GLOSSARY

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a United States civil rights law, signed on July 26, 1990, that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, government services, public accommodations, transportation and telecommunications.

THE ADA LOOKS AT THE WHOLE TRIP, NOT JUST THE STALLArriveaccessiblespace or zoneGet outaccess aisle,level groundMovelevel route,curb rampsPaymachine withinreachGo upelevator toeach levelEnteraccessibleentranceOne broken link, a missing curb ramp, a pay machine set too high, an elevator thatskips the accessible level, and the compliant stalls stop doing their job.
Under the 2010 ADA Standards, accessible parking has to connect to an accessible route all the way to the destination. Design and audit the full sequence, not the painted stall alone.

For parking, the ADA matters through its design rules. The Department of Justice adopted the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which became mandatory for new construction and alterations on March 15, 2012. They set how many accessible spaces a facility needs, how they are laid out and how they connect to the rest of a site.

Which parts apply to parking

  • Title II covers state and local governments, including municipal garages, surface lots and on-street programs.
  • Title III covers public accommodations and commercial facilities, including private garages, operator-run lots and parking at hotels, offices and shopping centers.
  • Title I covers employment, which reaches parking provided to employees.
  • Many states adopt their own accessibility codes that go further, so the stricter rule applies. See authority having jurisdiction.

What the 2010 Standards cover in a parking facility

  • Spaces. The number of accessible and van-accessible spaces, their widths and their access aisles. See accessible parking.
  • Passenger loading zones. Where a facility provides loading zones, at least one accessible zone for every continuous 100 linear feet of loading zone, with a 114-inch vertical clearance. See passenger loading zone.
  • Valet and mechanical garages. Facilities with valet service, and mechanical access garages, must provide an accessible passenger loading zone.
  • Routes. An accessible route from the spaces to an accessible entrance, including curb ramps and elevators where levels change. See vertical circulation.
  • Operable parts. Pay machines, ticket dispensers and intercoms within reach ranges and usable with one hand.
  • Signs. The International Symbol of Accessibility at accessible spaces, with van spaces marked “van accessible.”

Existing facilities and enforcement

  • Title III requires owners of existing facilities to remove barriers where that is readily achievable. The Department of Justice lists creating accessible parking spaces, often by restriping, as an example.
  • Alterations, such as restriping, resurfacing or a new pay system, trigger the 2010 Standards for the altered elements.
  • Enforcement comes from the Department of Justice and from private lawsuits, and parking is one of the most commonly cited issues in accessibility claims.

The Parkonomics view

The ADA is a civil rights law, and parking is often the first place a visitor meets it. The best accessible parking is not a set of blue stalls by the door; it is a complete, level, reachable path from the car to the destination, maintained as carefully as it was designed.

Related terms: Accessible Parking, Access Aisle, Accessible EV Charging Space, Passenger Loading Zone, Anthropometric Data, Authority Having Jurisdiction