Parking Lot Line Striping Requirements
Can your parking lots stripes get you in legal trouble?
Does your facility have a parking lot? Silly question, right? If you’re like most property or asset managers, you’re in charge of not only the buildings for the facility but also the parking areas associated with the property. And, what’s not so silly is that there are certain responsibilities, even legal requirements regarding your parking area.
Did you know that, by law, many of the roughly 50 million parking spaces in the United States have to get a fresh coat of reflective paint every year or two? It’s true.
When a business restripes a parking lot, it must provide accessible parking spaces as required by the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Plus, businesses or privately owned facilities that provide goods or services to the public have an ongoing obligation to remove barriers to access in existing parking lots when it’s readily achievable to do so. Because restriping is relatively inexpensive, in most cases, it is readily achievable – which means you must follow the law.
More Parking Lot Line Striping Requirements
Not only do parking lots need to be restriped, there are specific guidelines for doing so. For example, accessible parking spaces for cars have to have at least a 60-inch-wide access aisle located next to the designated parking space. Having this access aisle makes it possible for a person using a wheelchair to enter or exit their car. Additionally, these parking spaces must be identified with a parking lot sign located on level ground.
For vans, accessible parking spaces have some of the same requirements, but they require a wider access aisle of 96 inches to accommodate a wheelchair lift. Additionally, vertical clearance is needed to accommodate van height at the van parking space, the adjacent access aisle, and on the vehicular route to and from the van-accessible space. The parking lot signage must identify the parking space as van accessible as well.
How Many Accessible Parking Spaces Do I Need?
The chart below indicates the number of car and van accessible spaces needed based on how many parking spaces provided per parking lot:
Staying in Compliance
Parking lot line striping, in addition to making your parking lot look cleaner and neater, comes with legal requirements. To stay compliant with the American Disabilities Association’s Standards for Accessible Design, be sure to hire a paving contractor with years of experience in parking lot striping. As an added benefit, an experience paving contractor will also be able to help with all of your paving, sealcoating, and asphalt repair needs to keep your parking area safe and fresh looking.
About ABC Paving and Sealcoating
With more than 20 years of experience, ABC Paving and Sealcoating is Florida’s leading paving contractor. ABC Paving and Sealcoating provides commercial organizations with the highest level of customer service, professional workmanship and services including: asphalt paving, asphalt repairs and prevention, pothole repairs, sealcoating, line striping and pavement marking, thermoplastic, crack filing, signs and safety devices, concrete sidewalks, concrete curbs, site preparation and signs and safety devices. We use our experience and the latest equipment available to get the job done right the first time in a timely, cost effective manner. For more information about ABC Paving and Sealcoating, visit our website at https://pavingandsealcoating.com or call866-934-7623 for a free estimate.
