With respect to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what’s wrong with this photo on the right?

What you are seeing is a parking space marked as accessible that can be driven into directly, or entered like parallel parking. This is for a store that has very limited parking so they installed this space along a vehicular path that runs adjacent to the business. See the photo below.

But something is missing. What is it? HINT: How does the disabled individual go between the store and parking space?

ANSWER: An accessible aisle for the accessible parking space. Each accessible parking space should have an accessible aisle next to the parking space.

2010 ADA Standard 502.2, [Parking Spaces] Vehicle Spaces, states, “Car parking spaces shall be 96 inches (2440 mm) wide minimum and van parking spaces shall be 132 inches (3350 mm) wide minimum, shall be marked to define the width, and shall have an adjacent access aisle complying with [Standard] 502.3. So an access aisle is not an option for accessible parking. It is required.

According to Corada, the ADA Standards do not specifically require that accessible spaces be perpendicular instead of parallel, but perpendicular parking spaces are preferred at facilities located on sites because most allow users to park facing in or out depending on the side that the access aisle is needed. If accessible parking spaces at facilities located on sites (as opposed to those located along public streets) are parallel, they must fully comply with all applicable requirements, including those for access aisles and for van spaces. The photo below is a great example of how to install an accessible parallel parking space.

[NOTE: In August 2023, the US Access Board issued its final rule on Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). PROWAG has provisions for parallel parking. Please see the post at PROWAG]

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If you observe a facility that is not ADA compliant and you would like to know how to proceed, please see the link at What To Do When A Building Is Not ADA Compliant or Accessible.

ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, offers ADA/ABA/FHA accessibility compliance inspections for buildings and facilities, as applicable to the different laws, and expert witness services with respect to ADA/ABA/FHA laws for building owners, tenants and managers. Also, ADAIN offers consulting for home modifications as a CAPS consultant for people wishing to age in place in their homes. For a complete list of services please see ADAIN Services.

Thank you.