Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Local Government Committee

HB 1262

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Increases the minimum width dimensions for an access aisle located adjacent to a van parking space from 60 inches to 96 inches.
Requires that a "no parking" sign to be erected in front of each access aisle.
Requires the State Building Code Council to adopt rules by January 1, 2018, to implement the requirements for access aisles dimensions and any required access aisle markings.

Background:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public accommodations to provide goods and services to people with disabilities on an equal basis with the rest of the general public.

The federal ADA standards establish design criteria for sites in new construction, alteration of facilities, and address access to buildings. These standards apply to places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities. The ADA standards also establishes requirements for accessible parking spaces and adjacent access aisles.

Accessible parking spaces for persons with a physical disability must be designated as reserved by a sign showing the symbol of accessibility. Spaces for van parking must have an additional van accessible sign mounted below the symbol of accessibility.

Car parking spaces must be a minimum of 96 inches wide and van parking spaces must be a minimum of 132 inches wide. Both types of parking spaces must have an adjacent access aisle extending the full length of the parking space its serves, measuring a minimum of 60 inches wide and 20 feet long, and it must be marked so as to discourage parking in it. A van parking space is permitted to be a minimum of 96 inches wide provided the adjacent access aisle is a minimum of 96 inches wide. The access aisle must be parallel to the vehicle pull-up parking space and is typically used as a passenger loading zone. Two parking spaces are permitted to share a common access aisle.

State Building Code.

The State Building Code (Code) provides a set of statewide standards and requirements related to building construction. The State Building Code Council (SBCC) is responsible for maintaining and amending the Code. The SBCC consists of local government officials as well as building industry and public representatives.

Summary of Bill:

The minimum width dimensions for an access aisle located adjacent to a van parking space is increased from 60 inches to 96 inches in all cases. The access aisle must be in addition to the adjacent van parking space, however, two van parking spaces may share a common adjacent access aisle.

A sign must be erected at the head of each access aisle that prohibits parking in the access aisle. The sign may also include additional language indicating the penalty for parking in the access aisle.

The SBCC must adopt rules by January 1, 2018 to implement in the building code the access aisle width and any required access aisle markings.