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

Why Tigard Property Owners Order an ADA Parking Audit

Tigard is one of the busiest retail destinations in Washington County, drawing the southwest Portland metro to Washington Square, the Tigard Triangle, and the commercial frontage along Pacific Highway (99W) and Scholls Ferry Road. High-visibility, high-turnover lots in the metro are exactly the ones that draw accessibility complaints, and Oregon makes such complaints cheap and easy to file — metro-area lots in particular attract disability-rights advocates and serial plaintiffs.

An ADA parking compliance audit is a structured, measured review of your lot against the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and Oregon's accessible-parking law, ORS 447.233. It identifies where your lot falls short before a demand letter or a repaving permit forces the issue — and in a high-traffic wet-valley setting, worn markings are one of the most common findings. This guide explains what a Tigard audit covers, how it runs, and what to do with the report. The statewide rules behind every finding are in our ADA parking compliance guide for Oregon.

What a Tigard ADA Audit Measures

A real audit touches every element the federal standards and ORS 447.233 regulate. Here is the checklist an inspector runs in a Washington County lot.

Space Counts and Van Ratio

The auditor counts total stalls and checks the accessible count against the federal table — one accessible space per 25 stalls, two for 26 to 50, three for 51 to 75, and up. At least one in six accessible spaces (rounded up) must be van-accessible. The large Washington Square and Triangle lots fall into the upper rows where the van count steps up, and undercounting van stalls is a frequent finding there. Tigard medical lots carry heavier ratios: 10 percent of stalls accessible for outpatient clinics, 20 percent for rehabilitation facilities.

Stall and Aisle Dimensions

Accessible stalls must be at least 8 feet wide. Standard stalls pair with a 5-foot access aisle; van stalls need an 8-foot aisle (or the 11-foot-stall alternative). The auditor measures widths, confirms diagonal hatching and the NO PARKING legend in each aisle, and checks that two stalls aren't sharing one undersized aisle.

Slope

Accessible stalls and aisles cannot exceed 2 percent slope in any direction. Tigard lots on the rolling terrain west of 99W often drift past tolerance as the base settles over the years. The inspector reads slope with a digital level at multiple points; a visual estimate does not hold up.

Signage

Each accessible stall needs a vertical sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility mounted at least 60 inches from the ground to the bottom of the sign. Van stalls add a "Van Accessible" plate, and Oregon requires a supplemental sign stating the fine for unauthorized parking — a requirement national chains along 99W frequently miss.

Accessible Route and Surface

The path from the accessible stalls to the entrance must be continuous, slip-resistant, and free of abrupt level changes greater than a quarter inch. Cracks over half an inch, potholes, and standing water along the route are flagged — and in the rainy valley, drainage-related ponding is a recurring finding.

How the Audit Process Runs in Tigard

A typical engagement runs in four stages; our detailed walkthrough of how an ADA compliance audit works covers each, and here is the Tigard version.

1. Scheduling and intake. You share the lot location and any original striping plans. Audits are scheduled for a dry-weather window so slope and drainage can be read accurately, often during off-peak hours for busy retail lots.
2. On-site measurement. The inspector spends one to three hours — longer for a large mall lot — measuring counts, widths, aisle markings, sign heights, and slopes, photographing every deficiency.
3. The findings report. You receive a written report listing each deficiency, the governing standard, a priority, and a recommended fix, separating low-cost "readily achievable" items from larger work like regrading a stall.
4. Remediation plan. The report becomes a punch list. Most Tigard lots need restriping and signage corrections; slope or surface failures may need targeted asphalt repair.

To pre-screen your own lot, run it against our common ADA parking violations checklist before the auditor arrives.

What Tigard Audits Tend to Find

Across Washington County, a few findings repeat. Worn and faded accessible symbols and aisle hatching lead the list — the wet valley climate plus heavy metro traffic wears blue traffic paint down within a couple of years or less, and a symbol you can barely read counts as missing. Undercounted van stalls in the big retail lots come next, followed by signs mounted below 60 inches or missing the Oregon fine plate, undersized access aisles, slope creep, and drainage ponding. None are exotic, and most are correctable in a single restriping and signage visit.

The lesson is to audit early and act. A demand letter or a repaving permit that triggers the alterations rule turns a few hundred dollars of restriping into a much larger project on someone else's timeline.

From Audit to Compliant Lot

Once you have the findings, the fix is usually striping and signage work, sometimes with minor surface repair for slope or drainage. Cojo Excavation & Asphalt handles ADA restriping, symbol stenciling, sign installation, and the asphalt repairs that bring slopes and surfaces back into tolerance for Tigard and Washington County owners. For general line work, see our parking lot striping in Tigard page and our professional striping services.

The figures here are general guidance under the 2010 ADA Standards and ORS 447.233; only a site-specific survey confirms what your lot needs. Request a free quote and we will assess your Tigard lot and map the path to compliance.