Most Houston property managers assume their parking lot is ADA compliant. A surprising number are wrong.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has been federal law since 1990, but compliance isn’t a one-time checkbox. Requirements have been updated, enforcement has become more active, and Texas has its own accessibility standards — the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS), enforced by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — that in several areas are stricter than the federal baseline.
If your lot hasn’t been formally assessed in the last few years, or if you’ve recently had paving, resurfacing, or restriping done without a compliance review, there’s a real chance something isn’t right. This guide covers what property managers in Greater Houston actually need to know.
Federal ADA vs. Texas TAS: Know the Difference
Most people know about the ADA. Fewer know that in Texas, the operative standard for commercial property is TAS — and when the two conflict, TAS is the one TDLR inspectors enforce.
The practical differences matter. TAS has specific slope requirements for access aisles (a maximum of 1:48 in any direction — roughly 2% grade), specific signage requirements, and particular rules about how spaces must be arranged relative to accessible routes. A lot that was striped to generic ADA standards may still fail a TAS inspection.
If you own or manage commercial property in Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, or any surrounding county, TAS applies to you.
How Many Accessible Spaces Does Your Lot Actually Need?
This is one of the most common points of confusion. The required number of accessible parking spaces scales with the total size of your lot:
| Total Parking Spaces | Required Accessible Spaces | Required Van-Accessible |
|---|---|---|
| 1–25 | 1 | 1 |
| 26–50 | 2 | 1 |
| 51–75 | 3 | 1 |
| 76–100 | 4 | 2 |
| 101–150 | 5 | 2 |
| 151–200 | 6 | 3 |
| 201–300 | 7 | 3 |
| 301–400 | 8 | 4 |
| 401–500 | 9 | 5 |
| 500+ | 2% of total | 1 per 6 accessible |
One important note: medical outpatient facilities must provide accessible spaces for at least 10% of patient and visitor parking — a much higher threshold than standard commercial requirements. If you manage a medical office property, the standard table above does not apply to you.
The Most Common Violations TDLR Inspectors Flag
After years of doing this work across Greater Houston, here’s where we consistently see lots fall short:
Faded ISA symbols and access aisle hash lines. The International Symbol of Accessibility (the wheelchair icon) must be clearly visible on the pavement. So must the diagonal hash lines that mark the access aisle as a no-parking zone. TAS is explicit: if an inspector can’t clearly see these markings, the stall fails — regardless of whether it was once compliant. This is one of the most common call-outs, and a restripe usually resolves it.
Wrong stall or aisle dimensions. Standard accessible stalls must be at least 8 feet wide. Van-accessible stalls require either an 11-foot-wide stall paired with a 5-foot aisle, or an 8-foot stall paired with an 8-foot aisle. Access aisles must match the length of the adjacent stall. These numbers get compressed when lots are restriped without checking the current standard.
Missing van-accessible designation. “VAN ACCESSIBLE” must be marked — both on a sign and typically on the pavement. Many older lots have the accessible stall but lack the van designation entirely.
Non-compliant slopes. The access aisle must be nearly level. TAS allows a maximum 2% slope in any direction. If the aisle has more slope than that, restriping alone won’t fix it — the surface has to be regraded. This is something DanCo can assess and address together, since it involves both concrete work and striping.
Outdated space counts. If your lot was last audited under the pre-2010 standards, you may be short. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (which became effective in 2012) changed the calculation, and a lot that was fully compliant in 2008 may now be short by one or two spaces.
How Often Should You Restripe?
In Houston’s climate — intense UV exposure, heavy rainfall, high traffic volume — most commercial lots need restriping every 12 to 24 months. High-traffic properties like retail centers, medical offices, and warehouses typically fall on the shorter end of that range.
One thing many property managers miss: if you’ve had your lot sealcoated, you need to restripe afterward. Sealcoating covers existing paint completely. Best practice is to restripe within 24 hours of a sealcoat application. Skipping this step doesn’t just affect appearance — it puts you immediately out of ADA compliance.
What Are the Actual Fines?
ADA violations are enforced under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the penalties are significant. First-time violations can trigger fines starting at $75,000. Repeat violations can reach $150,000 or more — and that’s before any private litigation from individuals who were denied accessible access.
Beyond the federal exposure, TDLR has its own enforcement pathway in Texas. A complaint can trigger a formal inspection, and if violations are found, you’ll receive a timeline to cure. Failing to cure within that window creates additional penalties.
The cost of getting compliant — typically a restripe plus any needed signage or minor concrete work — is a small fraction of any of these numbers.
What DanCo Does
DanCo Services handles the full scope of what ADA and TAS compliance requires on the pavement side: accessible space layout and restriping, access aisle marking, fire lane striping, signage, and the concrete repair or regrading work that sometimes has to happen before striping can be done right.
We serve commercial property managers, facility managers, and general contractors throughout Greater Houston — from Pearland and Sugar Land to Katy, The Woodlands, and downtown.
If you’re not sure whether your lot is compliant, the right move is a free walk-through before a TDLR inspector does one for you.
Request Your Free ADA Compliance Assessment →
DanCo Services | Commercial Concrete, Paving & Striping | Greater Houston | dancohouston.com | Serving Greater Houston with Integrity, Reliability, and a Servant’s Heart.