ADA Parking Lot Compliance in Forest Grove, Oregon: 2026 Guide

ADA Parking Compliance for Forest Grove Property Owners

Forest Grove blends a historic downtown along Main Street, the Pacific University campus, and newer commercial development on the Washington County edge of wine country. Those older lots and institutional properties all carry the same obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act: provide accessible parking that works for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, and mobility devices. Oregon adds its own requirements on top of the federal rules.

This guide walks through what ADA compliance looks like for a Forest Grove lot in practical terms, so you can find and fix gaps before they turn into complaints or claims. For the statewide framework, start with our ADA parking lot compliance guide for Oregon.

This is general guidance. Every lot is different, and the only way to confirm your exact obligations is a site-specific survey.

How Many Accessible Spaces a Forest Grove Lot Needs

The required number of accessible spaces is tied to your total space count, not your square footage. The 2010 ADA Standards use a ratio of one accessible space per 25 total spaces through the first 100, then step the requirement down for larger lots.

Total Spaces	Required Accessible	Van-Accessible Minimum
1–25	1	1
26–50	2	1
51–75	3	1
76–100	4	1
101–150	5	1
151–200	6	1

At least one in every six accessible spaces (rounded up) must be van-accessible. A Forest Grove downtown lot with 30 spaces needs two accessible spaces, one van-accessible. Campus and medical lots step into the larger ratios — and outpatient medical facilities carry higher percentages entirely. Our breakdown of how many accessible spaces you need covers the full table.

Dimensions, Aisles, and Slope

Each accessible space has to meet specific geometry:

• Standard accessible space: minimum 8 feet wide with a 5-foot access aisle.
• Van-accessible space: 8 feet wide with an 8-foot access aisle, or 11 feet wide with a 5-foot aisle.
• Slope: no more than 2 percent in any direction across the space and aisle.
• Access aisles: marked with diagonal hatching, kept clear, level with the space, and connected to an accessible route to the entrance.

Forest Grove's older downtown lots are the ones to watch. Many were laid out before current dimension and van-aisle rules, and decades of settlement can push slopes out of tolerance. A level reading on each accessible space is the only way to be certain.

Signage Requirements

Every accessible space needs a vertical sign showing the International Symbol of Accessibility, mounted so the bottom is at least 60 inches above the ground. Van spaces add a "Van Accessible" sign. Oregon also requires a sign stating the fine for unauthorized parking in accessible spaces — the Oregon penalty plate you see beneath the symbol across Washington County.

Painted markings count too. The blue symbol in the stall and the hatching in the aisle have to stay legible against Forest Grove's wet winters and summer UV. Our ADA parking sign requirements page covers mounting heights and the Oregon plate.

Surface and Maintenance Obligations

Compliance does not stop at layout. The surface inside accessible spaces, access aisles, and along the route to your door must stay firm, stable, and slip-resistant:

• No level changes greater than one-quarter inch without a bevel.
• No cracks wider than one-half inch in accessible areas.
• No potholes along the accessible route.
• No standing water, which signals a slope or drainage problem.

Forest Grove's wet Washington County winters and freeze-thaw cycles work water into cracks, freeze it overnight, and widen the damage by spring. Older downtown asphalt is especially vulnerable. Prioritize accessible areas in your seasonal maintenance plan, and inspect them monthly through the rainy season.

When Forest Grove Repaving Triggers Upgrades

Routine maintenance — sealcoating, crack filling, patching, restriping existing lines — does not trigger new ADA obligations. An alteration does. If you fully repave, expand, or regrade your lot, you must bring the path of travel into compliance, spending up to 20 percent of the project cost on accessibility if it is not already accessible. For Forest Grove's older lots, a repave is the ideal moment to correct outdated layouts, widen aisles, and fix slopes in one pass.

Bringing a Forest Grove Lot Into Compliance

The practical path is a documented walk-through followed by a scoped plan — usually some combination of restriping to the correct layout, new or relocated signage, surface repair, and occasionally regrading where slopes exceed 2 percent. Our ADA compliance audit process explains what a thorough review covers. When you are ready to repaint to a compliant layout, our parking lot striping in Forest Grove page covers local restriping.