How do we restripe our HOA parking lot and mark accessible parking spaces correctly?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised September 28, 2026

How an HOA board restripes a parking lot: when ADA counts apply, accessible space and sign specs in TX, FL and CO, fire lanes, bids and a sample timeline.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Before anyone snaps a chalk line, decide which rules reach your lot. If the lot serves something open to the public, such as a sales or leasing office or a clubhouse the association rents to outsiders, the Department of Justice treats restriping as work that must bring accessible parking up to the 2010 ADA Standards: the right number of spaces, van spaces, access aisles and signs. A lot that serves only owners, residents and their guests usually falls outside the ADA. It still has state marking rules, fire lanes and Fair Housing Act accommodation requests. Then draw the layout, get the fire marshal's spec, and bid with unit prices. Stripe after any sealcoat, never before. Rules vary by state, city and your governing documents. This guide is general education, not legal advice. When the lot serves a public use, have an architect or a registered accessibility specialist check the plan.

Work out which rules apply to your lot

Start with who uses the lot. The Justice Department's Title III technical assistance manual gives two examples that fit HOAs closely. A rental office inside a private apartment complex is a place of public accommodation. A condominium party room is not, when the association has a longstanding policy of limiting it to owners, residents and their guests and refuses to rent it to outside groups. Parking follows the same line: spaces serving a leasing office are covered, a residents-only lot usually is not. The Fair Housing Act has its own design rules for buildings with four or more units built for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, and those cover common areas. The HUD and DOJ joint statement on those rules says they do not reach alterations or repairs of buildings first occupied before that date. A restripe does not bring a 1985 condo lot under them. If your buildings are newer, pull the original site plan and keep every accessible space it shows. Texas adds a layer. Government Code section 469.003(a) applies the state's architectural barriers law to privately funded buildings that meet the ADA definition of a public accommodation, and section 469.101 requires plan review with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation when estimated construction cost is at least $50,000.

How many accessible spaces, and where they go

For a lot covered by the ADA, the count comes from the total spaces in that lot, per the Justice Department's restriping guidance: 1 to 25 spaces: 1 accessible. 26 to 50: 2. 51 to 75: 3. 76 to 100: 4. 101 to 150: 5. 151 to 200: 6. One of every six accessible spaces, and always at least one, must be van accessible. Put the accessible spaces on the shortest accessible route to an accessible entrance, not wherever the old paint happened to be. For a residents-only lot, no federal table sets a number. Boards still get requests. The Fair Housing Act requires reasonable accommodations in rules and practices, and a reserved space near a resident's door is the standard example. Our guide on whether an HOA can restrict an accessible or handicap parking space covers how to handle those requests. Use the restripe to put spaces where residents who need them actually park.

Dimensions, paint and signs

The federal numbers first. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, a car space is at least 96 inches wide with a 60-inch access aisle beside it. A van space is either 132 inches wide with a 60-inch aisle, or 96 inches wide with a 96-inch aisle. Mark aisles so drivers don't park in them, and keep the space and aisle no steeper than 1:48 in any direction. Each space needs a sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility mounted at least 60 inches above the ground, and van spaces add "van accessible." Texas. TDLR rule 16 TAC 68.104 requires a painted accessibility symbol on the pavement, "NO PARKING" painted in the access aisle in capitals at least 12 inches tall, and a sign reading at least "Violators Subject to Fine and Towing" in one-inch letters, with its bottom edge 48 to 80 inches above the ground. TDLR applies it to projects under the state accessibility law that were registered, or began as new or alteration work, on or after August 1, 2020. Transportation Code section 681.009(b) lets a private owner designate spaces without the state specifications unless another law requires them, but a space that meets the spec leaves no argument about enforcement. Section 681.011 sets a fine of $500 to $750 for a first offense. Florida. Section 553.5041(5)(c)1 requires each accessible space to be at least 12 feet wide, with a 5-foot access aisle striped diagonally as a no-parking zone. Subsection (6) requires a blue outline, repainted when needed, and a sign with the accessibility symbol and the caption "PARKING BY DISABLED PERMIT ONLY," at least 60 inches to the bottom, stating the penalty. Section 316.1955 makes it an infraction to park in or block a space "provided in accordance with s. 553.5041," so paint to that spec if you want the space enforced. Colorado. Section 42-4-1208(2)(e) says spaces should meet section 502 of ICC/ANSI A117.1 and access aisles should have a "Wheelchair Access Aisle Absolutely No Parking" sign. An owner can ask for official signs, which waives any objection to peace officers enforcing the rules on the property. Subsection (2)(e)(III) requires reserved parking at multifamily property to stay commonly owned for the units, so do not deed or assign an accessible space to one unit.

Fire lanes belong to the fire marshal

The fire code official designates fire lanes, and cities write their own marking specs. Call the fire marshal's office before bidding and ask for the current spec in writing. Grapevine, Texas, shows what a spec looks like. Its fire department requires a bright red stripe at least 6 inches wide, the curb painted too where the stripe runs along one, and "Fire Lane No Parking Tow Away Zone" painted on the stripe every 25 feet. Where striping won't work, signs go on poles 5 to 8 feet high, no more than 50 feet apart. The lane itself is 24 feet of unobstructed width. Your city's numbers may differ, which is the reason to ask. Don't approve a layout that gains two stalls by narrowing a drive aisle that doubles as the fire lane.

Plan and bid the job

Draw the layout on the site plan, even by hand: every stall and its width, accessible spaces and aisles, fire lanes, arrows and numbered stalls. The drawing is your scope, so every bidder prices the same job. Ask for unit prices: per linear foot of stripe by width and color, per stencil (accessibility symbol, NO PARKING, fire lane wording), per sign and post, and a lump sum for removing old markings that conflict with the new layout. Ghost lines from an old layout mislead drivers for years. Name the paint type in the bid and ask for the product data sheet, which gives the dry-to-traffic time you need for the notice. Check your bid rules. Texas Property Code section 209.0052(c) requires a bid process for services that will cost more than $50,000, and Florida section 720.3055(1) requires competitive bids when a contract exceeds 10 percent of the total annual budget, including reserves. Most restripes cost less than either threshold, but a restripe bundled with sealcoat and patching can cross them. If sealcoat is on the schedule, stripe after it cures, in the same contract if you can. Our guide on planning an HOA street repaving and sealcoat program covers how to sequence the pavement work.

Sample timeline, notice and motion

Week 1: measure the lot, pull the site plan, call the fire marshal. Week 2: draw the layout and set the accessible spaces. Get a professional review if a public-use amenity is involved. Weeks 3 to 4: send the layout to at least three striping contractors and ask for unit prices. Week 5: compare bids on one sheet and vote at an open board meeting. Sample motion: "Move to approve [Contractor]'s bid of $[amount] to remove existing markings and restripe the [lot name] lot per the layout dated [date], including [number] accessible spaces, [number] van accessible, signs, and fire lane markings per the [city] fire marshal's specification, paid from [operating or reserve line]." Week 6: notice goes out at least two weeks before the work date. Sample notice: "The [lot name] parking lot will be restriped on [date], starting at [time]. Please move all vehicles out of the lot by [time] and park on [alternate location]. The lot reopens at [time] once the paint is dry. Vehicles left in the lot will be handled under the association's parking policy. The new layout, including accessible and guest spaces, is posted at [link or location]. Questions go to [name and email]." Work day, then a walk-through within a week. Measure a few stalls and the accessible aisles against the layout before paying.

Mistakes boards make

Repainting the old layout because it is there. It may be short a van space or put the accessible stall at the far end of the lot. Guessing at sign height. Federal, Texas and Florida rules all set one. Measure it. Painting an accessible space with no marked access aisle, which the next car simply parks in. Assigning an accessible space to one owner as a permanent perk. Handle individual needs through the accommodation process, and in Colorado keep reserved spaces in common ownership. Forgetting enforcement. New paint does nothing if the towing policy still refers to the old numbering. Update the parking rules and the tow signs in the same month.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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