After setting up a great business, you want to be sure that your audience can reach it. Proper line striping is an important part of parking lot accessibility. It denotes accessible parking spots, reserves them for the customers who need them, and helps customers take full advantage. With Earle American, learn more about how to set ADA-compliant accessibility areas in your parking lot through line striping.

The Importance of ADA-Compliance

As a business owner, safety is your responsibility. You need to maintain a property that allows everybody to enter and exit without unnecessary strain. If you fail to do so, you may miss out on valuable opportunities. You also put yourself at risk of fines and other legal consequences because you failed to follow legal requirements.

Complying with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects you against legal consequences and fines. It also opens your business to a wider range of customers, potentially increasing your profits. Finally, it solidifies your reputation as a respectable institution in your community.

What Is an Accessible Parking Space?

First, what is accessible parking? Accessible parking spaces are spaces designed for easy use with a wheelchair, walker, or other mobility aid. ADA outlines several required features to make a parking space accessible:

• Spaces are at least 96 inches (eight feet) wide
• Spaces are divided by an access aisle that is at least 60 inches (five feet) wide
• Spaces directly adjoin onto an accessible route to a building entrance
• Spaces are clearly marked with the international symbol of accessibility
• Spaces are well-maintained to eliminate hazards

Many of these features are created using line striping. For example, line striping is used to outline the boundaries of each space and to mark them with the international symbol of accessibility. It is also used to clearly mark the access aisle and discourage people from parking in it or blocking it with items, such as boxes or shopping carts.

In addition, for every six accessible spaces you have, at least one must be accessible by van. This requires a space that is at least 11 feet wide with at least eight feet of overhead clearance. Like a standard accessible space, van spaces need a five-foot access aisle.

How Many Accessible Parking Spaces Do I Need?

ADA provides clear rules for the number of accessible parking spaces required in a parking lot. According to the rule, the number of accessible parking spaces you need depends on the total number of spaces in your parking lot:

• For 1-25 total spaces, you need one accessible space.
• For 26-50 total spaces, you need two accessible spaces.
• For 51-75 total spaces, you need three accessible spaces.
• For 76-100 total spaces, you need four accessible spaces.
• For 101-150 total spaces, you need five accessible spaces.
• For 151-200 total spaces, you need six accessible spaces.
• For 201-300 total spaces, you need seven accessible spaces.
• For 301-400 total spaces, you need eight accessible spaces.
• For 401-500 total spaces, you need nine accessible spaces.
• For 500 to 1000 total spaces, you need 2% of the total parking spaces to be accessible.
• For 1001 or more total spaces, 20 spaces are needed, plus one space for each 100 over 1000.

Each parking structure is calculated separately. If you maintain several parking lots or garages, then each one needs to have its own accessible spaces following the above requirements.

Where Should Accessible Parking Spaces Be Located?

Accessible parking spaces should be located on the shortest route of travel to an accessible building entrance. If you have multiple accessible entrances, then you should disperse your accessible parking spaces so that they are evenly distributed between each entrance.

In addition, accessible parking spaces must be directly adjacent to an accessible route. This means a walking route that is at least three feet wide to enable wheelchair navigation. The route should have a shallow slope (if any), no curbs or stairs, and a stable, slip-resistant surface. Line striping is an effective way to designate an accessible route with safe boundaries, direction indicators, and more.

Do I Need Signage?

While larger parking lots require signage to identify accessible spaces, this isn’t a requirement for small lots. Accessibility signs are not needed for parking lots with four or fewer total spaces. Line striping, however, is a necessity for all parking lots. Customers, clients, and visitors need a visual indicator of accessible parking spaces, aisles, and routes. Clear line striping shows clients with disabilities or mobility limitations where they can go for accessible parking. It simultaneously tells everybody else to keep clear, ensuring that accessible spaces stay open for the people who need them.