GEORGIA STATE FINANCING AND INVESTMENT COMMISSION CONSTRUCTION DIVISION

Second Floor

270 Washington Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Steve Stancil, Director                                                                                                       404-463-5600

INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM

To: State Fire Marshal

From: GSFIC/State ADA Coordinator’s Office

Subject: Technical Assistance for Georgia Accessibility Code/2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design

Date:  June 2014 Revised           

Places of Worship (120-3-20-.03 (3)/2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design)

Question: Are places of worship exempt from the requirements of O.C.G.A. 30-3-1 et seq. and its implementing regulation, the Georgia Accessibility Code?

Answer: No. Places of worship are covered as Apublic buildings@ as that term is defined under O.C.G.A. ' 30-3-2 and are required to be designed and constructed in compliance with the Georgia Accessibility Code. See Attorney General=s Official Opinion 95-20 (April 24, 1995): http://www.state.ga.us/ago/read.cgi?searchval=place%20of%20worship&openval=95-20

Note: O.C.G.A. ' 30-3-3 states that [the Safety Fire Commissioner, or where applicable, the Board of Regents or local governing authority having jurisdiction over the building in question] “after taking all circumstances into consideration”, may determine that full compliance with any particular standard or specification set forth in this chapter is impractical, whereupon there shall be substantial compliance with the standards or specifications to the maximum extent practical ...

TEB

State ADA Coordinator’s Office