How many accessible parking spaces are required for parking areas?

Answer: 

Note that both the US Access Board and NYS Law have requirements for accessible spaces.  Each separate parking lot needs to have the minimum number of spaces.

New York State requires 1 accessible space for every 20 stalls up to a maximum of 10. The US Access Board standards are different and should be reviewed for larger lots above 500 stalls. NYS laws control for smaller lots. Below is a table that shows the minimums for up to 500 stalls.

For every 6 accessible spaces, one needs to be able to accommodate a van. Above 500 spaces, the full requirements of the US Access Board should be reviewed.

Table 1. Minimum Number of Accessible Parking Spaces

 

Number of stalls               Standard              Van        Total

1 - 20                                    0                        1              1

21 - 40                                  1                        1              2

41 - 60                                  2                        1              3

61 - 80                                  3                        1              4

81 - 100                                4                        1              5

101 - 120                              5                        1              6

121 - 140                              5                        2              7

141 - 160                              6                        2              8

161 - 180                              7                        2              9

181 - 500                              8                        2              10

 

More details on the sizing and layout of accessible parking stalls is available in the US Access Board Technical Guide on Parking.

Note that on-street parking is not covered in these guidelines. On-street parking is covered by PROWAG (Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines). There are a lot of details, but the key is that any accessible parking needs to have easy access to the pedestrian system (sidewalks and trails) with ramps and room to maneuver out of the way of traffic. Below are the PROWAG minimums for on-street parking.

Table R211 On-Street Parking Spaces

Total Number of Metered or Designated Parking Spaces Minimum Required Number of Accessible Parking 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 and over        4 percent of total

 

https://www.access-board.gov/prowag/technical.html 

 

Resources

US Access Board

NYS Lawa Section 1203-C Off street parking spaces for the handicapped