The Americans with Disability Act outlines the standards required to make a parking lot ADA compliant, specifically when it comes to restriping the parking spots. Over time, the paint in parking lots fades, and it becomes more and more difficult to determine the parking spots. At this point, businesses are required to restripe their parking lot and to ensure that the parking lot is ADA compliant.

A well-maintained parking lot is crucial for the safety of drivers and pedestrians alike. Fresh stripes keep people safe because it offers a map to the parking lot, determining where people can expect vehicles and people crossing. As the striping fades, the danger increases.

While the ADA does not specify paint color for parking spots, it does require high contrast paint. Therefore, an asphalt parking lot may use white paint, and a concrete parking lot may need to use a bright yellow to stand out from the lighter background. Check with the state or local government to determine if there are any specific rules on paint color for parking spot restriping.

Parking lot appearance also plays into the perception of your business. For example, a study on store appearance showed that many customers start to have a negative opinion about a store when they notice dirty floors, dustiness, and window smudges. With that in mind, it’s not a big jump to consider that clients may develop a negative opinion about a business when the parking lot falls into disrepair.

Not every business needs to restripe as often. But, if a parking lot receives heavy vehicle traffic, it should probably be annually restriped to maintain bright and visually pleasing lines. However, a smaller lot with fewer parking spaces may only need to be restriped every other year. Weather and seasons should also factor into how often parking lots are restriped.

A restripe may be as simple as re-coating the existing stripes in your parking lot. But keep in mind that this is also an opportunity to change the traffic patterns of your lot, as well as add or remove spots. As you make these changes, it’s crucial to know the ADA standards and local government regulations for restriping parking spots.

Restriping to Include Accessible Parking Spots

The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design provided the public with a number of regulations for how to create accessible parking spaces in their parking lots. Since restriping is relatively inexpensive, the ADA expects businesses to remove barriers to make their programs more accessible.

Fast Facts on ADA Compliant Parking Spots

As a rule, one of six accessible parking spots must be van accessible, and parking lots for medical facilities have very different accessibility requirements than other privately owned, public-serving companies. The ADA offers an easy chart that quickly dictates the minimum number of accessible parking spots for common lot sizes.

When restriping a parking lot, consider the location of the accessible parking spots and place them on the shortest path to travel to an accessible entrance to the business. Parking spaces should be on level ground and close to the accessible entrance. The accessible route must not have curbs or stairs, and it should be at least 3 feet wide.

Accessible parking spots must include the following:

• Parking space identification sign mounted 60 inches minimum above the ground
• Parking spaces can share an access aisle unless angled
• Access aisles should have a width of at least 60 inches and be level to the parking spot
• Parking space width should be 96 inches wide minimum
• Access aisle boundaries must be clearly marked to discourage parking on it

*note that van accessible parking spots are different

Restriping Parking Spot Process

Every state and local government is likely to have its own regulations based on the ADA standards. Therefore, it’s important to research the requirements for the area of your business. Always double-check the plan, measurements, and regulations for restriping the parking lot so that no rework needs to be done.

At StrongGo, we are committed to creating accessible spaces with curb cuts, radius tiles, and our TekWay detectable warning dome tiles. Our reliable and durable dome tiles ensure the safety of your business’s customers. Talk with an industry expert today by emailing csd@stronggo.com.

Sources:

https://www.quick-lot.com/restriping-a-parking-lot-how-often-should-we-do-it/

https://www.ada.gov/restriping_parking/restriping2015.html

https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/ultimate-guide-ada-compliant-parking-lots/