In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act specifies certain requirements for Disabled Park and state and local jurisdictions may have additional requirements. Detailed information can be found in the ADA Regulations, Part 36, Appendix A ¶ 4.6 Parking and Passenger Loading Zones. I note the following points in particular:
- In some cases, older parking areas lacking in Disabled Parking spaces may be grandfatherd in, meaning they might not be required to provided disabled parking until they are altered or rebuilt.
- Regulations may not apply to certain small apartment buildings and buildings used as homes.
- Exceptions may be granted under special circumstances including situations where changes would cause a significant hardship.
- Medical buildings may be required to provide more parking spaces than other buildings, particularly if specialized services for the disabled are offered.
- According to DOJ enforceable regulations as of this writing:
- "Accessible parking spaces serving a particular building shall be located on the shortest accessible route of travel from adjacent parking to an accessible entrance." Many local governments (unfortunately not where I live) also require businesses to locate their Disabled Parking as close as practical to the entrances for people whose disabilities limit the distance they can walk.
- The ADA sets requirements for a minimum number of Disabled and Van Accessible parking spaces depending on the total number of spaces in a lot and the type of accommodation.
- Standard accessible parking spaces must be at least 96 inches wide with an adjacent access aisle that is at least 60 inches wide. Adjacent spaces may share an access aisle. "One in every eight accessible spaces, but not less than one, shall be served by an access aisle 96 in. (2440 mm) wide minimum and shall be designated 'van accessible'..." Just putting up a "Van Accessible" sign on one standard space doesn't meet the requirement.
- Disabled Parking spaces must have signs bearing the symbol of accessibility. The signs: "shall be located so they cannot be obscured by a vehicle parked in the space" and "Signs designating parking places for disabled people can be seen from a driver's seat if the signs are mounted high enough above the ground and located at the front of a parking space." Disabled Parking isn't much good if the disabled can't find the spaces from their vehicles and Disabled Parking probably isn't enforceable without proper signage. Where I live, many businesses don't even put up signs for their Disabled Parking. To clarify the original intention, the new proposed ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities suggests: "Signs shall be 60 inches (1525 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground surface measured to the bottom of the sign."
- Disabled Parking spaces and access aisles cannot be on more than a 2% grade for obvious reasons.
| Total Parking in Lot | Required Minimum Number of Accessible Spaces |
|---|---|
| 1 to 25 | 1 |
| 26 to 50 | 2 |
| 51 to 75 | 3 |
| 76 to 100 | 4 |
| 101 to 150 | 5 |
| 151 to 200 | 6 |
| 201 to 300 | 7 |
| 301 to 400 | 8 |
| 401 to 5000 | 9 |
| 501 to 1000 | 2 percent of total |
| 1001 and over | 20, plus 1 for each 100 over 1000 |
| Certain types of public accommodations have special requirements. | |
Businesses in strip malls sometimes claim that Disabled Parking isn't their responsibility because the parking lot is the responsibility of the owner of the strip mall. Hypocritically, these same business owners who now deny responsibility typically promised to provide parking in order to get their certificates of occupancy to open the businesses. Whether the owners arrange for parking by contracting with the owners of strip malls or by contracting with construction firms to build their own parking lots, it's ultimately the responsibility of the business owners to make their business accessible to all.
Local government requirements for ADA-accessible Disabled Parking benefit the businesses because for the disabled, the option for enforcement is usually lawsuits for violating the civil rights of the disabled and those lawsuits can be far more costly than building it right in the first place.
Disabled Parking is key to providing equal access to public accommodations because if you can't get to the building, it isn't accessible. The A.D.A. was enacted by Congress way back in 1990 so there's no longer any acceptable excuse for continued noncompliance.