Auto Repair Shop Parking Lot Striping in The Dalles, Oregon: 2026 Service Guide

Striping an Auto Repair Lot in The Dalles

An auto repair shop has a parking problem most businesses never face: half the vehicles in the lot are not running, are waiting on parts, or are stacked up for the next available bay. Customers, employees, and vehicles-in-process all compete for the same asphalt. Without clear striping, the lot turns into a maze of cars that no one is sure belongs where.

Shops along West 6th Street and the I-84 corridor in The Dalles also deal with the Gorge environment: hot, dry summers that cure paint quickly, and freeze-thaw winters that crack asphalt already stressed by parked vehicles and the occasional fluid leak. On top of that, Oregon DEQ rules around vehicle-fluid containment shape where certain markings and keep-clear zones belong. This guide covers how to lay out a Wasco County repair lot and what the striping costs.

The Layout Priorities

Bay-Approach Pull-In Stalls

Vehicles staged for service need a clean line straight into the bay. Pull-in stalls aligned with each bay door let a tech roll a vehicle in without backing across the lot. The stall depth has to account for the longest vehicle you service, including trucks and vans.

Separating Customer, Employee, and Waiting Vehicles

This is the core of a repair-lot layout. Customer parking sits up front near the service counter. Employee parking moves to the rear or side. And vehicles waiting on parts or pickup get their own striped band so they do not eat into customer stalls. Striping makes the difference between an organized lot and a daily game of musical cars.

ADA Route to the Service Counter

The customer entrance needs a compliant accessible space and an unobstructed painted path to the service counter. In a lot full of staged vehicles, that path has to be protected with striping so a parked car never blocks it.

Tow-Drop Staging and Hazmat Keep-Clear

Tow trucks arrive at odd hours and need a painted drop zone where a delivered vehicle won't block traffic. Separately, the area around any hazmat or fluid-storage cabinet needs keep-clear paint so it stays accessible and so DEQ containment requirements are met.

What Repair-Lot Striping Costs in The Dalles

Industry baseline ranges shown below. Actual costs vary and may be significantly higher based on surface condition, paint type, layout complexity, and current market conditions.

Service	Industry Baseline Range
Per-space restripe (existing layout)	$3–$6 per space
Full small-lot restripe (20–50 spaces)	$350–$600
New layout striping (20–50 spaces)	$500–$900
Directional arrows (each)	$25–$50
ADA-compliant space (complete)	$200–$350
Keep-clear / hazmat stencils	$30–$75 each

For broader pricing context, see our parking lot striping cost in Oregon guide. Repair lots are often smaller than retail lots but carry more keep-clear zones and separation markings, which can push the per-space figure above the baseline. These ranges reflect historically reported averages and frequently run higher in the current market.

Factors That Affect Cost

Surface Condition and Fluid Stains

Repair lots accumulate oil and fluid stains that resist paint. Those stains often need cleaning or treatment before striping, because paint applied over saturated asphalt fails fast. Cracks from freeze-thaw and parked-vehicle loading add to prep cost.

Lot Size and Separation Complexity

A simple lot with one customer band and one employee band stripes quickly. A shop that needs distinct zones for customers, staff, waiting vehicles, tow drops, and hazmat keep-clear has more lines, more stencils, and more labor.

Paint Durability

Water-based latex is standard and lasts 12 to 24 months in The Dalles. Bay-approach stalls and high-traffic drive lanes wear faster, so a more durable paint may be worth the upcharge in those spots.

Timing Your Project

Striping season runs late spring through early fall when temperatures stay above 50 degrees and the surface is dry. Most shops can stripe in phases, keeping the bays and customer parking open while staged-vehicle and employee zones cure. For how other commercial lots in town approach this, see our overview of parking lot striping in The Dalles.

Get an Accurate Quote

Cojo Excavation & Asphalt provides free striping estimates for auto repair shops across The Dalles and Wasco County. We assess your bay approaches, lay out the customer and employee zones, and mark the keep-clear areas your operation needs.

Request a free striping estimate — we respond within 24 hours.

View our completed striping projects and learn more about our professional striping services.