ADA and fire lane markings
How many accessible spaces does your lot need?
The answer is a published federal table, not an opinion. Here it is, with the dimensions that go with it.
Why it matters
Restriping is an accessibility decision, whether or not you meant it to be
Most property managers order a restripe because the lines have faded. It is a maintenance job, it is not expensive, and it does not feel like a compliance event.
The Department of Justice has stated that because restriping a parking lot is relatively inexpensive, removing accessibility barriers at the same time is readily achievable in most circumstances. In practice that means the moment you repaint a lot, the accessible spaces, their access aisles, their signage and the routes they connect to are all in play. Doing the rest of the lot and leaving those as they were is a decision, not a neutral act.
The upside is that a restripe is the practical moment to fix them. The layout is already coming up, the crew is already on site, and an accessible space takes no more marking than any other space. Deferring them does not remove the work, it moves it into a visit of its own.
The table
Accessible spaces required, by lot size
Counted per parking facility. If your site has more than one lot, each one is calculated separately.
| Total spaces in the lot | Accessible spaces required | Of those, van accessible |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 25 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 to 50 | 2 | 1 |
| 51 to 75 | 3 | 1 |
| 76 to 100 | 4 | 1 |
| 101 to 150 | 5 | 1 |
| 151 to 200 | 6 | 1 |
| 201 to 300 | 7 | 2 |
A lot of 25 spaces or fewer still needs its one accessible space to be van accessible. Above 300 total spaces the standards continue on a published scale; ask and we will look up the figure for your lot size.
Dimensions
What the spaces have to measure
Widths are minimums. An access aisle is the marked area beside the space that a wheelchair or a lift needs, and it is part of the requirement rather than an extra.
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Car accessible space width | 96 in |
| Car accessible access aisle | 60 in |
| Van accessible, wide space option | 132 in space with 60 in aisle |
| Van accessible, wide aisle option | 96 in space with 96 in aisle |
| Slope, any direction | 1:48 maximum |
| Signage height, ground to bottom of sign | 60 in |
Two accessible spaces may share a single access aisle between them. Slope is a maximum rather than a minimum, and it applies in every direction across the space and its aisle, which is what makes an otherwise correctly sized space fail on a lot that drains hard to one corner.
The rules that are not in the tables
Four things that catch properties out
The counts and the dimensions are the part everyone looks up. These are the requirements that tend to be missed, and each one can undo a lot that is otherwise marked correctly.
- One in every six accessible spaces, rounded up, must be van accessible, and there is always at least one. Section 208.2.4
- Counts are calculated per parking facility, not across a site. Several small lots need more accessible spaces in total than one large lot with the same number of stalls. Section 208.2
- Spaces must sit on the shortest accessible route to the entrance they serve, so the nearest space to the building is not automatically the right place for it. Section 208.3
- Slope of no steeper than 1:48 applies in every direction, which is where a correctly sized space on a hard-draining lot most often fails. Section 502.4
Fire lanes
Fire lane markings, usually in the same visit
Fire lane and no-parking markings sit in the same compliance family as accessible spaces, and they are the other marking a property gets inspected on. They are worth doing on the same mobilisation rather than paying to bring a crew back.
Fire lane requirements come from your local fire code and the authority having jurisdiction over your property, not from the ADA. Widths, colours, lettering and spacing vary between jurisdictions across the Austin area. Tell us what your fire marshal has specified and we will lay it out to that.
- Fire lane striping and kerb marking
- NO PARKING FIRE LANE lettering to your jurisdiction's spacing
- Accessible spaces, access aisles and symbols marked in the same visit
- Marked at night or over a weekend so the lot stays usable
Questions
What property managers ask about accessible parking
How many accessible parking spaces does my lot need?
It depends on the total number of spaces in that parking facility, and the count is set by the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, section 208.2, rather than by us. A lot with 1 to 25 total spaces needs 1 accessible space. From 26 to 50 it is 2, from 51 to 75 it is 3, from 76 to 100 it is 4, from 101 to 150 it is 5, from 151 to 200 it is 6, and from 201 to 300 it is 7. Above 300 the standards continue on a published scale. This is general information from ADA.gov and the 2010 Standards, not a legal or compliance opinion.
How many of those have to be van accessible?
At least one in every six accessible spaces, rounded up, and always at least one. That means a lot with 1 to 25 total spaces needs its single accessible space to be van accessible. A lot needing 7 accessible spaces needs 2 of them van accessible. The rule is in section 208.2.4 of the 2010 Standards.
My site has several lots. Do I count all the spaces together?
No. Section 208.2 calculates the requirement per parking facility, not across a whole site. Four separate lots of 40 spaces each are four separate calculations of 2 accessible spaces, which is 8 in total, not the 4 you would get by treating 160 spaces as one lot. This is one of the most common ways a site ends up short without anyone realising.
Does restriping my lot trigger anything I should know about?
It can. The Department of Justice has stated that because restriping a parking lot is relatively inexpensive, removing accessibility barriers at the same time is readily achievable in most circumstances. So a routine restripe is a practical moment to bring accessible spaces, access aisles, signage and routes up to the published standards. We will tell you what we see when we walk the lot. That is an observation, not a compliance determination.
Can you tell me whether my lot is compliant?
No, and you should be careful of any contractor who says they can. Compliance is determined by inspection against the full standards, and it takes in slope, routes, signage, surface condition and how the lot connects to the entrances it serves. What we can do is measure and mark to the published dimensions, tell you plainly what we observed, and put the scope in writing so you can take it to whoever does make that determination for you.
What does a van accessible space actually have to measure?
Section 502 gives two ways to build one. Either 132 inches wide with a 60-inch access aisle, or 96 inches wide with a 96-inch access aisle. A car accessible space is 96 inches wide with a 60-inch access aisle. Two accessible spaces are allowed to share one access aisle between them.
Do you do fire lane markings as well?
Yes. Fire lane and no-parking markings are part of the same compliance family and usually get marked in the same visit as accessible spaces, which saves a second mobilisation. Fire lane requirements come from your local fire code rather than from the ADA, so the specifics are set by the authority having jurisdiction for your property. Tell us what your fire marshal has asked for and we will lay it out.
Can you work at night so the lot is not closed during business hours?
Yes. Crews work nights and weekends, and the lot is staged in sections so you never lose all your parking at once. Paint needs cure time before traffic, which is the main reason overnight scheduling is worth it on an occupied property.
Request a quote
Send us the lot and we will come count it
Tell us the property and roughly how many spaces it has. We will walk it, tell you what we observed against the published standards, and send back a written scope.
Rather talk it through? (512) 289-8415