ADA Parking Lot Compliance in Hermiston, Oregon: 2026 Guide

ADA Parking Compliance in Hermiston: The Local Picture

Hermiston is Eastern Oregon's commercial hub, and its parking lots take a beating the Willamette Valley rarely sees. Cold winters, hot dry summers, and a sharp daily temperature swing drive an aggressive freeze-thaw cycle that fades paint and settles asphalt faster than in the wetter, milder western half of the state. For Umatilla County property owners, that means ADA parking compliance is not a one-time project. It is something the climate actively works against.

This guide covers the accessible parking requirements that apply to Hermiston businesses in 2026, from how many accessible spaces you need to the signage, slope, and surface standards that keep a lot compliant. For the complete statewide rulebook, our Oregon ADA parking compliance guide is the pillar resource this page builds on.

How Many Accessible Spaces Does a Hermiston Lot Need?

The required number of accessible spaces is set by the 2010 ADA Standards and scales with your total stall count.

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

The core rule is one accessible space per 25 total, continuing up the scale for larger lots. At least one in every six accessible spaces, rounded up, must be van-accessible. A Hermiston retail lot with 80 stalls needs four accessible spaces, one of them van-accessible. Outpatient medical and rehab facilities carry higher ratios. For the full lookup, see our guide on how many accessible spaces your lot needs.

Accessible Stall and Aisle Dimensions

Getting the layout right is the foundation of compliance:

• Standard accessible stall: at least 8 feet wide
• Car access aisle: 5 feet wide, marked with diagonal hatching
• Van-accessible stall: 8 feet wide with an 8-foot aisle, or 11 feet wide with a 5-foot aisle
• Vertical clearance for van routes: at least 98 inches along the route, stall, and aisle
• Slope: no more than 2 percent in any direction on the stall and aisle

The access aisle must sit level with the stall and connect to a continuous accessible route to the entrance. Two stalls can share one aisle between them.

Signage Requirements in Oregon

Each accessible space in Hermiston needs a vertical sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility mounted at least 60 inches above the ground, measured to the bottom of the sign. Van-accessible spaces add a "Van Accessible" plate. Oregon goes a step beyond federal rules by requiring a supplemental sign stating the fine for illegal parking in an accessible space. Signs must stay visible when a vehicle is parked in the stall. For mounting heights and placement detail, see our ADA parking sign placement guide.

Slope: Hermiston's Quiet Compliance Killer

Slope is where Eastern Oregon lots most often fall out of compliance, and Hermiston's climate is the reason. The 2 percent cap applies to the finished, settled surface, not the day it was poured. Each freeze-thaw cycle nudges the base material, and over several winters a stall that started at 1.7 percent can creep past the 2 percent line. The only reliable way to know is to measure with a level, because the change is too small to see by eye. Settlement near catch basins and the edges of older patches is the usual culprit.

Surface Maintenance and Freeze-Thaw Fading

Hermiston's combination of hard winter freezes and intense summer UV is brutal on pavement markings. Paint that might last 24 months in mild coastal conditions can fade noticeably faster here, and faded accessible markings are treated as a compliance gap, not just cosmetic wear. The same freeze-thaw action opens cracks and lifts edges in accessible stalls and along the route to the door, creating trip hazards that violate the standard.

Practical steps for Hermiston owners:

• Inspect accessible markings at least twice a year, after winter and mid-summer
• Restripe accessible symbols and aisles as soon as visibility drops
• Keep cracks wider than a half inch sealed in accessible stalls and routes
• Address any level change over a quarter inch along the accessible route
• Schedule an audit before any repave to catch count and slope issues early

When Repaving Triggers Upgrades

A full repave or significant reconstruction of a Hermiston lot is an alteration under the ADA. That triggers the obligation to bring the path of travel up to current standards to the maximum extent feasible. Routine maintenance, including sealcoating, crack sealing, and restriping existing markings, does not trigger upgrades, but you cannot make the lot less accessible than it already is. The smart move is to audit during the design stage of any repave so accessible counts, slopes, and the route are corrected while the asphalt is open. For how a structured inspection works, see our ADA compliance audit process.

Bringing a Hermiston Lot Up to Code

Most Hermiston compliance work falls into restriping, signage, and targeted surface repair. If your lot is due for fresh lines, pairing the ADA corrections with a scheduled restripe spreads the mobilization cost. Local pricing and seasonal timing are covered in our parking lot striping in Hermiston guide.

The dimensions, counts, and slope limits here are general guidance based on the 2010 ADA Standards and ORS 447.233. Your lot's actual compliance depends on its measured dimensions and the buildings it serves, so have a qualified contractor or accessibility professional perform a measured survey before committing to corrections.