Atlanta moves to require push-button door activators at new public and commercial entrances

Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced an amendment to Atlanta’s 1982 zoning ordinance that would require push-button or motion-activated door openers at the main entrances of all newly constructed commercial and publicly accessible buildings, a podcast summary of the council’s zoning committee meeting said.

The change, supported in the recording by council member Kelsey Bond and traced to work by former District 2 council member Carden Wyckoff, passed the City Council zoning committee on Jan. 12 and is scheduled for a reading and vote by the full council on Jan. 20.

The proposal targets entry accessibility for people who use mobility aids. "Push button activators are motion sensors or physical buttons next to a building's entrance that opens the door automatically, allowing for smoother access for people who would have some difficulty pushing or pulling the door open themselves," the recording says. The segment also noted that "an estimated 12.2 percent of the population in the United States lives with a mobility disability."

Supporters described the timing as opportune because the city is already reviewing its zoning code. The recording said the amendment was introduced by Bakhtiari during a Jan. 5 City Council meeting and that Harden, described in the recording as a disability justice advocate, had been an early proponent of the effort.

If adopted by the full council, the amendment would change the zoning code’s construction requirements for new commercial and publicly accessible buildings; the podcast did not provide implementing language, a vote tally, or details about enforcement or an effective date. The recording directs listeners to citycouncil.atlantaga.gov for more information.

The zoning committee’s passage on Jan. 12 advances the measure to the full council. The full council is scheduled to read the ordinance and take a vote on Jan. 20; the transcript does not record the result of that vote.