Some federal regulations regarding handicapped parking include offering a certain amount of accessible parking spaces per total spaces, meeting minimum size requirements for each space, offering passenger loading zones and providing the shortest path to the building they serve, states the Americans with Disabilities Act National Network. Certain medical centers also require 10 to 20 percent of all parking spaces to be handicapped accessible.
The ADA National Network website lists the number of parking spaces that must be accessible for how many parking spaces a lot or garage has, with one of every six accessible spaces needing to be van accessible. Accessible parking spaces are required to be 8 feet wide, and van-accessible spaces must be 11 feet wide. There also needs to be a marked access aisle measuring at least 5 feet wide.
Additionally, parking lots with less than five parking spaces do not need to designate specific accessible parking spaces with a sign, states the ADA National Network. The handicapped accessible spaces are also required to connect to the shortest possible route to the building they serve but should be dispersed if the building has multiple entrances. Parking lots that are not open to public parking, such as lots exclusively for law enforcement, are not required to have accessible parking spaces.
