What Are Georgia Handicap Parking Space Requirements?

Georgia handicap parking space requirements come from the federal ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), which the state adopted as its minimum standard for any parking facility permitted or renovated after July 1, 1995.1Georgia Secretary of State. Subject 120-3-20 Access to and Use of Public Facilities by Persons With Disabilities The rules cover how wide each accessible space must be, the striped aisle beside it, slope, signage, and how many accessible spaces a lot needs based on its total size. Lots permitted between 1987 and 1995 follow a separate formula under the Georgia Accessibility Code, but the practical requirements are similar.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 30-3-2 – Definitions

Space and Access Aisle Dimensions

A standard accessible parking space must be at least 96 inches (8 feet) wide. Next to it, an access aisle of at least 60 inches (5 feet) is required. The access aisle is the striped zone that gives wheelchair users and others with mobility devices room to transfer in and out of a vehicle. Parking in that aisle is treated as a violation in the same way as parking in the space itself.

Van-accessible spaces need more clearance to allow side-mounted ramps and lifts to deploy. A property owner can satisfy the requirement in one of two ways:

  • A space at least 132 inches (11 feet) wide paired with a 60-inch access aisle.
  • A space at least 96 inches (8 feet) wide paired with a 96-inch (8-foot) access aisle.

Both configurations provide the same total clearance for a deployed ramp.3ADA.gov. Accessible Parking Spaces

Slope and Placement

The surface of an accessible space and its access aisle cannot slope more than 1:48 in any direction. That works out to about a quarter-inch of rise per foot, essentially flat. Steeper grades make wheelchair navigation dangerous and can destabilize a vehicle with a deployed ramp.

Placement matters as much as dimensions. Accessible spaces must sit along the shortest accessible route to the building entrance, so travel distance for people with limited mobility is kept as short as the site allows.4U.S. Access Board. Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards – Chapter 5: Parking Spaces

Signage Requirements

Every accessible space has to be marked with a sign showing the International Symbol of Accessibility, the blue wheelchair icon. The bottom edge of the sign must sit at least 60 inches above the ground so it stays visible once a vehicle is parked in the space.

Paint on the pavement does not satisfy the requirement, even where a local ordinance calls for pavement markings as well. The sign on a post is what the rule asks for.

Van-accessible spaces need a second sign reading “van accessible.” That label is informational rather than restrictive, meaning anyone with a valid permit can use the space; it tells drivers who need the extra clearance where to find it.5U.S. Access Board. Chapter 7: Signs – Section: Parking Signs

How Many Accessible Spaces a Lot Needs

Under ADAAG, the required number of accessible spaces scales with the total number of spaces in the lot. A lot with 1 to 25 spaces needs at least one accessible space. A lot with 26 to 50 needs two. The count keeps climbing from there as a facility gets larger.

Within that total, at least one in every six accessible spaces (or any fraction of six) must be van-accessible. A small lot with only one accessible space, for example, must make that one space van-accessible.4U.S. Access Board. Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards – Chapter 5: Parking Spaces

Residential Parking Under the Fair Housing Act

The ADAAG requirements above apply to commercial, government, and other public-use parking. Multifamily housing built after March 1991 is governed by a separate federal rule, the Fair Housing Act. Under that law, at least 2 percent of parking spaces serving covered dwelling units must be accessible and sit on an accessible route. If the complex offers more than one type of parking, such as surface, garage, and covered, at least one accessible space of each type is required even where that pushes the total above 2 percent. Visitor parking, when provided, has to include accessible spaces as well.6HUD User. Fair Housing Act Design Manual – Chapter Two: Accessible and Usable Public and Common Use Areas

A tenant with a disability in a building that lacks designated accessible parking can request a reasonable accommodation from the landlord. Federal law requires the landlord to grant that request unless doing so would create an undue hardship, which is a high bar.

Penalties for Property Owners Who Don’t Comply

Each required accessible space must be marked with a sign that meets the specifications in O.C.G.A. ยง 40-6-221, including the International Symbol of Accessibility. A space that is required but not properly signed triggers a $150 fine per space.

The fine is waived if the owner installs compliant signage within 14 days of the citation. If the signage still isn’t in place after that 14-day window, the $150 fine stands and an additional $5 per space per day accrues until the spaces are properly designated. For a lot cited over five unmarked spaces, that works out to $25 per day on top of the initial $750. The money goes to the city or county treasury that issued the citation.7Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-6-226 – Offenses and Penalties

Property owners are also responsible for enforcement on their own lots. If an accessible space or its access aisle is posted with a “Tow-Away Zone” sign, the property’s official security agency can have an unauthorized vehicle towed at the owner’s expense, alongside any action by local police.7Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-6-226 – Offenses and Penalties

Quick Reference

  • Standard space: at least 96 inches wide, with a 60-inch access aisle.
  • Van-accessible: 132 inches wide with 60-inch aisle, or 96 inches wide with 96-inch aisle.
  • Slope: no more than 1:48 in any direction, in the space and the aisle.
  • Placement: along the shortest accessible route to the entrance.
  • Signage: International Symbol of Accessibility, sign bottom at least 60 inches off the ground; “van accessible” label on van spaces.
  • Count: 1 accessible space per 25 total spaces at the smallest tier, scaling up; at least 1 in 6 accessible spaces must be van-accessible.
  • Residential: 2 percent minimum under the Fair Housing Act for multifamily housing built after March 1991, with one of each parking type represented.
  • Owner penalty for missing signage: $150 per space, waived if fixed within 14 days; otherwise $5 per space per day accrues.