Guide
How to make a shop entrance accessible
To make a shop entrance accessible, remove the step if you can, give the door a wide enough clear opening and make it easy to open. The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers in England, Wales and Scotland to make reasonable adjustments, and Northern Ireland has separate disability law. The Act does not set a fixed ramp gradient.
Last updated 3 November 2026. General guidance only: confirm anything legal with your council or adviser.
What does the Equality Act 2010 require?
Service providers in England, Wales and Scotland must make reasonable adjustments where a physical feature puts disabled people at a substantial disadvantage. The Act gives no dimensions. What counts as reasonable depends on the premises, the cost, your resources and what else could be done. In Northern Ireland, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 sets the equivalent duty.
What dimensions should a new entrance use?
In England, Approved Document M gives the design guidance for new work, and BS 8300 goes into more detail. The figures below come from Approved Document M Volume 2. Scotland uses its Technical Handbooks and Northern Ireland uses Technical Booklet R, so confirm the numbers with your council's building control team before ordering a door.
- External door clear width: 1000 mm in new buildings, 775 mm in existing buildings
- Threshold: level, or no more than 15 mm high
- Upstands over 5 mm: chamfered or rounded
- Opening force: 30 N up to 30 degrees, 22.5 N from 30 to 60 degrees
- Clear space: at least 300 mm beside the door on the pull side
How steep can a ramp be?
Approved Document M links gradient to length in England: 1:20 over a 10 m going, 1:15 over 5 m and 1:12 over 2 m. It also asks for a surface width of at least 1.5 m, landings at each end, and steps as well where the rise is more than 300 mm.
A doorway on a narrow pavement rarely has room for all of that, and a ramp on the highway needs the highway authority's agreement. A recessed entrance with a gentle internal slope can work better, as can moving the door to the lowest point of the frontage.
What if the step cannot be removed?
The duty is about reasonable steps, so look at what you can do now. A portable ramp and a call bell can be a sensible measure for a small shop, while bigger changes wait for a refit. On a listed building, discuss the options with the conservation officer, because the council has to weigh access against the building's significance.
What else makes an entrance easier to use?
Automatic doors to BS EN 16005 suit most people. In England, powered doors should fall back to manual use or stay open if the power fails, door furniture should contrast with the door, and glass doors need manifestation at 850 to 1000 mm and 1400 to 1600 mm. Accessible entrance work is £495 to £3,495 ex VAT depending on the work.