ADA Parking Lot Compliance in Happy Valley, Oregon: 2026 Guide

ADA Parking Compliance for Happy Valley Property Owners

Happy Valley is one of Clackamas County's fastest-growing communities, with newer retail centers, medical and dental offices, and mixed-use development climbing the hillsides east of Portland. Those lots — many built on graded slopes — 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 Happy Valley lot in practical terms, so you can find and fix gaps before they become 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 Happy Valley Lot Needs

The required number of accessible spaces depends on your total space count, not your square footage. The 2010 ADA Standards set the ratio at 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 Happy Valley shopping-center lot with 100 spaces needs four accessible spaces, one van-accessible. Medical and dental offices, which Happy Valley has many of, may 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.

Slope is the headline issue in Happy Valley. The community is built on hillside terrain, and lots are routinely graded into slopes. A space that holds 2 percent at construction can drift past it as fill settles, and a lot poured on a hill can have one corner just over the line. This is the single biggest local compliance risk, and a digital 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 Clackamas County.

Painted markings count too. The blue symbol in the stall and the hatching in the aisle have to stay legible against Happy Valley'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.

Happy Valley's wet winters and freeze-thaw cycles work water into cracks, freeze it overnight, and widen the damage by spring. On hillside lots, water runs downhill and can pool at the base of a graded section, accelerating wear in exactly the wrong spot. Prioritize accessible areas in your seasonal maintenance plan, and inspect them monthly through the rainy season.

When Happy Valley 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. On Happy Valley's sloped lots, regrading an accessible space to hit the 2 percent ceiling is often the most valuable part of an alteration.

Bringing a Happy Valley 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 regrading where slopes exceed 2 percent, which on Happy Valley's hillside lots is common. 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 Happy Valley page covers local restriping.