Opening your own parking lot or garage can be a great business venture or side hustle, depending on the size of the lot and personnel requirements.
While operating a parking business may seem straightforward–buy a lot and fill the spaces–you’ll have to navigate around some red tape. For instance, there are numerous legal requirements regarding parking lot signs that you’ll need to adhere to.
Parking lot sign requirements vary from business to business and from state to state. However, no matter where you’re located or what type of business you have, certain parking lot signs are required everywhere.
Who Enforces Parking Lot Signage Standards?
There are several federal agencies and departments that determine parking lot sign standards.
The two primary entities are the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Department of Transportation.
But as long as your parking lot is MUTCD and DOT compliant, you’re typically good to go.
Do Different States Have Different Parking Lot Sign Requirements?
While it’s true that states can create their own rules and regulations regarding parking lot sign requirements, all states must abide by MUTCD and DOT standards. In other words, if the MUTCD requires a certain parking lot sign, you’re required to have it in your lot.
Here are some of the areas where individual states can determine their parking lot sign requirements:
- The size of the signs
- How many signs you’re required to have
- The design and layout of the sign
- Whether or not you need to have bilingual and Spanish signs
- The specific wording on each sign
For example, all parking lots are required to have handicapped parking signs. However, each state can choose its own customizable parking sign templates. As long as the sign clearly states that a specific parking space is reserved for handicapped individuals, that’s all that matters.
Mandatory Parking Lot Signs in All 50 States
No matter which state you’re located in, here are 10 signs required in every parking lot.
Handicapped Parking Signs
The Americans With Disabilities Act, ADA, requires that every parking lot has spaces reserved for handicapped parking. These spaces are outlined with handicapped parking signs, and there are serious penalties and fines for anyone who parks in these spaces but doesn’t have a handicapped parking permit.
Fire Lane Signs
For safety purposes, you’re also required to have signs indicating where fire lanes are within your parking lot. These signs also need to stipulate that there’s absolutely no parking at any time in the fire lane and that violators are subject to fines and towing.
No Parking Signs
Depending on the layout of your parking lot, there will be areas where parked cars present a safety hazard. To maintain the safety of your lot, you are required to post “No Parking” signs in these areas.
Areas deemed unsafe for parking will be determined by the MUTCD, as well as your local building code. You will likely need to consult with your local code compliance personnel and department to ensure you have the appropriate spaces cordoned off.
Restricted Parking Signs
Much like specific areas are off-limits for parking, specific areas may be off-limits to certain types of parkers. For instance, if your parking lot doubles as a public lot as well as a parking area for your employees, you’ll want to install “Employee Only” parking signs in select areas.
Additionally, specific parking spaces may be reserved for first responders, pregnant women, customers, tenants, and other individuals.
It’s essential to clearly define restricted parking areas, both for conformity and enforceability’s sake. Note that it’s illegal to tow away vehicles or fine individuals for parking in restricted areas if there aren’t signs clearly posted.
Tow Away Signs
No matter how many “No Parking” and “Restricted Parking” signs you post, there will still be some individuals who try to get away with parking in these areas.
If you want to put penalties in place to punish these violators, you must have “Tow-Away” signs posted.
If you don’t expressly stipulate that parking in a particular spot could get you towed, you can’t legally tow them. Therefore, whether it’s a customer or tenant-only parking area, a fire lane, or another type of restricted parking area, it’s essential to have some kind of “Tow-Away Zone” signs posted in clear view.
Pedestrian Crossing Signs
Another safety requirement is to have clearly defined pedestrian crossing signs throughout your parking lot. Pedestrian crossing signs should be accompanied by the proper lines and bollards or barriers to clearly lay out pedestrian crossing areas.
Speed Restriction Signs
If you want to restrict people to a certain speed within your parking lot, you need to post signs before you put those rules into effect.
You have the jurisdiction to determine what the speed limit will be and the penalty for violating the limit. You also have the leeway to post individual speed limit signs throughout the lot or a single sign stating the speed limit.
Stop Signs
Depending on the layout of your parking lot, there will likely be areas where cars intersect and cross paths with one another. For safety reasons, it’s crucial to post stop signs at high-traffic intersections to prevent accidents.
Stop signs and speed limit signs are the two most important signs to have for safety purposes.
Enter and Exit Only Signs
Once again, depending on your parking lot layout, there will be specific lanes designated for entering the lot versus those exiting the lot.
For the purposes of safety and efficiency, it’s critical to clearly define exit and entry points and lanes with the proper signage.
Hour Restriction Signs
If you want to restrict your parking lot to certain hours of the day or night, you’ll need to post hour restriction signs before that policy can go into effect.
Additionally, you should include the penalty for violating the parking hours restriction. That way, if someone parks in your lot in the middle of the night and you don’t want them there, you possess the legal authority to tow their car.
Final Thoughts
If you want to shop parking signs by category (or design your own custom parking signs), there are plenty of great resources to choose from. Once you have the proper signage and you’re ready to open your lot for business, consider using Neighbor to advertise your space.
Neighbor is the leading peer-to-peer parking and storage marketplace in the nation. You can advertise your space, set fees, and list your various parking lot rules on our website, ensuring you get maximum exposure for your parking lot. More exposure = fewer vacant spaces.
