What an ADA Parking Audit Looks Like in Winston
Most Winston owners only think about an ADA parking audit after a complaint or a demand letter — and by then the situation is reactive and costly. A voluntary audit changes the math: a measured walk-through tells you where you stand before anyone files anything. This guide describes what that walk-through covers on a Winston lot, what we tend to find on the Highway 42 and Main Street properties of this South Umpqua town, and how the findings become a prioritized fix plan.
For the legal backdrop, our ADA parking compliance guide for Oregon explains why every public-facing Winston lot carries an ongoing duty regardless of age. This page is about the inspection. For the general methodology, see the ADA compliance audit process.
Step One: Count and Ratio
The audit opens with a count. We total the spaces, then check the accessible count against the 2010 Standards — one accessible space up to 25, two for 26–50, three for 51–75, four for 76–100, and up. Then the van check: at least one in six accessible spaces, rounded up, must be van-accessible, so a small Winston lot's single accessible stall has to be van-built. A common finding is a lot with the right number of accessible stalls but no van stall.
Step Two: Measure Every Stall and Aisle
This step is tape measure and digital level, not eyeballing:
- Stall width — 8 feet minimum, standard and van
- Aisle width — 5 feet standard, 8 feet van (or the 11-plus-5 layout)
- Slope — under 2 percent in all directions on stall and aisle
- Vertical clearance — 98 inches on van routes
- Aisle markings — diagonal hatching present and legible, "NO PARKING" intact
On Winston's gently rolling valley lots, slope is a recurring issue: a stall built marginal or settled past 2 percent is a genuine violation even though nobody parking there would notice.
Step Three: Signs and the Oregon Fine Plate
Each accessible stall gets a sign check — bottom at least 60 inches above the pavement, accessibility symbol present, "Van Accessible" plate on van stalls. Then the Oregon check: under ORS 447.233 the sign must show the fine amount for illegal parking. Missing signs, low signs, and signs lacking the Oregon fine plate are among the most common findings on Winston lots, especially where signage predates a change of ownership.
Step Four: The Accessible Route
An accessible stall is only useful if the path to the door is accessible too. We trace the route from the accessible stalls to the entrance, looking for abrupt level changes over a quarter inch, cracks wide enough to catch a caster, ponding water, missing or non-compliant curb ramps, and running slope over the limit. On Winston's older highway-frontage lots, surface deterioration along this route is a frequent finding.
The Violations We Find Most Often in Winston
- Faded or missing accessibility symbols in the stalls
- No van-accessible space on a small lot
- Access aisles too narrow or with worn hatching
- Signs too low or missing the Oregon fine plate
- Slope over 2 percent from rolling ground or settling
- Broken accessible route — cracks, level changes, or a failed curb ramp
Our roundup of the 10 most common ADA parking violations covers each with its fix.
From Findings to a Fix Plan
A useful audit ranks its findings. We separate the cheap, fast fixes — repaint a symbol, raise a sign, add the fine plate — from the bigger items like regrading a settled stall, rebuilding a curb ramp, or re-laying an aisle. For a Winston owner, that ranking lets you close easy, high-visibility gaps immediately while you budget the structural work. The federal "readily achievable" standard for existing facilities expects exactly this staged, good-faith progress.
Why a Voluntary Audit Beats a Reactive One
A voluntary audit and the fixes that follow almost always cost a fraction of a settlement plus attorney fees, and they put you ahead of the problem. For a town like Winston that sees steady Safari-bound visitor traffic alongside its local base, a clean accessible lot is also simply better service. Cojo Excavation & Asphalt audits and corrects accessible parking across Winston and Douglas County. We measure the lot, document every finding, and deliver a prioritized plan. When you are ready to act, our parking lot striping in Winston guide and our professional striping services cover the corrective work.