ADA Compliance & Upgrades

ADA compliance for your Aurora, IL parking lot is not optional. Federal and Illinois state law require every commercial parking facility to meet specific standards for accessible parking spaces, access aisles, signage, curb ramps, and surface slope. If your lot does not meet current ada parking requirements, you are exposed to complaints, fines, lawsuits, and loss of business from customers who cannot safely access your property.

Shamblin Paving has been handling handicap parking striping, accessible stall layout, curb ramp construction, signage installation, and full ADA compliance upgrades across Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, Plainfield, and the western Chicago suburbs for over 20 years. We know both the federal 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and the Illinois Accessibility Code, and we make sure your lot meets both.

The number of accessible parking spaces your lot needs depends on the total number of spaces in the facility. A lot with 1 to 25 spaces needs at least 1 accessible space. A lot with 26 to 50 needs 2. The count continues to scale up from there, and at least 1 in every 6 accessible spaces must be van accessible. Medical facilities including outpatient clinics and rehabilitation centers have even higher requirements.

Standard accessible parking stall size is a minimum of 8 feet (96 inches) wide with an adjacent 5-foot (60-inch) access aisle. The access aisle must run the full length of the parking space and connect to an accessible route leading to the building entrance.

Van accessible parking stalls have two compliant configurations. The first is an 11-foot (132-inch) wide space with a 5-foot (60-inch) access aisle. The second is an 8-foot (96-inch) wide space with an 8-foot (96-inch) access aisle. Both configurations require a minimum of 98 inches of vertical clearance for the space, the aisle, and the vehicular route to and from the van accessible stall. Every van accessible parking space must also display a “Van Accessible” designation on the sign.

One access aisle can be shared between two adjacent accessible spaces, which allows for more efficient lot layouts without sacrificing compliance.

Proper handicap parking striping goes beyond painting the International Symbol of Accessibility on the pavement. The striping layout has to clearly define the parking space boundaries, the access aisle, and the no-parking zone within the aisle.

Under the Illinois Accessibility Code, accessible parking spaces and access aisles must be marked with yellow paint. The access aisle needs diagonal hatch marks to clearly indicate that it is a no-parking zone. The International Symbol of Accessibility should be painted on the pavement within the stall, and all lines must be high-visibility and properly maintained.

We see a lot of parking lots in the Aurora area where the striping has faded to the point that the accessible spaces are barely visible, or where the access aisle markings have worn away completely. That is a compliance issue even if the stalls were originally laid out correctly. Restriping is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to bring a non-compliant lot back into compliance.

Important to know: under the Illinois Accessibility Code, any changes, improvements, or maintenance to an existing parking lot, including sealcoating, resurfacing, and remarking, trigger the requirement to bring accessible parking into compliance. If you are resurfacing your lot, the ADA spaces and access aisles must meet current code before the project is complete.

Every accessible parking space in Illinois must have a sign mounted on a permanent post. The sign must display the International Symbol of Accessibility and be mounted no lower than 5 feet from the pavement surface. Van accessible spaces require an additional “Van Accessible” designation on or below the main sign.

Illinois also requires a separate sign indicating a $250 fine for unauthorized use of an accessible space. This fine sign (R7-I101) must be posted at each accessible stall. Missing or incorrect signage is one of the most common ADA violations we find during parking lot audits. Signs that are faded, damaged, mounted too low, or missing the fine amount are all grounds for a complaint.

We supply and install compliant ADA signage as part of every striping and compliance upgrade project.

Accessible parking spaces must connect to an accessible route that leads to the building entrance. If there is a curb between the parking area and the sidewalk or building, a curb ramp must be provided. The ramp must have a slope no steeper than 1:12, a minimum width of 36 inches, and detectable warning surfaces at the bottom where the ramp meets the vehicular way.

The City of Aurora follows IDOT standards for curb ramp construction. Detectable warning tiles must be a red, IDOT-approved product with a 5-year warranty. The ramp must be positioned so it is not obstructed by parked vehicles and must align with the accessible route without requiring a person in a wheelchair to travel behind parked cars.

We build new curb ramps, replace damaged or non-compliant ramps, and install detectable warning surfaces as part of our ADA upgrade projects. On lots with significant grade issues, we can also re-grade the pavement around the accessible stalls to bring surface slopes into compliance with the 2% maximum required by both federal and Illinois code.

Not sure where your lot stands? We walk the entire parking facility and check every element against both the 2010 ADA Standards and the Illinois Accessibility Code. Our compliance audit covers the number and ratio of accessible spaces, ada stall size and access aisle dimensions, signage placement and condition, surface slope measurements, curb ramp condition and detectable warnings, accessible route continuity from stall to building entrance, and van accessible space configuration and vertical clearance.

You get a clear report of what is compliant, what is not, and what needs to be done to bring the lot into full compliance. We then provide a quote for all recommended upgrades so you can budget the work and get it scheduled.

For property managers overseeing multiple locations, we can audit and quote all sites at once so you have a full picture of your portfolio’s compliance status.

Illinois has its own Accessibility Code that applies on top of federal ADA standards, and in several areas the state requirements are stricter. Property owners in Aurora need to be aware of these differences.

The Illinois Accessibility Code requires that every accessible parking space be at least 16 feet wide total, which includes the vehicle space and the access aisle combined. The state also requires yellow paint for all accessible space markings, a $250 fine sign posted at each stall, and compliance updates triggered by any lot maintenance including sealcoating and remarking.

The City of Aurora adds another layer. Sidewalk curb ramps must be constructed to applicable IDOT standards, with detectable warning tiles that meet state approval requirements. Any work within the public right-of-way requires a contractor license and permit through the Building and Permits Division.

We stay current on both federal and Illinois code so you do not have to track changes across multiple regulatory bodies.

With over 20 years of parking lot work across Kane, DuPage, and Will counties, we have brought hundreds of commercial lots into full ADA compliance. We handle everything from a simple restriping job to a full upgrade with new stall layouts, curb ramp construction, signage, and grading corrections.

When you hire Shamblin Paving for ADA upgrades, you get:

• Licensed and insured commercial asphalt contractor
• Full compliance audits against federal ADA and Illinois Accessibility Code
• Handicap parking striping with proper layout, dimensions, and yellow marking
• Van accessible parking stall configuration and signage
• Curb ramp construction with IDOT-approved detectable warning surfaces
• Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

Need accessible parking upgrades or a compliance audit for your commercial lot? Call Shamblin Paving at (630) 448-4411 or fill out our online form for a free, no-obligation estimate.