The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design put the top of a bathtub seat at 17 to 19 inches above the finish floor and horizontal grab bars at 33 to 36 inches above the finish floor. Ella walk-in tubs line up well with those figures: the Ultra brochure and product video put its seat at 17 inches, the HomeCare 32x60 drawing carries a 17 inch callout on its front view, and most Ella models ship with a deck-mount grab bar, a wall-mount grab bar, or both. What the standards do not do is certify a product, and they do not govern a private home. This page sets the ADA figures beside the Ella figures and explains who makes the final call for your bathroom.

What the 2010 ADA Standards Say About Bathtub Seats and Grab Bars

The U.S. Access Board writes the ADA Standards, and Chapter 6 covers bathing rooms. Three sections matter for a walk-in tub comparison:

• Seat height (607.3 and 610.2): the top of a bathtub seat sits 17 inches minimum and 19 inches maximum above the bathroom finish floor.
• Grab bar mounting height (609.4): horizontal grab bars are installed with the top of the gripping surface 33 inches minimum and 36 inches maximum above the finish floor.
• Gripping surface and wall clearance (609.2.1 and 609.3): a circular grab bar has an outside diameter of 1 1/4 inches minimum and 2 inches maximum, with 1 1/2 inches of space between the wall and the bar.

Read the official guidance: U.S. Access Board, Chapter 6: Bathing Rooms.

Where ADA Applies and Where It Does Not

The ADA regulates places, not products. Covered facilities such as hotels, clinics, assisted-living communities and government buildings must build their bathing rooms to the standards. A typical private home is not a covered facility unless part of it is open to the public as a business, so there is no ADA inspection of a residential bathroom, and there is no such thing as an ADA-certified tub; the Access Board does not evaluate or certify products. Our ADA and accessibility answers page walks through that distinction. In a home, the ADA figures are a planning reference, which is how many occupational therapists use them.

Ella Seat Heights and What Is Published per Model

The Ultra is the model with the clearest published seat height: its brochure prints seat references of 22, 19 1/2 and 17 inches, and the product video calls the 17 inch seat height ADA compliant. The HomeCare 32x60 combined spec and install document prints height callouts of 22 3/4, 17 and 19 1/2 inches on its front view. For the other models, the seat width is printed on every spec sheet, and Ella's guides describe the seat as about 17 inches high on most models, similar to a standard chair. The exact figure for a specific model can be read from the CAD drawing by your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. See what seat width means and interior dimensions and soaking depth by model.

One measurement point is worth flagging. The ADA figure is measured from the bathroom finish floor, while the callouts on an Ella spec drawing dimension the tub itself, before it is leveled on its legs in your room. If a facility project needs the installed seat height to land inside the 17 to 19 inch range, have your installer or architect check the drawing for your model against the finished floor. Threshold figures are in step-in threshold heights by model.

Ella Grab Bars: Deck-Mount and Wall-Mount, What Is Included

The family brochures for the stainless inward-swing tubs, the U-shape outward-swing tubs, the Transfer tubs and the two-seat tubs all list deck and wall grab bars among the included features. The Ultra includes a wall-mounted grab bar and a towel bar. The Petite and the Companion include a deck-mount grab bar only, the Flow spec sheet lists no grab bar, and the Tub4Two and the LayDown tubs do not come with one. The model-by-model list, plus the Ella Modern add-on bars for the surrounding walls, is in grab bars: what is included and add-on.

The deck-mount bar ships loose and is bolted on site, and the owner's manual is emphatic about one step: the large metal washer must sit under the shell before the bolt passes up through the acrylic. Installing the bar without it can crack the shell and voids the warranty. A deck-mount bar is positioned by the molded deck, so it is not measured against the 33 to 36 inch wall-bar rule; bars you add to the surrounding walls are where the ADA mounting height becomes a useful target, and they must be anchored into the wall framing rather than drilled into the tub.

The 2-piece fast-fill faucet cartridge, as printed on the Zen and Flow spec sheets, is also certified for its ADA lever handle. Tub-level listings are in safety certifications.

Comparing the Numbers: A Plain Table

What Your Inspector, Installer or Occupational Therapist Decides

In a covered facility, the architect and the local building official decide how the bathing room meets the standards, using the spec drawings for your model. In a private home there is no ADA sign-off. Your installer decides where wall bars are anchored, how the tub is leveled and how the deck bar is bolted, and the local inspector confirms the plumbing and electrical. An occupational or physical therapist decides which bar heights and seat height suit the person who will bathe; the 33 to 36 inch range is a starting point rather than the answer. The tub's features are described here so the care team can plan around them, and the bather's doctor or therapist has the final word on what suits the person.

The Ultra tour above names the 17 inch seat height, the 19 inch seat length, the 17 1/2 inch soaking depth and the 42 inch interior length.

Common Questions

Still need help? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850.