Use Zone Guidelines for Playground Safety

Use zones are the designated areas around playground equipment where children may fall, jump, or run. Proper spacing and surfacing within these zones are essential to reducing injury risk and ensuring compliance with safety standards from organizations such as CPSC and ASTM.

This guide outlines best practices for determining and maintaining compliant use zones in public and commercial playgrounds.

What Is a Use Zone?

• Defined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as:
  “The surface under and around a piece of equipment onto which a child falling from or exiting the equipment would be expected to land.”
• Also referred to as a fall zone
• Must be free of obstructions and covered in impact-attenuating surfacing

Grand Cove Playground

General Use Zone Requirements (per CPSC & ASTM F1487)

Note: If multiple structures are near each other, use zones must not overlap, unless specifically designed for composite play.

Elevated Equipment & Use Zones

• For equipment over 30 inches high, minimum spacing between adjacent structures must be 9 feet
• For structures under 30 inches, spacing can be 6 feet, unless fall trajectories overlap
• Ensure no hard-surface elements (concrete curbs, benches) are placed inside use zones

Surfacing Within Use Zones

• Must be impact-attenuating and tested to ASTM F1292
• Surfacing must extend through entire use zone, not just beneath equipment
• Loose-fill surfacing (e.g., mulch, EWF) must be regularly leveled and replenished

Planning Tips

• Account for use zones during initial layout and site design
• Use physical borders to contain surfacing material
• Ensure use zones don’t cross walkways, fencing, or benches
• Document spacing and surfacing as part of your inspection checklist

Resources & Citations

• CPSC Playground Safety Handbook
• ASTM F1487 Standard
• ASTM F1292 Standard

Related Glossary Entries

• Fall Height Requirements
• Playground Inspection Checklist
• Safety Surfacing Standards
• Playground Borders and Edging