ADA Parking Lot Compliance in Gresham, Oregon: 2026 Guide

ADA Parking Compliance for Gresham Property Owners

Gresham anchors the east side of the Portland metro, and its commercial parking reflects a mature suburban city — the retail and service strips along Powell Boulevard and Division Street, the older downtown core, and the shopping centers serving a dense residential base. For these east Multnomah County property owners, ADA compliance under the 2010 ADA Standards and Oregon's ORS 447.233 is a legal duty, and the city's many community-serving businesses see steady accessible-parking use.

This guide gives Gresham building owners and property managers a practical overview of what compliance requires on the pavement. The statewide framework lives in our Oregon ADA parking compliance pillar; this page puts it in a Gresham context.

How Many Accessible Spaces a Gresham Lot Needs

Your accessible-space count is driven by the lot total. The 2010 ADA Standards require one accessible space for the first 25, then two for 26–50, three for 51–75, four for 76–100, and up. A 45-space lot off Division needs two accessible stalls; a 120-space center on Powell needs five.

At least one in six accessible spaces (rounded up) must be van-accessible. Many of Gresham's older strip centers were striped before current van ratios and now carry too few van stalls for their count. Our guide to how many accessible spaces your lot needs breaks down the table.

Stall Dimensions, Access Aisles, and Slope

Three numbers define accessible-parking geometry in Gresham:

• Standard accessible stall: at least 8 feet wide with a 5-foot access aisle.
• Van-accessible stall: 8 feet wide with an 8-foot access aisle (or 11 feet with a 5-foot aisle), plus 96-inch vertical clearance along the van route.
• Slope: no more than 2 percent in any direction across stalls and aisles.

Gresham sits on the gentle rise toward the foothills east of Portland, and lots built on those slopes — or that have settled over decades — can drift past the 2 percent limit on accessible stalls and aisles. As elsewhere, the underlying grade can only be confirmed by measuring on site.

Signage: The Oregon Fine Plate

Every accessible space in Gresham needs a vertical sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility mounted at least 60 inches above the pavement to the bottom, plus a "Van Accessible" plate on van stalls. Oregon also requires a supplemental sign stating the fine for unauthorized parking — a step most states skip. A Gresham lot with the wheelchair sign but no fine plate still falls short of ORS 447.233. Our ADA parking sign requirements guide covers the mounting and wording.

Surface Condition and Gresham's Climate

Gresham sits in the wetter eastern reach of the Portland metro, catching extra moisture as weather pushes up against the Mount Hood foothills, and that has a direct compliance effect. Persistent rain and UV fade water-based parking paint quickly — blue borders and the wheelchair symbol lose contrast within a couple of seasons, and a faded marking can itself be a violation.

The cold snaps that roll out of the Columbia River Gorge bring sharper freeze-thaw swings than central Portland sees, opening cracks and creating the small level changes that become trip hazards along accessible routes. Cracks wider than half an inch and abrupt changes over a quarter inch in an accessible stall or route are compliance issues, not just wear. For Gresham owners, the practical rhythm is to inspect accessible markings each spring after the wet season and re-stripe before the symbols fade, scheduling the repaint for the drier summer.

When Repaving Triggers Upgrades

Routine maintenance — sealcoating, crack sealing, patching, refreshing existing lines — does not trigger new ADA obligations, but you can never make a lot less accessible than it currently is. A full repave, regrade, or expansion is an "alteration" that triggers the duty to bring the path of travel up to current standards to the maximum extent feasible. If you are planning to repave a Gresham lot, treat it as the moment to fix counts, aisles, and slopes together rather than restriping the old layout back on.

Getting Compliant in Gresham

For most east-county lots, compliance combines restriping to a correct layout, installing or correcting signage with the Oregon fine plate, regrading over-sloped accessible areas, and repairing surface defects on accessible routes. The right plan depends on what your lot measures today, which is why a site survey beats a generic checklist.

Cojo Excavation & Asphalt serves commercial properties throughout Gresham, Troutdale, and the east Portland metro. We can assess your layout, document the gaps, and build a compliant plan. See our Gresham parking lot striping guide for the marking side, learn about our professional striping services, or request a free quote.