ADA Parking Compliance Audit in Estacada, Oregon: What to Expect

What an ADA Parking Audit Looks Like in Estacada

If you own or manage a commercial property in Estacada — a shop on Broadway, a clinic near the highway, a church on the hillside, or a lodge serving the Clackamas River corridor — an ADA parking compliance audit is the structured walk-through that tells you exactly where your lot stands. It is not a citation and it is not an enforcement action. It is a measured inspection that compares what is painted, posted, and graded on your lot against the 2010 ADA Standards and Oregon's accessible parking law, ORS 447.233.

Estacada's mix of older small-town asphalt and newer commercial pads means audit findings vary widely from one property to the next. A lot striped in the 1990s often predates current van-accessible ratios; a freshly paved pad may be perfect on paper but fail on slope. This guide explains what an audit checks, what the findings mean, and how Estacada owners act on them. For the statewide framework, see our ADA parking compliance guide for Oregon.

Why Estacada Properties Get Audited

Most audits are voluntary and smart — owners commission them before a problem becomes a lawsuit. Common triggers in a Clackamas County town like Estacada include:

• A pending repave or restripe. Resurfacing can count as an "alteration" under ADA, which triggers compliance obligations. Auditing first means you fix everything in one pass.
• A new tenant or change of use. A building converting from retail to a clinic faces higher accessible ratios.
• A demand letter or complaint. Serial ADA plaintiffs target parking lots statewide, and small towns are not exempt.
• Routine risk management. Insurers and lenders increasingly ask for accessibility documentation.

An audit done on your own schedule is always cheaper than one forced by a complaint.

The Six Things an Auditor Checks

A thorough ADA parking audit walks every accessible space and the route to the entrance. Here is what gets measured. The full statewide methodology is detailed in our guide to the ADA compliance audit process.

1. Accessible Stall Count

The auditor counts total stalls and confirms the correct number of accessible spaces. The ratio is one accessible space per 25 total in smaller lots — one space for 1–25 stalls, two for 26–50, three for 51–75, four for 76–100. Outpatient medical facilities carry higher ratios.

2. Van-Accessible Ratio

At least one in every six accessible spaces must be van-accessible. A lot with only one required accessible space must make it van-accessible. This is one of the most commonly missed items on older Estacada lots.

3. Stall and Aisle Dimensions

The inspector measures stall width (8 feet minimum), access aisle width (5 feet standard, 8 feet for van), and confirms the aisle is marked with diagonal hatching and sits flush with the stall.

4. Slope

Using a digital level, the auditor verifies that the stall and access aisle do not exceed 2 percent slope in any direction. Estacada's hillside lots are especially prone to slope failures, since settlement over time can push an originally compliant grade out of tolerance.

5. Signage

Each space needs the wheelchair-symbol sign mounted at least 60 inches above grade to the bottom of the sign, a "Van Accessible" plate where required, and Oregon's supplemental fine-amount sign.

6. The Accessible Route

The auditor follows the path from the accessible stalls to the building entrance, checking for level changes over a quarter inch, cracks wider than a half inch, potholes, and a continuous slip-resistant surface.

Reading Your Audit Findings

Audit reports usually sort findings by severity. The most common Estacada findings echo the 10 most common ADA parking violations:

• Faded symbols and aisle markings — top of the list in a wet-winter town, fixed with a restripe
• Missing or non-compliant signage — signs too low, missing the fine plate, or absent entirely
• Too few van-accessible spaces — common on lots striped before current ratios
• Slope out of tolerance — frequent on hillside and older lots, the costliest to fix
• Access aisle problems — missing hatching, wrong width, or no aisle at all
• Route obstructions — cracks, level changes, or potholes between stall and door

Most findings are striping and signage fixes that a restripe resolves quickly and inexpensively. Slope and route grading are the larger-budget items.

What Happens After the Audit

A good audit hands you a prioritized remediation plan, not just a list of problems. Typical sequence in Estacada:

1. Quick wins first. Restripe faded stalls and aisles, repaint symbols, and install or correct signage. Low cost, high compliance impact.
2. Aisle and layout corrections. Add a van aisle or reposition stalls onto the shortest accessible route — best done during a restripe.
3. Grading and surface work. Address slope and route defects with targeted regrading or repaving where needed.

Many of these fixes pair naturally with maintenance you were already planning, which is why auditing before a repave or restripe saves money.

Timing an Estacada Audit

The best time to audit is before your striping season — late spring — so any findings can be corrected in the same dry-weather window when paint cures properly. Estacada's foothill rain narrows the workable striping season, so getting your audit done early gives you room to schedule remediation before the summer rush.