Access Guide
About Public Tours
- View information on opening hours (opens new tab).
- The State House Tour Office provides free tours of the site by reservation only.
- All visitors are escorted by guides.
- Guides explain the site's history, art and architecture, along with the legislative process.
- The public tours give access to the Executive and Legislative parts of the State House.
- For reasonable accommodation of a disability on a State House tour, please call (609) 847-3350.
- Assistive listening devices are available and require 24 hours' notice.
- Real-time reporters and sign language interpretation may be requested with 5 working days' notice.
- All visitors need to adhere to security protocols.
- Security checkpoints are located in the Security Building on West State Street and also in the Welcome Center located next to the parking garage.
- Visitors must check in at one of these checkpoints before starting a tour.
- The Welcome Center is the official starting point for public tours.
- Tours do not follow a fixed route but will only cover areas that are designated for public access.
- There is a chance that access to the chambers may be restricted on legislative session days (Monday and Thursday). It may be worth considering this when making a reservation.
- Public tours last approximately 1 hour.
- The distance traveled on a tour is likely to be approximately 700 yards.
Information on Devices, Interpretation, Large Format Publishing
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About
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- For reasonable accommodation of a disability, please call (609) 847-3350.
- The legislative chambers and committee rooms are equipped with built-in, ADA-compliant, FM-assisted listening devices for persons with hearing loss. Headsets and receivers are available when requested 24 hours in advance.
- CART, real-time reporting and sign language interpretation are available when requested 5 working days in advance.
- Large print versions of bills, resolutions and committee statements may be obtained from the Legislative Information and Bill Room (Room B-1 on the basement level of the State House Annex).
- Upon request, other publications can be reproduced in large print and some items can be transferred onto audio format as well.
- Services available in the venue include: Available devices - Please call (609) 847-3350 to request the following devices 24 hours in advance:
- 5 x Magnifying Glass (1 Available)
- Luna 8 Zoom Max (1 available)
- Eschenbach Visolux digital XL FHD (1 available)
- Reizen Loud Ear Sound Amplifier (3 available).
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Getting Help and Assistance
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- Drinking fountains are available.
Parking
- The venue has its own parking facilities.
- View information on Parking Garage (opens new tab) .
- Accessible parking is located on level 2 of the State House complex parking garage.
- The parking garage can be accessed via West State Street or Barrack Street.
- Accessible on street parking is also available on West State Street.
- If parking in the garage, visitors should use the level 2 exit next to the van accessible spaces.
- After exiting, they should then turn left and access the Welcome Center in order to pass through security before starting the tour.
- This route is approximately 30 yards.
- If parking (or being dropped off) on West State Street, visitors should check in via the Security Building located there.
- It may be necessary to proceed to the Welcome Center after the Security Building.
- If a security check can be completed in the Security Building, this route will be internally through the State House complex.
- If it cannot, there is an external route to the Welcome Center that can be followed.
- The next 2 sections detail the step-free accessible versions of those routes.
External Route from Security Building to Welcome Center
- The photographs show the external step-free route to the Welcome Center.
- Visitors would need to follow this route if it was not possible for a security check to be carried out at the Security Building, or if they wanted to go from West State St to the Welcome Center outside rather than inside through the State House building pedestrian tunnel.
- The length of this route is approximately 450 yards.
- Potential obstacles along this route include; bollards, a steep (10%) downhill slope and some sections with uneven (block paving) surfaces.
- The route is mostly level with smooth surfaces.
- The minimum width between bollards is 43 in. (110cm.).
Internal Route from Security Building to Welcome Center
- The photographs show the internal step-free route to the Welcome Center.
- Visitors may need to follow this route after exiting the Security Building following security clearance.
- Visitors are escorted by guides along this route.
- The length of this route is approximately 350 yards.
- Potential obstacles along this route include a long ramp and manual fire doors.
- The route is step-free and mostly level but there are several ramps with slight gradients.
Restrooms and Changing Facilities Available
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Single-occupant Restrooms with Accessibility Features
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- There are 2 single-occupant restrooms with accessibility features.
- The single-occupant restrooms with accessibility features are located on the B and 1st floors of the State House.
- The transfer space within the single-occupant restrooms with accessibility features varies between left hand transfer and right hand transfer.
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Multiple-stall Restrooms with Accessibility Features
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- The multiple-stall restrooms with accessibility features are located in the Welcome Center lobby and on the B, 1, 2 and 3 floors of the State House.
- The transfer space within the multiple-stall restrooms with accessibility features varies between left hand transfer and right hand transfer.
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Standard Restrooms
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- Step-free male and female restrooms are located on the B, 1, 2 and 3 floors of the State House.
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Changing Facilities
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- Parent and baby changing facilities are located in the restrooms in the Welcome Center and on the B and 3rd floors of the State House .
Tour Access
- Public tours have step-free access.
- There is internal access from the Welcome Center to the State House.
- Upon exiting the Welcome Center, visitors will be escorted, via the garage atrium elevator, to the basement level.
- There is then a pedestrian tunnel to the elevator in the State House.
- There are some ramps with slight gradients along the basement tunnel but this route bypasses all steps.
- Guests should notify the State House Tour Office of any ambulatory needs when making a reservation at (609) 847-3350.
- Public tours mostly take place on the 1st floor of the State House.
- There is also step-free access via elevator to the 2nd and 3rd floors.
- Parts of the chambers may not be accessible to wheelchair users due to stepped tiered seating and, for the public galleries on the 2nd floor, narrow doorways and an absence of designated wheelchair spaces.
- Please see the State House Detailed Access Guide for more information.
- For questions about disability-related accommodations or to make a disability accommodation request, please contact the Office of Legislative Services at (609) 847-3350.
- Seating is available for resting along the route of public tours.
- Some flooring is shiny.
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Related Access Guides
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- This Detailed Access Guide gives comprehensive information for access around the New Jersey State House building.
- View information on New Jersey State House (opens new tab) .
Tour Highlights
- Public Tours offer visitors the chance to see the Rotunda, Senate Chamber, General Assembly Chamber, and the Governor’s Office. Some areas on the tour route may be restricted due to Legislative and/or Executive activity. Please call (609) 847-3150 for more details.
- All of these areas have step-free level access into them, however, the chambers do have stepped access to tiered rows of seating leading down to the dais.