Accessibility Tip: Accessible Parking Guidelines
Being able to park and enter the church makes the difference between being able to attend your church or not. While having a covered unloading area at an accessible entrance is a nice feature, it doesn’t meet the needs of attendees who drive or need to remain with their driver.
If you already have accessible parking, ensure that the parking spaces, access aisles, and pathways are in good repair and kept clear of snow, ice, and debris.
Designing accessible parking lot spaces:
Choose the closest spaces to the accessible entrance or entrances.
Locate spaces on level ground with a firm surface.
Provide a marked access aisle on one side of each ADA space (two spaces can share one aisle) for unloading purposes.
Plan the path of travel to the building via level ground or using a curb cut from the access aisle so wheelchair users don’t have to cross traffic or go behind parked cars. The path should be level and firm, and at least 3’ wide.
ADA Guidelines
The ADA guide: Parking spaces is a good starting place to help determine the number of accessible spaces needed, but the number suggested may not be sufficient for a congregation with a significant number of retired members.
For the first 100 spaces, 1 in every 25 spaces should be fully accessible, with an adjacent 5’ access aisle.
For the next 100 spaces provide one in 50 spaces, with an additional space for every 100 spaces, up to 500 parking spaces.
If you have more than 500 spaces, 2% of the total parking in each lot or structure needs to be accessible.
At least one space needs to be van accessible, with an 8’ access aisle to allow room for the van ramp.
1 in every 6 accessible spaces needs to be van accessible.
Consider additional parking spaces designated for persons who have difficulty walking distances but do not qualify for an accessible parking placard. These cannot be signed or marked as accessible spaces.
Follow state guidelines for signage and striping, which usually involve both a painted logo on the space surface and a sign centered at the front of the space.
For more information, refer to the ADA Compliance Brief: Restriping Parking Spaces which provides a chart to help compute the minimum number of spaces required and shows the space configurations for each type of accessible parking space. See link #15 for a more in-depth document on parking from the Access Board. Always consult state and local building codes, which may be stricter than ADA regulations.
Street parking guidelines:
Parallel on-street parking spaces should be at least 24 feet long and 13 feet wide.
They may be the same size as other parallel spaces if located nearest the crosswalk at the end of the block or a midblock crosswalk, with a curb ramp provided at the crosswalk.
Try to provide the same percentage of accessible spaces as you would in a parking lot.
Follow local guidelines for sign placement and pavement marking.
Information source: R3: Technical Requirements
A note about language:
Please refer to set apart and marked parking spaces for disabled persons as “accessible spaces” or “ADA spaces.” They are not “handicapped” spaces. The term “handicapped” means placing someone at a disadvantage. Accessible spaces enable participation for people who need easy access to your church activities!
Compiled by Deaconess Lynn Swedberg; updated 3/28/24.