As of the first of the month, all single-occupancy toilet facilities in any government agency, business establishment, or place of public accommodation are required to feature “all-gender” identification. Another aspect of this law is that it allows local officials responsible for code enforcement to inspect your venue to ensure compliance. Thankfully, All Star Signs knows all about the new requirements. To help you avoid lawsuits, we have put together this guide to what your HR department needs to know about gender neutral restroom signage.
What Does Compliance Look Like?
If you have been following the news lately, you might assume that this new law is in response to the recent White House rollback of transgender student rights. However, this is not the case. These new restroom sign requirements were passed long ago and are just now going into effect.
Single-occupancy toilets are specifically defined by the law. They use the term “single-user toilet facilities,” which are defined as “a toilet facility with no more than one water closet and one urinal with a locking mechanism controlled by the user.” You will need to check your signs for compliance if you have bathrooms that fit this description. Essentially, your lavatory needs to be identified with two types of signs
What Signs Do You Need?
You are required to have a wall-mounted identification sign for every space or room in your facility that serves a permanent purpose. Bathrooms are included in this requirement. The marker must specify whether the restroom is for men, women, or unisex. The sign needs to be tactile. Pictograms are useful but not required. There have been hundreds of lawsuits filed because businesses have failed to install these signs, even though not all situations require doorway restroom signs. If you are unsure if you need wall-mounted signs, we can help you out.
Geometric symbol signs are used to identify lavatories as male, female, or unisex. Men’s bathrooms are identified with a triangle. Circles are used for women’s rooms, and unisex bathrooms have both: a triangle superimposed on a circle. For the purposes of the new law, the unisex symbol would be appropriate.
Does Your Organization Have to Take Action?
If your building has a single-use toilet facility that already has a unisex geometric sign, you probably do not need to do anything. On the other hand, if you have male or female geometric signs on single-occupancy bathrooms, you need to replace them with unisex geometric signs. Plus, your tactile signs must indicate that a bathroom is all-gender, a restroom without reference to gender, or unisex.
You might be tempted to shop online for new signs if your markers do not meet the rules. This could end up costing you since many online retailers are not up-to-date on the laws. Instead, we suggest you go with All Star Signs. We are knowledgeable about what your HR department needs to know about gender neutral restroom signage, and we can take care of everything for you.
If you want your San Diego County business to be in compliance, contact our friendly professionals today for a free consultation!
