How to Ensure ADA Compliance in Parking Garage Layouts

Before designing a new parking garage or remodeling an existing facility, you must consider ADA parking compliance and an accessible parking lot layout. Even if you’ve recently upgraded your parking facility, you must ensure it meets ADA parking regulations, or you may be at risk of a hefty fine. ADA regulations for parking garages guarantee accessible parking spaces for those with disabilities.

This article explains how to comply with ADA parking space requirements and other regulations.

FC Parking provides clients with expert valet services and parking facility management.

ADA Parking Garage Compliance: Best Practices

What are the best practices for ensuring ADA compliance in parking garage design? Best practices include ensuring that spaces are correctly located, marked, and sized, with accessible routes to an accessible building entrance. There must be unobstructed paths to these spaces and clear signage throughout the facility, and the spaces must be van-accessible. The required number of accessible spaces depends on the total number of spaces in the parking garage.

Other ADA compliance best practices:

• Provide Adequate Lighting for safety and easy navigation. 
• Include an Accessible Passenger Loading Zone for drop-off and pick-up.
• Mark Access Aisles with diagonal stripes and/or contrasting colors to discourage parking.
• Ensure Sufficient Vertical Clearance to accommodate vehicles with lifts or ramps. 
• Ample Accessible Spaces around each accessible entrance create optimal convenience and accessibility for all users.
• Consult with Accessibility Experts and authorities to ensure regulatory compliance.

In addition to avoiding fines, you’ll also provide a valuable service to your customers.

ADA Compliance Requirements

What are the key ADA compliance requirements for parking garage layouts? The Americans with Disabilities Act provides specific ADA parking compliance guidelines, including the number of accessible spaces, the size of spaces, access aisles, and signage. Accessible spaces must be able to accommodate vans as well as cars.

ADA Parking Space Requirements

The ADA specifies requirements regarding accessible parking spaces and access.

Location: Accessible parking spaces must be located on an accessible route that is the shortest distance from the accessible parking lot or garage entrance. A person with a disability must be able to enter and move through a facility or building comfortably.

Access Aisles: Each accessible parking space must have an access aisle, a designated area that a person using a wheelchair or other type of mobility device can use to get in and out of their vehicle or van. Access aisles must be marked so that drivers will not park in them, and they must be level with the parking space and the same length. Two accessible parking spaces are allowed to share an access aisle between the two spaces. The one exception is if there is angled parking. An access aisle can be placed on either side of the space (in angled parking, it must be on the passenger side).

Parking Space Measurements: The accessible parking spaces in your garage or lot must meet these requirements:

• At least 8 feet (96 inches) wide.
• Access aisle at least 5 feet (60 inches) wide.
• Slopes in all directions are no more than 1.48 (2.08%). For every 48 inches
• Horizontally, the surface rises or falls no more than one inch.
• The surface is stable, firm, and slip-resistant.
• A sign with the international accessibility symbol is mounted at least 5 feet from the ground, measured at the bottom of the sign.

How do you calculate the number of accessible parking spaces needed in a parking garage? The ADA’s Accessible Parking Spaces page provides guidelines for the number of accessible spaces required. For example, for 25 or fewer total spaces, only one accessible space is needed. If you have 26-50 total spaces, you must have two. The law requires large parking lots or garages with 501-1000 spaces to have 2% of the total spaces accessible.

Signage

As stated, each accessible space must have an internationally recognized accessibility sign. Van-accessible spaces must have two signs. The first one must be the International symbol of accessibility, and the second one must state that the space is van-accessible. They must both be mounted at least 60 inches above the ground.

Ramps

There are precise ADA requirements for ramps, which parking facilities must comply with. These requirements include:

• Level landings at the top and bottom
• Stable, firm, and slip-resistant surfaces
• Handrails (on both sides if the rise is greater than 6 inches)
• Clear width of 36 inches minimum, measured between the handrails

You must have ramps along accessible routes for all level changes greater than ½ inch.

Legal Implications of ADA Non-Compliance

What are the consequences of failing to meet ADA compliance in parking garages? You risk considerable fines and potential lawsuits if your parking facility doesn’t meet ADA requirements. You could also face damage to your reputation and be required to make expensive retrofits to be compliant.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) imposes fines for ADA violations. The first violation can cost you as much as $75,000, with subsequent fines reaching up to $150,000.

Partner with FC Parking to Ensure ADA Compliance

At FC Parking, we don’t just provide elite valet parking services. We also advise parking operations managers on all aspects of parking lot management, including accessible parking garage design and how to stay compliant with critical ADA regulations. When you partner with our experts, you learn how to keep customers happy and profits flowing, and you’ll be on top of the latest legal requirements, so nothing slows you down.

Ensure your parking garage meets all ADA requirements. Contact the parking professionals at FC Parking today for top-of-the-line parking lot management and guidance from dedicated parking experts.