ADA Accessible Parking

The City of Hot Springs is committed to providing access to all public places to all individuals. In doing so, the City promotes and enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

Accessible Parking Spaces 

When a business restripes a parking lot, it must provide accessible parking spaces as required by the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. 

In addition, businesses or privately owned facilities that provide goods or services to the public have a continuing ADA obligation to remove barriers to access in existing parking lots when it is readily achievable to do so. Because restriping is relatively inexpensive, it is readily achievable in most cases. 

The ADA Business Brief provides key information about how to create accessible car and van spaces and how many spaces to provide when parking lots are restriped.

Accessible Parking Spaces for Cars 

Accessible parking spaces for cars have at least a 60-inch-wide access aisle located adjacent to the designated parking space. The access aisle is just wide enough to permit a person using a wheelchair to enter or exit the car. These parking spaces are identified with a sign and located on level ground. 

Van-Accessible Parking Spaces

Van-accessible parking spaces are the same as accessible parking spaces for cars except for three features needed for vans:

• a wider access aisle (96”) to accommodate a wheelchair lift; 
• vertical clearance to accommodate van height at the van parking space, the adjacent access aisle, and on the vehicular route to and from the van-accessible space, and 
• an additional sign that identifies the parking spaces as “van accessible."

(click on images to enlarge)

How many accessible parking spaces do I need? 

Additional Resources

Tax Incentives for Small Businesses

Businesses doing alterations to improve accessibility are eligible for two federal tax incentives. The Disabled Access Credit (Internal Revenue Code, Section 44) is available to help small businesses cover ADA-related eligible access expenditures. A small business is one that had either revenues of $1,000,000 or less or 30 or fewer full-time workers in the previous tax year. The credit can be taken to: (1) remove barriers that prevent a business from being accessible to or usable by individuals with disabilities; (2) provide qualified interpreters or other methods of making audio materials available to hearing-impaired individuals; (3) provide qualified readers, taped texts, and other methods of making visual materials available to individuals with visual impairments; and (4) acquire or modify equipment or devices for individuals with disabilities. The credit cannot be taken for the costs of new construction or planned alterations/renovations. The amount of the tax credit is equal to 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year, up to a maximum expenditure of $10,250. There is no credit for the first $250 of expenditures. The maximum tax credit is $5,000.

A business of any size can take a tax deduction under Internal Revenue Code - Section 190 for the costs of removing architectural or transportation barriers. Businesses can also take a business expense deduction of up to $15,000 per year for costs of removing barriers in facilities or vehicles. These two incentives can be used together by eligible businesses if the expenditures qualify. (Information from the ADA National Network)

Tax Form (PDF) - Disabled Access Credit

Misuse of Parking Complaint Report

Under Act 1003 of 2017, the Arkansas General Assembly established a mechanism for a person to report the suspected misuse of a disabled license plate, disabled placard, or a disabled parking space to the Office of Motor Vehicle of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

Complaint must be based on fact rather than suspicion. Please remember not all disabilities are apparent nor does every individual with a disability use a mobility device such as a cane, walker, scooter or wheelchair. Never confront any person you think may be abusing the program. If the situation requires immediate attention, please contact your local police department. For more information, call 1-866-NOPARK5.

ADA Guide for Small Businesses (PDF)

*Arkansas law restricts use of van accessible parking spaces to registered vans

Parking Etiquette - Van Accessible Parking (PDF)