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Parking lot striping and ADA rules in Louisville

Direct answer: When a Louisville commercial lot is restriped or resurfaced, accessible parking has to meet the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and Louisville Metro's accessible-parking rules. The number of accessible spaces, including van-accessible spaces, is calculated separately for each parking facility from the 2010 Standards. Those spaces need the right width, access aisle, slope, signs, and a short accessible route to the entrance. Metro code also requires existing lots to be brought into compliance when they are resurfaced, restriped, remodeled, or reconfigured. This article summarizes those public rules; it is not legal advice for a specific site.

For property managers around Louisville and Elizabethtown, a restriping job is the moment to check whether accessible parking still matches current requirements, not only whether the paint is faded.

When a commercial lot should be restriped

Restripe when lines are hard to see, after a sealcoat or overlay has cured enough to take paint, or when the stall layout itself needs to change. There is no single calendar that fits every site. Heavy traffic, sun, and winter salt wear paint faster on drive aisles and entrances than in quiet stalls. Painting over a noncompliant layout leaves the same problem in brighter paint.

How many accessible spaces the 2010 ADA Standards require

The U.S. Department of Justice's 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set the minimum number of accessible parking spaces in Table 208.2. The count is made separately for each parking facility on a site, such as each lot or garage, not by adding every space on the property together. In general: 1 to 25 total spaces require 1 accessible space; 26 to 50 require 2; 51 to 75 require 3; 76 to 100 require 4; 101 to 150 require 5; 151 to 200 require 6; 201 to 300 require 7; 301 to 400 require 8; 401 to 500 require 9; 501 to 1,000 require 2 percent of the total; and 1,001 and over require 20, plus 1 for each 100, or fraction thereof, over 1,000.

Section 208.2.4 requires that for every six accessible spaces, or fraction of six, at least one must be van-accessible. If only one accessible space is required, it must be van-accessible. Hospital outpatient, rehabilitation, outpatient physical therapy, and some residential facilities have different percentages in section 208.2. Department of Justice restriping guidance also says a restriped facility must provide accessible spaces as required by the 2010 Standards.

What an accessible space has to look like

Section 502 of the 2010 Standards, and the Department of Justice overview of accessible parking, set the basic features. A car-accessible space is at least 96 inches wide, with an access aisle at least 60 inches wide. A van-accessible space may be at least 132 inches wide with a 60-inch access aisle, or at least 96 inches wide with a 96-inch access aisle. Two spaces may share an access aisle, except in angled parking, where the aisle belongs on the passenger side.

The space and aisle must be level, with a slope of no more than 1:48 in all directions, and have a firm, stable, slip-resistant surface. Access aisles must be marked so drivers do not park in them, must run the length of the space, and must connect to an accessible route to the entrance. That route should be at least 3 feet wide, with no curbs or stairs in the path, and ramps must not extend into the access aisle. Accessible spaces belong on the shortest accessible route to an accessible entrance and, where a building has more than one accessible entrance with adjacent parking, should be dispersed to those entrances.

Signs use the International Symbol of Accessibility, mounted so the bottom of the sign is at least 60 inches above the ground. Van spaces also need a "van accessible" designation, and at least 98 inches of vertical clearance at the space, the access aisle, and the vehicular route to and from the space. Where four or fewer parking spaces are provided on a site, a sign identifying the required van-accessible space is not required.

What Louisville Metro adds

Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Code Chapter 72 points owners of off-street parking facilities intended for public use to the current ADA Accessibility Guidelines for the number of level spaces, then adds local specifications in § 72.002. Each accessible space must have an above-grade sign that includes a clearly visible warning of the maximum fine according to state law. Boundaries of spaces and access aisles must be clearly visible day and night. Access aisles must be marked with yellow, blue, or white diagonal hash lines, also visible day and night. Each access aisle that is at least eight feet wide must include clearly visible "No Parking" text in the aisle or on a freestanding sign that does not block the aisle. Spaces should sit as close as possible to elevators, ramps, walkways, and entrances, and should be located so a person is not compelled to wheel or walk behind parked cars to reach those points. New development must comply. Existing lots and structures must comply when they are resurfaced, restriped, remodeled, or reconfigured, if the facility can accommodate a van-accessible vehicle based on height restrictions.

Chapter 72 also defines "level ground," for that chapter, as a slope no greater than 1:50 in all directions (§ 72.001). That local definition is slightly tighter than the 1:48 slope in the 2010 Standards, so a Metro lot should be checked against both. This article cites the published Metro code; it does not invent other local or Kentucky building-code section numbers.

When you're restriping or paving a lot in Louisville Metro, plan the accessible stalls as part of the layout, including the van-accessible share, widths, aisles, signs, hash marks, "No Parking" text where an aisle is at least eight feet wide, slope, and the route to the door.

American Group is family run since 2008 by three siblings. American Paving handles striping and asphalt work for local governments, corporations, small businesses, and homeowners. We're fully insured, and we don't ask for money upfront, except for draws on very large projects. For a practical layout, call American Paving at (502) 410-4080 or visit https://www.americanpaving.pro/striping-ada/. For official requirements, start with the sources below and confirm the current rules for your property.

Short FAQs

How often should a commercial lot be restriped?
Restripe when the lines are hard to read, and after a sealcoat or a new asphalt surface has cured enough to take paint. Traffic, sun, and winter wear decide the timing more than a fixed calendar.
How many ADA stalls does a Louisville lot need?
Use Table 208.2 in the 2010 ADA Standards, counted separately for each parking facility. At least one of every six accessible spaces, or fraction of six, must be van-accessible. Louisville Metro § 72.002 follows the current ADA guidelines for the number of spaces and adds local rules for signs and markings.
Does restriping mean I have to update accessible parking?
Yes, in important ways. The Department of Justice restriping guidance says a restriped facility must provide accessible spaces as required by the 2010 Standards. Metro § 72.002(C) requires existing lots to comply when they are resurfaced, restriped, remodeled, or reconfigured, if the facility can accommodate a van-accessible vehicle.
What is different about a van-accessible space?
It needs a "van accessible" sign (except on sites with four or fewer total spaces), at least 98 inches of vertical clearance, and one of two width combinations: 132 inches plus a 60-inch access aisle, or 96 inches plus a 96-inch access aisle, per section 502 of the 2010 Standards.

Sources