Handicap Striping - ADA Compliance

Handicap striping is a requirement. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that protects those with disabilities from discrimination. The law has guidelines that should be followed in the designing and striping of commercial parking lots.

Ignoring the minimum requirements in the ADA act could attract fines. Besides, it is in your business interests to make your property easily accessible by all people.

Why Do You Need to Stripe Your Handicap Parking Spaces Properly?

You need to stripe your handicap parking spaces properly for the following reasons: 
  • Safety: People with handicaps generally need more space when entering or leaving their vehicles. Lack of proper marking of handicap parking stalls could result in unnecessary inconvenience and even avoidable accidents.
 
  • ADA Compliance: It’s not just common sense to properly stripe handicap parking spaces; the law requires it. Ignoring ADA compliance could attract fines. However, you are also risking a discrimination lawsuit if you don’t properly stripe handicap parking spaces.
 
  • Inclusivity: Having adequate and properly marked handicap spaces shows you care about your customers. Not only does it show you don’t discriminate, but it could also win you more customers.  

What Are the Requirements for Handicap Parking Spaces?

The 2010 ADA compliance requires the following standards for accessible parking spaces:

Striping and Signage

  • Handicap parking spaces should have the International Symbol of Accessibility, a white symbol of a person in a wheelchair with a blue background.

  • A permanently affixed signage is also required. The signage should be visible from inside a vehicle, meaning the bottom of the signage should be above the hood (or 60 inches from ground level). The signage should also indicate “van accessible” for such parking spaces.
     
  • The access aisle to a handicap parking space should have “no parking” marked on them or have hatch marks.

Placement and Size of Handicap Parking Spaces

  • Handicap parking spaces should be located such that they provide the shortest distance to the entrance of the building they serve.

  • The minimum width for car parking spaces is 8 feet. However, the width for van accessible parking stalls should be 11 feet.

  • The passenger loading zones should provide a pull-up length of 20 feet and a width of 8 feet. The loading area should not overlap the aisle.

  • The access aisles (the spaces allowing an individual to deploy a vehicle-mounted wheelchair) should be 5 feet wide. 

Number of Accessible Parking Spaces Required

  • The minimum number of accessible parking spaces required is dependent upon the total number of parking spaces. If your parking lot has between 1 and 100 parking spaces, the first of every 25 should be a handicap space. So, you will need 2 handicap spaces if you have 30 or 50 parking spaces.

  • However, as a parking lot gets larger, fewer additional handicap spaces are required. For instance, if you have 200 parking spaces, you need 6 handicap spaces (not 8), while if you have 300, you need 7 (not 12). Generally, for large parking lots (over 500 spaces), the handicap spaces should be 2% of the total.

  • One in every six handicap parking spaces should be van accessible. So, if you have 300 parking spaces, you are required to have 7 handicap spaces, 2 of those being van accessible.

When Should You Restripe Your Handicap Parking Spaces?

Handicap parking spaces should be easily visible. Therefore, you should restripe every time the markings become hard to see. That could happen in a year or even two, depending on factors such as:

  • Traffic: The more traffic, the faster the markings fade away. The parking lot of a small restaurant will require less restriping than the parking lot of a big mall.

  • Weather: High levels of precipitation are not good for parking lot stripes. Water from rainfall will gradually wash away the paint. Snowplows used to remove snow will scrape away the stripes. Also, if you use salt on the snow, it will erode the paint. Generally, it is an excellent idea to restripe after winter.

  • Quality of Paint: Good quality traffic paint applied adequately to a thickness of about 15 millimeters does not come off quickly.

Free Quote Today - Handicap ADA Compliance Striping New Orleans
​Call Today: (504) 353-9998
© Copyright 2025 Parking Lot Striping New Orleans | Privacy Policy