DENVER – Denver business owners have until the end of the month to make sure they’re complying with changes to the city’s building code in regard to gendered language on restroom signs.
The Denver City Council voted in December 2016 to amend the code to state that any single-occupant restroom – a restroom with a single stall or toilet or a stall and urinal that’s intended for use by one person at a time – must have a sign stating that it’s open for use by anyone regardless of gender.
Existing businesses have until April 30 to meet that requirement.
The change also applies to “family” or assisted-use restrooms.
Many of these bathrooms are likely already gender neutral; the change in the building code simply states that they must be labeled as such. The change also requires that the restrooms lock from the inside.
The city doesn’t require any specific wording or a particular sign design, but the sign must make it clear that the restroom is gender-neutral.
According to the city’s website, businesses that don’t have the proper signs will receive a notice that they have 30 days to comply. After that, the city may “seek any appropriate remedy allowed by the Denver Building and Fire Code.”
Read more about the new requirements here.
