufacture every sign in our shop and give you a delivery date with the quote, based on the number of signs and the materials.
The installer measures to the character baseline, checks the latch side and the door swing, and mounts to the numbers in the table above.
If you just need a single generic sign, an off-the-shelf option does the trick. But when you need tailored wording, matching brand standards across your building, or professional installation, custom is the way to go.
We don’t use fixed, one-size-fits-all pricing because no two projects are the same. Your quote is calculated specifically around your preferred materials, dimensions, and order volume, meaning larger runs benefit from scaled quantity savings.
We manufacture and install ADA signs in Laredo and across the Webb County region. Most of our customers are in this area: we’re a manufacturer in Laredo, so the signs get to you faster. If your project is somewhere else, we can ship the signs; shipping is quoted by size and weight. If your own contractor is hanging them, send them the requirements table above.
Raised uppercase sans serif characters, Grade 2 braille below them, a non-glare finish and strong contrast, mounted between 48 and 60 inches on the latch side. Directional signs only need the visual part of that list.
Between 48 and 60 inches above the finished floor. The 48 is measured to the baseline of the lowest tactile character and the 60 to the baseline of the highest.
Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces: restrooms, room numbers, exit doors and exit stairwells. Directional and informational signs don’t. Occupant names, logos and menus are exempt.
No. The ADA Standards don’t specify a color for any sign, including the accessibility symbol. Burgundy and cream can comply if the letters stand out from the background.
Yes. UEB became the official braille of the U.S. in 2016, and the Access Board accepts it as Grade 2 braille.
For signs, barely. A sign built to the 2010 ADA Standards meets the 2012 TAS sign rules in nearly every detail. The Texas difference is the registration and RAS inspection on projects of $50,000 or more.
Yes. Logos are exempt from the tactile rules, so yours can go anywhere that doesn’t crowd the raised text, the braille or a pictogram field.
It depends on how many signs you need and the materials. You’ll get a delivery date with the quote, and installation is scheduled once the signs are finished.
Yes. Most of our customers are in Texas and South Texas, because being a manufacturer in Laredo lets us deliver faster here. We also ship to other states; shipping is quoted per order, since the total depends on the size and weight of the signs.
Send the plan or a list of rooms and we’ll come back with a sign schedule and a price. If you have an inspection or opening date, put it in the form.
Send the plan or a list of rooms and we’ll come back with a sign schedule and a price. If you have an inspection or opening date, put it in the form.
