Buildings and other structures dedicated to be used mostly by elderly or handicaped people like daily residential homes, meeting places for the old, appartements for people of age, rest and geriatric homes are to be constructed according to the special needs of the above mentioned group of people, this means without barriers.

If a building consists of more than 2 or depending on the federal state of 4 apartements, all the rooms of each separate floor have to be accessible without any barriers. A person in a wheelchair must be able to reach the living room, the kitchen or kitchenette, the bathroom, the toilet and the bedroom without hindrance.

Exceptions are only allowed, if the aspired freedom of any barriers means disproportionaladditional dispenses. These dispenses are defined differently according to the respective federal state the premises are constructed in. In Baden-Württemberg it is 20%, in Bremen however 65% of the buildings costs.

There are four relevant standards in the domain of barrier-free building:

- DIN 1824-1: 1998-01 Barrier-free construction - Part 1: streets, squares, public traffic facilities and recreation areas together with playing courts and planing criteria.

- DIN 18024-2: 1996-11 Barrier-free construction - Part 2: publicly available buildings and places of work - planning criteria

- DIN 18025-1: 1992-12 Barrier-free apartments - Part 1: appartements for wheelchair user - planing criteria

- DIN 1825-2: 1992-12 Barrier-free apartements - Part 2: planing criteria

DIN standards are of different legal validity depending on the federal state they are executed in, because they are entirely, partly or not at all part of the list of technical regulations for buildings (LTB).

The following DIN standards are legally non-binding: DIN 18030 and DIN 18040.

The currently valid planning standards for freedom of barriers DIN 18024 and DIN 18025 were intended to be replaced by DIN 18030 initially. The latter however was banished because of the numerous objections against it. A new DIN standard 18040 is ordered to be developed, its draft is expected for spring 2009.