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Handicap Parking signs
- Thread starter Mark H
- Start date
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
Yes, the Federal sign design needs to be 3" Letters
Some states have different requirements, check out this site: https://www.safetysign.com/handicap-parking-signs-by-state
equippaint
Active Member
Look in your state statutes, should be pretty easy to find.
eahicks
Magna Cum Laude - School of Hard Knocks
3" Letters? I don't think so. I've done a ton of them and 2" is about the max you can go on that little sign, just for RESERVED PARKING and the like. Some are less depending on the amount of verbiage.
StarSign
New Member
The laws for handicap parking signs are federal, and are in the ADA. Here's a fact sheet about handicap parking ADA compliance: https://adata.org/factsheet/parking
There is no letter size requirement there, but the general ADA rule on lettering signs is contrasting colors, plain block letters. I checked our state law, and it's more general than the ADA rule, so the ADA rule would be our guide here.
The biggest mistake I see made in marking handicap parking is the location of the sign. It has to be right at the end of the parking space, at 5' above the ground or more. Basically so that it's visible to a driver, right in their windshield view, and cannot be missed as the pull or back in. And each space has to be marked.
There is no letter size requirement there, but the general ADA rule on lettering signs is contrasting colors, plain block letters. I checked our state law, and it's more general than the ADA rule, so the ADA rule would be our guide here.
The biggest mistake I see made in marking handicap parking is the location of the sign. It has to be right at the end of the parking space, at 5' above the ground or more. Basically so that it's visible to a driver, right in their windshield view, and cannot be missed as the pull or back in. And each space has to be marked.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
YES, thank you! I just left Walmart and their signs were nearly 7 foot in the air sitting way above the roof of a Suburban parked there.
Federal standards say 5' tall. If i'm not mistaken though, some states say that it needs to be ABOVE parked vehicles, (which sounds silly to me)
StarSign
New Member
"at least" 5' to the lower edge of the sign. The reason you see them higher is because if they are in a area where pedestrians travel, 7' to the bottom of the sign is the norm, as I understand it. That being said I have seen all kinds of wonky stuff out there. The guy in the building right next to us has Nevada specific handicap signs. That means absolutely nothing here in Utah.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
ahah now I know how to fight my parking ticket
If you're going to park in a handicapped parking space, at least be in a work truck and throw out a few cones... preferable take up two spaces so it looks like you're working.
Or you can make your own wheelchair logo thingie to hang from the rear view mirror.
Seriously, I think there should be more stringent standards for who gets to park in those spaces. Here in my town I've seen perfectly able-bodied guys park giant $90,000 diesel 4X4 pickups in those spaces and stroll on into the grocery store no different from anyone else. There is a racket going on with the disability system. One of my close friends is a veteran who got seriously injured in the first Gulf War; he's been fighting for more than 20 years on his case and only making progress in recent years. He's seen other guys who barely got so much as a scratch get 100% thanks to the right connections, and these guys are still working full time -even owning their own businesses. It makes a mockery of people who have legit, serious physical challenges.
Important sign making tip: never use the word "handicapped" in any wheelchair access sign. Recently we had a window graphics project for a local employment organization that required labeling and way-finding directional graphics for the entrance with a wheelchair ramp and motorized door. The client wanted us to use the verbiage "handicapped access" along with the wheelchair icon. The client didn't understand the term "handicap" is offensive in its historical roots. Even the term "disabled" has a negative connotation. Everyone understands what the wheelchair icon means. So we agreed on the solution being using the wheelchair icon and "Accessible Entrance" for the verbiage.
Seriously, I think there should be more stringent standards for who gets to park in those spaces. Here in my town I've seen perfectly able-bodied guys park giant $90,000 diesel 4X4 pickups in those spaces and stroll on into the grocery store no different from anyone else. There is a racket going on with the disability system. One of my close friends is a veteran who got seriously injured in the first Gulf War; he's been fighting for more than 20 years on his case and only making progress in recent years. He's seen other guys who barely got so much as a scratch get 100% thanks to the right connections, and these guys are still working full time -even owning their own businesses. It makes a mockery of people who have legit, serious physical challenges.
Important sign making tip: never use the word "handicapped" in any wheelchair access sign. Recently we had a window graphics project for a local employment organization that required labeling and way-finding directional graphics for the entrance with a wheelchair ramp and motorized door. The client wanted us to use the verbiage "handicapped access" along with the wheelchair icon. The client didn't understand the term "handicap" is offensive in its historical roots. Even the term "disabled" has a negative connotation. Everyone understands what the wheelchair icon means. So we agreed on the solution being using the wheelchair icon and "Accessible Entrance" for the verbiage.