Compliance guide · California
ADA parking,
handled before the letter comes.
California leads the nation in ADA drive-by lawsuits, and parking lots are the first exhibit. Here's what code actually requires — and how a re-stripe makes the problem go away.
Updated July 2026 · California Asphalt Professionals · CSLB C-32 #760658 · Ballpark figures are planning aids, not quotes — the free site walk produces the real number.
What the law requires
Accessible stall count scales with lot size — 1 accessible stall per 25 total is the baseline (a 26–50 stall lot needs 2, and so on), and at least one in every group must be van-accessible with a wider access aisle. Add correct signage at mounted height, near-flat slopes (max ~2% in any direction) on stalls and aisles, and an accessible route to the entrance. California's building code (CBC 11B) tightens several federal details — local compliance means the state list, not just the federal one.
Why lots get sued
Most demand letters cite the same short list: missing van stall, faded or absent aisle striping, wrong or missing signs, and stalls painted on a slope. None of those require construction to fix — they're layout-and-paint problems that persist because nobody counted. Serial plaintiffs literally photograph lots from the street; compliant striping is camera-visible deterrence.
What a compliance re-stripe involves
We measure the lot, count required stalls per current code, check slopes where stalls are planned, chalk the layout for your sign-off, and paint — stalls, aisles, the access route, and signage placement — then hand you photo documentation. Most lots get fully compliant in a day, for striping money, not construction money. Where a slope genuinely exceeds spec, we tell you before paint goes down, with the regrade options priced.
The disclaimer that keeps us honest
We're a licensed striping contractor (CSLB C-32 #760658), not a law firm — for litigation questions, talk to a CASp inspector or attorney. What we deliver is a lot laid out to current code dimensions with the paperwork to show for it, which is exactly the evidence those conversations want to see.
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