ADA Parking Lot Compliance in Burns, Oregon: 2026 Guide

ADA Parking Compliance in Burns

Burns is the seat of Harney County — the largest county in Oregon by area and one of the most remote. Set in the high desert at the junction of Highways 20 and 395, Burns anchors a vast ranching region, serves as a hub for travelers heading to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Steens Mountain, and hosts a notable share of government and public-agency offices, including BLM and refuge facilities. Despite its remoteness, every commercial and public parking lot in Burns carries the same baseline ADA obligations as a lot in Portland.

For Burns business owners, ranchers running retail-facing operations, and the public agencies based here, accessible parking compliance is both a legal duty under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oregon law, and a practical service to customers, employees, and visitors with disabilities. This guide is a 2026 overview of what compliance requires under the 2010 ADA Standards and Oregon's accessible parking statute, ORS 447.233, with attention to high-desert conditions and the public-entity obligations many Burns lots carry. It complements rather than repeats our statewide ADA parking compliance guide for Oregon.

How Many Accessible Spaces Burns Lots Need

Required accessible spaces scale with total lot capacity at roughly one space per 25.

Total Spaces	Required Accessible	Van-Accessible Minimum
1–25	1	1
26–50	2	1
51–75	3	1
76–100	4	1

At least one in every six accessible spaces, rounded up, must be van-accessible. A small downtown Burns storefront with 18 stalls needs one accessible space, and it must be van-accessible. A 60-stall agency or community lot needs three accessible spaces. The full table, including the rules for larger lots, is in our guide to how many accessible spaces your lot needs.

A note for Burns's public lots: government and public-agency parking falls under ADA Title II, which carries its own self-evaluation and transition-plan obligations on top of the design standards. Many BLM, county, and refuge-adjacent lots in Harney County are public entities subject to those duties.

Stall, Aisle, and Slope Requirements

Stall Dimensions

• Standard accessible stall: minimum 8 feet wide with a 5-foot access aisle
• Van-accessible stall: minimum 8 feet wide with an 8-foot access aisle, or 11 feet wide with a 5-foot aisle

The 2% Slope Rule

Accessible stalls and their access aisles cannot exceed 2 percent slope in any direction on the finished surface. The accessible route from parking to the entrance cannot exceed 5 percent running slope and 2 percent cross slope. Burns sits on relatively flat high-desert ground, but freeze-thaw heaving and settlement in the harsh climate can push grades out of tolerance over time.

Access Aisles

Every accessible stall needs an access aisle marked with diagonal hatching, kept flush and level with the stall, and connected to an accessible route to the entrance. Two stalls may share one aisle. No vehicle may park or stand in an aisle. At ranch-supply and equipment-heavy lots, keep trucks and trailers clear of accessible aisles.

Signage Requirements

Each accessible space needs a vertical sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility, mounted so the bottom of the sign sits at least 60 inches above the ground and stays visible over a parked vehicle. Van-accessible stalls add a "Van Accessible" plate. Oregon requires a supplemental sign stating the fine for parking illegally in an accessible space. High-desert wind and blowing grit are hard on sign faces, so durable reflective sheeting holds up better here. Our guide to ADA parking sign placement in Oregon covers mounting height and the Oregon fine plate.

High-Desert Surface and Route Maintenance

ADA compliance extends to surface condition, and Burns's climate is demanding:

• Intense summer UV and heat fade traffic paint and soften asphalt
• Cold, snowy winters with hard freeze-thaw cycles crack and heave pavement
• Wide day-night temperature swings drive thermal cracking year-round
• Wind-blown grit and snow-removal abrasion scour painted symbols

The accessible route from stalls to entrance must stay free of level changes over a quarter inch, cracks wider than a half inch, potholes, standing water, and loose surface. Snow and ice management matters here too — accessible spaces and aisles must be kept clear, and plow berms must never block them.

Public-Entity Obligations and the Alterations Rule

Two compliance frameworks apply in Burns more than in most towns:

• Title II self-evaluation and transition plans. Public agencies must evaluate their facilities, including parking, and maintain a plan to remove barriers on a prioritized schedule. Many Burns lots are agency-owned and carry this duty.
• The alterations rule. A full repave or significant reconstruction counts as an "alteration," obligating you to bring the path of travel into compliance to the maximum extent feasible, up to 20 percent of the project cost. Routine maintenance — sealcoating, crack sealing, patching, restriping existing markings — does not trigger it.

If a Burns repave is planned, an audit first lets you fold compliance into the project. See our overview of the ADA compliance audit process.

What Compliance Costs

Compliance work is priced as a range, and actual costs depend on condition and scope. A complete ADA-compliant accessible stall — symbol stencil, hatched aisle, and signage — has been baselined around $200 to $350 per space. Signage runs roughly $100 to $300 per sign installed. Slope correction and route repair are larger, variable line items. For a remote location like Burns, mobilization and travel can affect cost, so a local site visit gives the most accurate figure. See our professional striping services for what a Cojo project includes.