Urdaneta adopts universal accessibility ordinance for people with disabilities

The Autonomous Decentralized Municipal Government of the Urdaneta Canton issued the Ordinance containing the technical standards for universal accessibility of people to the physical environment, which is mandatory throughout the cantonal territory. The regulation was sanctioned on September 16, 2026, by Mayor Amada Argentina Zambrano Rodríguez and published in the Official Registry Special Edition No. 1673, corresponding to Thursday, October 1, 2026, a 56-page edition.

The ordinance is based on Article 47 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, Articles 17 and 58 of the Organic Law on Disabilities—which obligates autonomous decentralized governments to issue accessibility ordinances in accordance with the standards of the Ecuadorian Normalization Institute (INEN)—and Articles 4, 54, and 322 of the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD). The file was certified by the general secretary of the council, Gissela Estefanía Zurita Chimborazo, following the approval of the Municipal Council in ordinary sessions in April 2026, and sanctioned by the mayor on September 16, 2026.

The text, consisting of 58 articles, entered into force upon its publication in the Official Registry and applies to the planning, design, construction, and execution processes of environments and buildings for public, communal, and private use with public access, as well as to new buildings and renovations involving a total or partial change of use.

A Catalog of INEN Technical Standards

Chapter II refers to a block of mandatory Ecuadorian technical standards, including:

• NTE INEN 2243, pedestrian circulation routes; NTE INEN 2245, ramps; NTE INEN 2246, pedestrian crossings; NTE INEN 2855, curb cuts and ramps.
• NTE INEN 2292, terminals, stations, and transport stops; NTE INEN 2314, urban elements; NTE INEN 2315, terminology.
• NTE INEN 2293, hygienic services, bathrooms, and sanitary facilities; NTE INEN 2309, doors.
• NTE INEN 2849-1 and NTE INEN 2849-2, universal accessibility and design for all; NTE INEN 2850, signage.
• NTE INEN 3139, elevators; NTE INEN 3141, accessible bedrooms and rooms; NTE INEN 3142, windows.
• NEC-HS-AU, universal accessibility chapter of the Ecuadorian Construction Standard.

Sidewalks, Curb Cuts, and Transport Stops

Chapter III establishes minimum dimensions for the canton’s road system:

• Clear passage width of 1,200 mm on pedestrian paths, with a clear height of 2,200 mm.
• 1,500 mm for the simultaneous circulation of a wheelchair and a pedestrian, and 1,800 mm for two wheelchairs moving in opposite directions.
• Maximum transverse slope of 2% and tactile paving strips 1,000 mm wide at crossings, ramps, stairs, and stops.
• Curb cuts with a maximum longitudinal slope of 12% and a minimum width of 1.00 m.

At bus stops, the ordinance requires a delimited floor space of 1,800 mm x 1,800 mm for wheelchairs and baby strollers, a cover when the sidewalk has 1,200 mm of clear passage, tactile signaling, and labeling with the name or code of the stop and information in braille. The maximum separation between the vehicle and the platform is set at 150 mm.

Buildings, elevators, and sanitary facilities

Chapter V regulates constructions and their elements:

• Main exterior doors with a minimum clear width of 1,000 mm and a height of 2,050 mm; interior doors of 900 mm.
• Ramps with a minimum width of 1,200 mm between handrails and slopes of up to 8% in 10-meter sections.
• Elevators with a minimum useful cabin area of 1.25 m², automatic opening doors, and a control panel with braille signaling.
• At least one adapted bathroom or stall in every public or private building with public access, with a turning area of 1,500 mm in diameter free of obstacles.

In tourist accommodations, one accessible room with an adapted bathroom is required for every 1 to 24 rooms, two for 25 to 49, three for 50 to 74, and four for 75 to 100; from 100 rooms onwards, one is added for every additional 50. In auditoriums, coliseums, and conference rooms, at least two spaces are reserved for wheelchair users, and three when the capacity is between 51 and 100 seats.

Control, exceptions, and validity

The Directorate of Development and Social Management of the municipality will verify compliance with the regulation, answer clarifying inquiries, and evaluate its update according to the publications of INEN and the National Council for Equality of Disabilities (CONADIS). Properties declared of interest or cultural heritage and cases of structural impossibility are exempt, which must be justified through technical reports and reasonable adjustments.

The sole transitional provision obliges natural and legal persons, public and private, to adopt the necessary measures according to the deadlines of the current regulations; the Organic Law on Disabilities established one year to adapt buildings.

With this ordinance, Urdaneta converts national accessibility standards into cantonal regulations and establishes an enforceable obligation for works, sidewalks, stops, and buildings: public-use spaces in the canton must be designed and adapted so that people with disabilities or reduced mobility can circulate, enter, and use services under equal conditions.

Source: Official Registry Special Edition No. 1673, Thursday, October 1, 2026, Section I, p. 1 (official reference: Ordinance containing the technical standards for universal accessibility of people to the physical environment, in the Urdaneta canton).