ADA Parking Requirements in South Dakota: A Property Owner's Guide

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is federal law, and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set the technical rules for parking. South Dakota does not have a looser state version — the federal standard is the standard. Every commercial lot, medical office, church, retail center, restaurant, apartment complex, and public facility has to comply. Newly constructed and altered lots must meet the 2010 standard in full; existing lots have to remove barriers where it is "readily achievable," which for striping and signage almost always means yes.

The good news: bringing a lot into compliance is almost never a paving project. It's a striping and signage project, usually completed in a day.

How many accessible stalls does your lot need?

The required number of accessible spaces is based on the total number of spaces in the lot, not the size of the business. Here is the full ratio table straight from the 2010 ADA Standards (Section 208.2):

Hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient medical clinics have higher ratios (10% and 20% respectively). If your property serves any of those uses, the count goes up.

Van-accessible space requirements

At least one out of every six accessible spaces (or fraction of six) must be van-accessible. A 12-stall lot with 1 accessible space? That one has to be van-accessible. A 100-stall lot with 4 accessible spaces? At least one has to be van-accessible.

Van-accessible spaces need a wider access aisle so a lift or ramp can deploy. There are two ways to hit the spec:

• Option A: An 8-foot-wide stall paired with an 8-foot-wide access aisle.
• Option B: An 11-foot-wide stall paired with a 5-foot-wide access aisle.

Vertical clearance along the vehicle route to a van-accessible space (approach, parking, and exit) must be at least 98 inches. If your lot has any low canopies, drive-through overhangs, or covered parking, measure them before you assume you're good.

Access aisle width

Every accessible space has to have an adjacent access aisle. The aisle is the striped, no-parking corridor next to the stall that gives room for wheelchair transfer.

• Standard (car) accessible space: 5-foot-wide access aisle minimum.
• Van-accessible space: 8-foot-wide access aisle (or 5 feet if the stall itself is 11 feet wide).

Two accessible spaces are allowed to share a single access aisle, which is the layout we recommend for most lots — it saves real estate without cutting corners. The aisle must be the same length as the parking space it serves and marked with diagonal hatching so it reads as no-parking. When the aisle isn't hatched, drivers park in it, and the space next to it stops being accessible.

Stall dimensions

Accessible parking spaces (car and van, when using Option A) must be at least 8 feet wide and the same length as a standard stall on your lot. Van-accessible spaces using Option B are at least 11 feet wide. The surface slope in any direction cannot exceed 1:48 (about 2%) — that includes the stall and the access aisle. If your lot has settled or has drainage grades steeper than that, striping alone won't fix it.

Accessible spaces have to be located on the shortest accessible route to the accessible building entrance. Putting the ADA stalls in the back corner of the lot because it's easier to stripe there is a violation.

Signage: height, symbol, and van marking

Every accessible space needs a vertical sign displaying the International Symbol of Access (ISA). The requirement most property owners get wrong is height:

• The bottom edge of the sign must be at least 60 inches (5 feet) above the ground measured from the finished surface.
• The 60-inch minimum exists so the sign is visible when a vehicle is parked in the space. Signs mounted at 48 inches — a common mistake — get blocked by the parked car and don't count.
• Van-accessible spaces need an additional sign or plaque reading "Van Accessible" mounted below the main sign.
• Signs must be reflective and mounted so they can't be easily bent or knocked down (post-mounted or wall-mounted at the correct height).

The pavement-painted ISA symbol inside the stall is not a substitute for the vertical sign. You need both.

Correct paint colors

The ADA standard itself doesn't dictate a specific color for accessible stall markings — but the ISA symbol on the sign is almost universally white on a blue background, and that's what enforcement agencies and inspectors expect to see. Most jurisdictions, including South Dakota municipalities, follow this convention:

• Stall outline and ISA pavement symbol: Blue background with white symbol, or white lines with a solid blue field behind the ISA.
• Access aisle hatching: White or blue diagonal stripes, clearly marked "NO PARKING."
• Signage: Reflective white ISA on a blue background, per Federal Highway Administration MUTCD spec.

Yellow or faded paint reads as a standard stall to most drivers and defeats the purpose. If your ADA stalls have gone gray or the blue has weathered to a light powder, they need to be re-marked.

Common ADA parking violations we see in Sioux Falls

After years of striping lots across eastern South Dakota, the same handful of issues come up over and over:

1. Wrong stall count. A 60-stall lot with only 1 accessible space (should be 3), or a 30-stall lot with none at all.
2. No van-accessible space. The lot has the right count but no wider aisle and no "Van Accessible" sign.
3. Access aisle is too narrow. A 3-foot or 4-foot aisle instead of 5 feet. Often the result of a re-stripe that "matched what was there."
4. Signs mounted too low. Bottom of sign at 4 feet or less — usually invisible behind the parked vehicle.
5. Missing signs entirely. The pavement symbol is present but no vertical sign is installed.
6. Faded ISA symbols. The blue field has weathered off and the wheelchair icon is barely visible.
7. Access aisle not hatched. The aisle exists but isn't striped as no-parking, so drivers park in it.
8. ADA stalls in the wrong location. Placed at the far end of the lot instead of on the shortest route to the accessible entrance.
9. Ratio math done wrong on medical properties. A dental or PT clinic assumes the standard table applies when the outpatient medical rule (20%) does.

Penalties for non-compliance

ADA parking is enforced primarily through complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and through private lawsuits. Both are real risks:

• DOJ civil penalties: Up to $75,000 for a first violation and up to $150,000 for subsequent violations per current federal law.
• Private lawsuits: Any individual with a disability who encounters a barrier can sue. Federal Title III doesn't allow monetary damages to the plaintiff, but courts routinely award attorneys' fees — which regularly run $10,000 to $50,000+ even in a settlement — plus a court order requiring you to fix the lot.
• Serial ADA plaintiffs: Some plaintiffs and attorneys specifically look for non-compliant lots to file suits against. A striped, signed, compliant lot doesn't show up on their radar.
• Local enforcement: Sioux Falls and other SD municipalities can also cite parking violations tied to permits, occupancy, or building code inspections.

The cost of bringing a typical lot into compliance is almost always a fraction of the cost of any of the above.

Not sure if your lot is compliant? We'll assess it for free.

We walk lots across Sioux Falls and eastern South Dakota every week. We'll measure your stalls and aisles, count what you have, check your signage heights and symbols, and give you a plain-English list of what's compliant and what needs to change — no obligation. If corrections are needed, we can quote and schedule the work at the same visit.

Call (605) 214-5641 or request an assessment online. Most quotes and audits are returned the same day.