How long does a ramp for three steps need to be?

Around 24 feet of ramp for a typical 24 inch rise, plus a five foot landing at the top and clear space at the bottom. Measure your actual rise from the ground to the door threshold rather than counting steps, because step heights vary.

Can I build a ramp steeper than 1:12 on my own property?

Local residential code may permit a steeper slope in some circumstances, and a permit office can tell you. Whether you should is a different question. A steeper ramp is harder to climb, considerably harder to control on the way down, and dangerous in ice or rain.

Do I need a permit for a ramp?

Usually yes, and it depends on your jurisdiction, the height of the structure and whether it is attached to the house. Ask your permitting office directly rather than relying on a contractor's assurance, and get the answer before work starts rather than after.

Is a portable or threshold ramp a real solution?

For a single small step or a raised threshold, yes, and they are inexpensive. For a full entrance rise they are not, because the same slope arithmetic applies and a short portable ramp over a tall rise is simply a steep ramp.

Guide

How much room a ramp actually needs

Almost everyone underestimates this, and they underestimate it by a lot. The number that governs it is simple, and its consequences are not.

Drawn at true 1 to 12. The length is the point, so it is not flattered.

One inch of rise for every twelve inches of length

That is the maximum running slope in the standard everyone references. It is written 1:12, and it is the single fact that determines whether a ramp is possible at your entrance.

Three steps is roughly a 24 inch rise. At 1:12 that is 288 inches of ramp, which is 24 feet. Not 24 feet of yard, either: 24 feet of ramp, in whatever shape it has to take to fit, plus the landings.

Landings are not optional and they are not small

A level landing is required at the top, at the bottom, and at every change of direction. The standard size is 60 inches by 60 inches, which is five feet square.

A run may also not rise more than 30 inches before it has to stop at a landing. On a tall entrance this is what forces a switchback, and each turn costs you another five foot square platform.

Width and handrails

Minimum clear width is 36 inches, measured between the handrails rather than the outer edges of the structure.

Handrails are required on both sides once the rise exceeds six inches, which in practice means almost always. They add width to the finished structure, which is the detail that catches people who measured only the ramp surface.

When it does not fit, and it often does not

Measure from your door to the property line before you commission anything. On a modest lot with a raised entrance, a compliant ramp frequently will not fit, and no amount of design cleverness changes the arithmetic.

The alternatives are worth pricing before you conclude the entrance cannot be solved. A vertical platform lift needs a fraction of the footprint. Regrading the approach can reduce the rise you have to overcome. Moving the accessible entrance to a different door, often at the garage or a side elevation, is frequently the cheapest answer and the one people consider last.

A steeper ramp is not an alternative. It is a slope someone cannot climb unassisted and cannot descend safely in the wet, which means you have spent the money and still do not have an entrance.

Common questions

How long does a ramp for three steps need to be?: Around 24 feet of ramp for a typical 24 inch rise, plus a five foot landing at the top and clear space at the bottom. Measure your actual rise from the ground to the door threshold rather than counting steps, because step heights vary.
Can I build a ramp steeper than 1:12 on my own property?: Local residential code may permit a steeper slope in some circumstances, and a permit office can tell you. Whether you should is a different question. A steeper ramp is harder to climb, considerably harder to control on the way down, and dangerous in ice or rain.
Do I need a permit for a ramp?: Usually yes, and it depends on your jurisdiction, the height of the structure and whether it is attached to the house. Ask your permitting office directly rather than relying on a contractor's assurance, and get the answer before work starts rather than after.
Is a portable or threshold ramp a real solution?: For a single small step or a raised threshold, yes, and they are inexpensive. For a full entrance rise they are not, because the same slope arithmetic applies and a short portable ramp over a tall rise is simply a steep ramp.

This page is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Program terms and statutory figures change. Confirm anything you intend to rely on with the issuing authority.