ADA compliant toilet guide: the 604 numbers, the seat math, and five picks that clear them

By Ariel, last updated September 25, 2026.

An ADA compliant toilet is defined by a short list of measurements in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, and most product pages that carry the label quote exactly one of them: 17 to 19 inches to the top of the seat. That number is measured with the seat on, it comes with two exceptions, and it sits beside five other requirements (centerline, floor clearance, grab bars, lever side, lever force). Half an inch of seat decides whether a $300 bowl passes or fails, and the room around it carries five more requirements the porcelain cannot satisfy on its own.

The ADA compliant toilet to buy: rim plus seat has to land between 17 and 19 in

For a floor-mounted two-piece with the seat in the box, buy the TOTO Drake Universal Height (MS776124CEFG): 16-1/8 in rim, 1.28 gpf Tornado flush, and a spec sheet that ties the ADA claim to a lever on the approach side, per section 604.6. TOTO does not publish a thickness for the SoftClose seat in the carton, so treat 7/8 in as the seat the rim needs to reach 17 in, and measure the finished height once it is bolted down.

If price decides it, the Kohler Cimarron The Complete Solution (K-31658-0) packs a 16-1/2 in rim, a Quiet-Close seat, a wax ring, and bolts into one carton for $289 at Lowe’s. The ProFlo PFCT303HEWH does the same for $176 at Ferguson, on a bowl Ferguson lists as 16 to 17 in.

If the room will be inspected, a wall-hung bowl on a Geberit Duofix 111.335.00.7 carrier is the one pick whose rim height adjusts across the full 15 to 19 in range during rough-in.

One warning. The Kohler Highline Tall K-25224-0 has a 19 in rim. Add any seat and it is over the 604.4 maximum: right for a tall person at home, wrong for a compliance job.

Our picks at a glance

Toilet	Rim (no seat)	With a 1/2 to 1 in seat	GPF	Rough-in	MaP	Price observed	Best for
TOTO Drake Universal Height MS776124CEFG	16-1/8 in	16-5/8 to 17-1/8 in, so 7/8 in of seat minimum	1.28	12 in	1,000 g (10 in listing)	$429 Lowe’s	Best overall, seat included
Kohler Cimarron Complete Solution K-31658-0	16-1/2 in	17 to 17-1/2 in	1.28	12 in	1,000 g	$289 Lowe’s	Best value kit
American Standard Cadet PRO 215AA104.020	16-1/2 in	17 to 17-1/2 in	1.28	12 in	1,000 g	$304 to $317	Trade spec, no seat
Kohler Highline Tall K-25224-0	19 in	19-1/2 to 20 in (over max)	1.28	12 in	1,000 g	$419 sale, $558 list	Tall users at home only
Geberit Duofix 111.335.00.7 plus bowl	15 to 19 in adjustable	Set to 17 to 19 in	1.6/0.8	In-wall	Depends on bowl	$568 carrier only	Inspected work
ProFlo PFCT303HEWH	16 to 17 in	16-1/2 to 18 in	1.28	12 in	1,000 g	$176 Ferguson	Budget complete kit

Prices observed at Lowe’s, Ferguson, Kohler.com, and American Standard direct in September 2026; Kohler was discounting against list, so treat every figure as a starting point. MaP figures are from the August 5, 2026 tank-type list.

What an ADA compliant toilet has to meet, and who the rule applies to

The ADA Standards apply to state and local government facilities (Title II) and to public accommodations and commercial facilities (Title III). The Department of Justice hosts the full 2010 Standards text and the Access Board publishes a guide to chapter 6. A single-family home is not a covered facility; a homeowner who buys an “ADA” toilet is adopting a commercial specification voluntarily because its dimensions are well tested. Nothing here is legal advice about whether a building is covered.

Location, 604.2. Bowl centerline 16 in minimum to 18 in maximum from the side wall or partition; 17 to 19 in in an ambulatory accessible compartment.

Clearance, 604.3.1. Sixty inches minimum from the side wall and 56 in minimum from the rear wall. Grab bars, dispensers, and the turning space may overlap it; other fixtures may not, and the door may not swing into it (603.2.3).

Seat height, 604.4. “17 inches minimum and 19 inches maximum measured to the top of the seat,” with no seats sprung to return to a lifted position. Two exceptions. A single-occupant toilet room reached only through a private office does not have to meet 604.4 at all. Residential dwelling units covered by the Standards get a wider window, 15 to 19 in.

Grab bars, 604.5 and 609.4. Side-wall bar 42 in long minimum, no more than 12 in from the rear wall, reaching at least 54 in from it. Rear-wall bar 36 in long minimum, 12 in past the centerline on one side and 24 in on the other. Both with the top of the gripping surface 33 to 36 in above the finished floor.

Flush controls, 604.6 and 309.4. On the open side; operable with one hand, without tight grasping, pinching, or wrist twisting, and with no more than 5 pounds of force, per the Access Board’s operable parts guide.

Children’s use, 604.9. Centerline 12 to 18 in, seat height 11 to 17 in, grab bars 18 to 27 in high, flush controls no higher than 36 in.

Six requirements, and a product page can only speak to one of them. A listing that quotes the 17 to 19 in seat range has told you nothing about centerline, clearance, grab bars, or lever force, all of which belong to the room.

Three kinds of fixture

Floor-mounted two-piece toilets with a 16-1/8 to 17 in rim are most of the market; Kohler calls the category Comfort Height, American Standard says Right Height, TOTO says Universal Height, and 604.4 recognizes none of those phrases. Tall two-piece toilets with a 19 in rim suit tall users at home and overshoot the maximum once a seat goes on. Wall-hung bowls on an in-wall carrier are the third kind: the carrier sets the height, and the good ones adjust across the full 15 to 19 in range. Our best wall-hung toilets guide covers the bowls; this guide covers the carrier.

The seat math that separates “comfort height” from 604.4

Rim height is what the manufacturer measures: finished floor to the top of the porcelain. Seat height is what 604.4 measures: finished floor to the top of the seat you bolted on. The difference is the seat’s thickness, about 1/2 in for a thin molded seat and about 1 in for a padded or heavy slow-close seat. Rim height plus seat thickness equals finished height, and the window is 17 to 19 in on the finished number.

Run it on the picks. A Cimarron or a Cadet PRO at 16-1/2 in reaches 17 in with a 1/2 in seat. A Drake Universal Height at 16-1/8 in needs a seat of at least 7/8 in, so a thin replacement seat can leave it a hair under the line even though the porcelain is marketed as ADA; TOTO’s retail wording is that Universal Height models are capable of meeting the requirement. The ProFlo at 17 in clears the minimum with anything. The Highline Tall at 19 in cannot be brought under the maximum with any seat.

So “chair height,” “comfort height,” and “right height” describe the porcelain, coined to sell a taller residential toilet before anyone had to put a seat on and measure. Which rim height suits a particular body is a separate question, answered in comfort height versus standard toilet. Measure the finished height after installation, seat down; tile laid after rough-in shifts every number above.

Six ADA compliant toilets, rim height first

Five of these six land inside 604.4 once a seat goes on, and the sixth is here as a warning. The assessments below rest on manufacturer specs, the MaP list, and installer feedback.

1. TOTO Drake Universal Height (MS776124CEFG): best overall

The Drake is the two-piece most plumbers reach for when a customer says “ADA” and means “make it work every time.” MS776124CEFG is the CST776CEFG bowl and tank with TOTO’s SoftClose seat in the same carton, which is why a retailer listing and TOTO’s own page show two different numbers for one toilet.

What it does well:

• Tornado Flush through a 3 in flush valve, CEFIONTECT glaze, WaterSense; MaP lists the same C776CEF(G) bowl and ST776EA tank at 1,000 g in the 10 in configuration.
• A 10 in rough-in version (add .10) and a right-hand-lever set (CST776CEFRG), so the lever can land on the open side.

What you give up: the 16-1/8 in rim is the lowest here, so the seat carries the last 7/8 in and TOTO publishes no thickness for the one in the box. Swap in a thin 1/2 in replacement later and the finished height drops to 16-5/8 in, under the 604.4 minimum. TOTO also flags the CST776CEFG set as limited supply that not every supplier stocks.

Spec line: 16-1/8 in rim, 1.28 gpf, elongated, 12 in rough-in, left-hand lever, SoftClose seat included. $429.20 at Lowe’s in September 2026; the seatless bowl-and-tank half of it, CST776CEFG, carries the numbers at TOTO USA.

2. Kohler Cimarron The Complete Solution (K-31658-0): best value kit

Kohler packages the K-31588 chair-height bowl and K-31615 tank with a Quiet-Close seat, wax ring, and hardware for big-box retailers only. It is the same porcelain as the trade K-31621, and the spec sheet lists ADA under codes and standards.

What it does well:

• 16-1/2 in rim, so a 1/2 in seat already lands at 17 in and the bundled Quiet-Close lands a little above it.
• Revolution 360 flush through the AquaPiston canister; MaP lists the K-31621 and K-31648 combinations of this bowl and tank at 1,000 g and notes the K-31658 package.

What you give up: the AquaPiston seal is a Kohler-specific part, so a phantom flush sends you to Kohler for the part. Left-hand lever only.

Spec line: 16-1/2 in rim, 1.28 gpf, elongated, 12 in rough-in, seat, wax ring, and hardware included. $289.00 at Lowe’s in September 2026; Kohler spec sheet.

3. American Standard Cadet PRO (215AA104.020): the trade spec, seat not included

Lowe’s lists this one as a Cadet 3. American Standard’s own page and the MaP list call it the Cadet PRO, and 215AA104.020 is the number to match: 3517A101 bowl, 4188A104 tank, no seat. It suits anyone who already has a seat in mind.

What it does well:

• 16-1/2 in rim, which American Standard describes as accessible-application height, with an ADA statement on the product page.
• PowerWash rim, EverClean surface, 3 in flush valve, MaP 1,000 g, limited lifetime warranty on the china.

What you give up: no seat, so the finished height is on you, and the trade-exclusive tank means a replacement comes from a plumbing supplier. White is out of stock at American Standard direct; Lowe’s carries it with delivery dates.

Spec line: 16-1/2 in rim, 1.28 gpf, elongated, 12 in rough-in, left-hand lever, seat sold separately. $317.23 at Lowe’s and $303.55 against a $467 list at American Standard in September 2026.

4. Kohler Highline Tall (K-25224-0): tallest rim, for homes only

Kohler’s tallest floor-mounted toilet sits 19 in to the rim, 2-1/2 in above the 16-1/2 in Comfort Height line its own spec sheet rounds to 2 in. It is here because people searching for an ADA toilet keep landing on it. For the home buyer we compare it against its rivals in best tall toilets for seniors and elderly.

What it does well:

• 19 in rim, the highest fixed rim in this guide, Class Five flush, MaP 1,000 g.
• 1.28 gpf, WaterSense, K-4467 tank shared with the standard Highline.

What you give up: with any seat the finished height is 19-1/2 to 20 in, above the 604.4 maximum, and Kohler’s spec sheet for this model does not list ADA in its codes block. Shorter users end up with feet off the floor.

Spec line: 19 in rim, 1.28 gpf, elongated, 12 in rough-in, left-hand lever. $418.57 at Lowe’s and at Kohler against a $558.10 list in September 2026; spec sheet.

5. Geberit Duofix 111.335.00.7 with a wall-hung bowl: adjustable height for inspected work

A wall-hung toilet is a bowl bolted to a steel frame inside the wall, tank behind the drywall, flush plate on the surface. The Duofix is the frame most commercial plumbers know, and its spec sheet states bowl rim height adjustments from 15 in to 19 in. It is for a new build or gut remodel that will be inspected.

What it does well:

• Rim height adjustable from 15 to 19 in on the frame, so 604.4 is hit by adjustment rather than luck, and no floor footprint in the way of the 60 by 56 in clearance.
• Frame rated to 880 lb, dual flush at 1.6/0.8 gpf (1.28/0.8 on the 111.902 frames), and a bowl compatibility list covering Kohler, TOTO, and Duravit.

What you give up: the carton is a carrier and a tank, so the bowl and the Sigma flush plate are two more line items and the finished job lands well past a complete floor-mounted kit. The wall has to be framed 5-1/2 in deep, the frame goes in before the drywall, and that makes it a plumber’s job on a schedule.

Spec line: adjustable 15 to 19 in rim, 1.6/0.8 gpf concealed tank, 2×6 framing, bowl and actuator sold separately. The .00.5 listing at $568.40 at Ferguson in September 2026 is the one still on sale; the .00.7 replaces it. Geberit spec sheet.

6. ProFlo PFCT303HEWH: budget complete kit

ProFlo is Ferguson’s house brand, and this is its 1.28 gpf comfort height elongated combo with seat, wax ring, and bolts in one carton. It replaced the Jerritt PFCT103HEWH, which some sites still list; make sure the box says 303.

What it does well:

• 16 to 17 in bowl height in Ferguson’s dimension table, which at the top of that range is the tallest bowl among the compliant picks, so measure the porcelain and add the seat to it.
• Slow-close seat, wax ring, and bolts in the box; 3 in flush valve; WaterSense; limited lifetime warranty on the fixture; MaP report 74-044 scores PFCT303HEWH at 1,000 g.

What you give up: it is a house brand, so replacement guts and a warranty claim route back through Ferguson rather than a national parts network. The 17 in headline figure is the top of that 16 to 17 in range, and a bowl at the bottom of it wants a full inch of seat.

Spec line: 16 to 17 in bowl height, 1.28 gpf, elongated, 12 in rough-in, left-hand lever, seat and wax ring included. $176.49 at Ferguson in September 2026.

What you need to check before buying an ADA compliant toilet

The toilet is the cheapest part of a compliant water closet. The room is where jobs fail.

Which side is open. Stand where the wheelchair would approach; the lever goes on that side, so choose left-hand or right-hand before you order. Kohler’s two picks here are left-hand only.

Wall to centerline. Measure from the finished wall surface, tile included, to the center of the flange; the target is 16 to 18 in. A flange set 15 in from a stud wall that later gets 1/2 in drywall and 3/8 in tile ends up at 14-1/8 in.

Clear floor and blocking. Sixty inches from the side wall and 56 in from the rear wall, door swing kept out of it. Put solid blocking in the walls at 33 to 36 in, long enough for a 42 in side bar and a 36 in rear bar.

Rough-in and the seat. Most rooms are 12 in from the finished wall to the flange center, some are 10 in; our toilet rough-in guide covers the measurement. Decide on the seat before the toilet, because the seat sets the finished height.

Local code. Many jurisdictions adopt ICC A117.1 alongside or instead of the ADA Standards, and the numbers are close but not identical. The authority having jurisdiction, not a product page, tells you which set applies.

What this guide will not recommend

A raised seat riser as a compliance fix. A clamp-on riser on a 15 in bowl gets an older adult up to a comfortable height at home, and we cover those in best toilet seats for the elderly. It does not make a commercial fixture compliant.

Any listing that says “ADA” without a rim height. If the spec sheet will not tell you the porcelain height, you cannot do the arithmetic.

A 19 in rim for code work. The Highline Tall overshoots the maximum once the seat is on, and so does any other bowl marketed above Comfort Height.

The Gerber Viper ErgoHeight. Every variant sat unavailable at Ferguson in September 2026, and a fixture nobody can ship is not a specification.

Home Depot’s Glacier Bay chair-height toilets. MaP put the N2316EB-17 bowl on the N2428T tank and scored it 1,000 g, and it names the Home Depot combination it tested, so the flush number is real. Glacier Bay publishes no rim height for it, and without the porcelain figure the seat arithmetic cannot be done, so it stays off the list.

FAQ

What is ADA toilet height?

Section 604.4 sets it at 17 in minimum to 19 in maximum, measured from the finished floor to the top of the installed seat. A single-occupant room reached only through a private office is exempt from 604.4 altogether, and covered residential dwelling units get a wider window of 15 to 19 in.

Is a chair height toilet ADA compliant?

Usually, once the seat is on, and only if the rest of the room complies. Chair height, comfort height, right height, and universal height are manufacturer terms for a rim around 16-1/8 to 17 in; add a 1/2 to 1 in seat and most land at 17 to 18 in.

What is standard toilet height, and how far below ADA is it?

A standard toilet has a rim around 14 to 15 in, which puts the seat at roughly 14-1/2 to 16 in, or 1 to 2-1/2 in below the 604.4 minimum. No seat thick enough to close that gap exists, so a standard bowl in a compliance job gets replaced rather than shimmed.

Does the ADA apply to my house?

The Standards cover government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities; a private single-family home is not one of those. Multifamily housing and buildings open to the public may fall under the ADA, the Fair Housing Act, or local code, a question for the authority having jurisdiction or a lawyer.

Which side should the flush handle be on, and how far from the wall does the bowl sit?

The lever goes on the open side, where a person approaches (604.6), and must work with one hand and no more than 5 pounds of force (309.4). The bowl centerline sits 16 to 18 in from the finished side wall (604.2).

Is a handicap toilet the same thing as an ADA toilet?

“Handicap toilet” is the older search term. The Standards say “accessible water closet,” and manufacturers say “ADA compliant” for a fixture that can meet 604.4 once installed with a seat. All three point at the same 17 to 19 in target, but only the room can satisfy the clearance, grab bar, and centerline rules. Height and water use are independent; every floor-mounted pick here carries the EPA’s WaterSense label.

Sources & references

• 2010 ADA Standards, section 604 water closets
• U.S. Access Board guide to chapter 6
• U.S. Access Board guide to chapter 3, operable parts
• MaP Testing tank-type toilet list, August 2026
• EPA WaterSense residential toilets
• TOTO USA Drake Universal Height product page
• Kohler K-25224 spec sheet and Kohler K-31658 spec sheet
• American Standard Cadet PRO 215AA104.020 product page
• Geberit Duofix 2×6 in-wall system spec sheet
• Ferguson ProFlo PFCT303HEWH product page

See also on My Best Toilet

• Comfort height versus standard toilet for the body-height chart
• Best wall-hung toilets for bowls that pair with a carrier
• Best tall toilets for seniors and elderly for 19 in rims at home
• Best toilet seats for the elderly for risers and safety frames
• Best toilet seats for the seat thickness that sets your finished height
• Specialty toilets for the rest of the category