The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) governs compliance with a wide variety of regulations to ensure public spaces are fully accessible to people with all types of disabilities. Business owners must design and maintain their properties with ADA compliance in mind, and if they are deficient in any areas of compliance, they must take the proper steps to upgrade their properties and make their spaces accessible to people with disabilities.
Among the issues covered under the ADA is parking lot accessibility. What exactly makes for an ADA-compliant parking lot in Philadelphia, PA? Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know.
Accessible spaces
All public parking lots are required to have accessible spaces, marked with handicap signs and paint. This is the primary issue that makes parking lots ADA compliant. Parking spaces are accessible when they meet the proper dimensions, have the correct signage in place, have pavement markings and have the correct pavement slope. Let’s take a closer look at these issues:
- Dimensions: All accessible parking spaces should be at least eight feed wide with an adjacent aisle that is also at least eight feet wide. Two spaces can share that same aisle for access. If the space is also to be van accessible, there must be vertical clearance of 98 inches or more.
- Pavement markings: Accessible parking spaces do not have to have the international symbol for accessibility (the handicap sign) painted directly on the pavement, but it is generally recommended to do so. Access aisles along the accessible spots must be painted with hash marks to denote that they are not parking spots.
- Pavement slope: Parking spaces and aisles must not have a slope of any greater than two percent in any direction, which means a maximum of one inch of vertical incline or decline for every 50 inches of horizontal length. This may require construction teams to level the land before marking off the spot.
- Signage: Accessible parking spots must have a sign featuring the international symbol of accessibility and measuring at least 12 inches by 18 inches. The sign must notify the public that violators can face a fine. The sign must be mounted to ensure it is 60 to 66 inches above the pavement and must be centered in the parking space.
Accessible parking lots will also have a minimum number of accessible parking spaces that varies depending on the overall size of the lot. Generally, the rule is one accessible spot for every 25 spaces in total, but once you get to more than 500 spots, it starts to go by percentages (two percent of total spaces). At least one of every six accessible spots must be van accessible. The rules may vary for certain types of structures—residential or healthcare facilities might require more accessible spots than other types of public structures.
For more information about how you can ensure your business has an ADA-compliant parking lot in Philadelphia, PA, contact the experts at Philly Concrete & Asphalt Paving, Inc. today.