American with Disabilities Act (ADA) laws apply to State and local government buildings and facilities, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and public housing. In the State of California, by inviting customers to your business you are automatically responsible to reasonably provide accessibility for persons with disabilities. In addition there are less than scrupulous attorneys who will send bird dogs to survey properties, at random, to see if they are ADA Compliant. The easiest way for them to determine if the property is in compliance is to drive by the parking lot. They don’t even have to get out of their car. If any signage or pavement marking is not compliant a suit is filed against you the property owner. Unfortunately until our state laws are changed the property owner does not have the opportunity to repair it before being sued and is on the hook for not only repairing the noncompliant issues but will more than likely be paying a settlement for being sued. This could be around $5,000.00 to $25,000.00 a pop. Be proactive! Look at your parking accommodations. Do you have only one ADA Parking Stall? Is that parking stall “Van Accessible”? Is the crosshatch area the proper width? Are your ADA parking signs up to date? The specifications change frequently. If you are unsure of any of this please call us for a site visit, we can help with your parking upgrade needs.
