Accessibility of the built environment

INFORMATION
PREMISES AND ENVIRONMENT
Last updated: 23/02/2023

Principle

Establishments that are open to the public, buildings used for industrial purposes or as offices, multi-dwelling residential buildings, temporary constructions and temporary installations, as well as car parks and outdoor areas serving them, must be accessible to people with disabilities.

The accessibility standards must enable people with disabilities to enter, move around and leave the premises under normal operating conditions and to benefit from all the services offered that are not obviously incompatible with the nature of the disability or the person's situation.

Making the premises accessible

All new constructions must comply with the accessibility rules established by

 and its implementing legislation.

With regard to the existing built environment, it must be adapted when works are undertaken that are subject to authorisation.

Buildings constructed or completed before 1 September 1947, with the exception of establishments that are open to the public and individual residential buildings, are not affected by the accessibility regulations.

Exemptions

A partial exemption to the rules of accessibility of the new built environment or the accessibility of the existing built environment may be requested prior to a request for authorisation of work.

This must be based on legitimate reasons, relating in particular to:

  • Technical difficulties resulting from the built environment or its surroundings 
  • Clear disproportion between the scale of the work, its cost and the improvements made 
  • Constraints related to the conservation of a façade or the preservation of any other notable built element

Financial assistance

Establishments that are open to the public can benefit from State aid that is intended for the financing of works or equipment necessary to make them accessible if they meet the criteria laid down by the

.

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