Estonia tightens accessibility requirements for new buildings
New accessibility requirements for buildings took effect in Estonia this month, and starting next January at least one-tenth of apartments in new residential buildings must be easily adaptable for people with special needs.
New building accessibility requirements came into force in Estonia this month, while separate rules for apartment buildings will apply from next January. Under those rules, at least one-tenth of apartments in new buildings must have a layout that can be adapted relatively easily for a person with special needs.
The aim of the new requirements is to better account for people with disabilities, elderly residents, families with strollers and people with temporary health issues already at the design stage. Ivo Jaanisoo, deputy secretary general for living environment and circular economy at the Ministry of Climate, said accessibility should be a basic feature of a building rather than a solution added afterward. He noted that buildings should already be usable for as wide a range of people as possible when built or renovated, regardless of whether a person's circumstances change due to age, using a stroller, a temporary injury or the need for a mobility aid.
What the new rules cover
Requirements were revised for doors, staircases, ramps, elevators, intercoms, evacuation routes and restrooms. Existing buildings will not need to be fully rebuilt, but their accessibility must be improved during major renovations where technically feasible. Jaanisoo said the ten-percent requirement for apartments was a compromise reached with construction industry representatives.
Mari Tuulik, an accessibility advocacy adviser at the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People, stressed that setting out requirements on paper is not enough — how they are implemented, and who takes part in decision-making, matters just as much. She said public space is currently shaped automatically around certain bodies and physical experiences, without always accounting for people with special needs. Tuulik called for architects, planners and clients to involve organizations representing people with disabilities from the very start of the planning process, since adjusting a finished solution later is more complicated and costly.
The new requirements for residential buildings take effect on January 1, 2027.
