Ontario accessibility rules
Kitchener Parking Lot Line Painting Pros paints accessible stalls, access aisles and symbols on lots across Waterloo Region, and the same compliance questions come up on almost every job. This guide explains what Ontario's accessibility law actually requires for off-street parking, in plain language, with every rule tied to its source.
The rules come from the Design of Public Spaces Standards in Ontario Regulation 191/11, the Integrated Accessibility Standards made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). They apply across the province, and the government summarises them in its guide to making public spaces accessible.
Municipalities such as Kitchener add zoning and enforcement rules on top, which we cover lower down. We have painted these stalls since 2015 across more than 550 jobs, so the practical advice here comes from layouts we have measured and built.
The rules in brief
The AODA requires obligated organizations that build or redevelop an off-street parking lot to provide two types of accessible spaces, an access aisle for each, a minimum number of spaces based on lot size, and accessible permit parking signs. The requirements sit in sections 80.32 to 80.38 of Ontario Regulation 191/11.
Off-street parking facilities include open lots and parking structures used by the public, paid or free, and include visitor parking. Here is each requirement in one line.
The regulation sets widths but not lengths. Municipal zoning fills that gap, and Kitchener and most Ontario cities require 5.5 m.
Application
The parking rules apply when an obligated organization builds new off-street parking or redevelops existing parking that it intends to maintain, under section 80.32. Obligated organizations include the Ontario government, municipalities and other public sector bodies, and any business or non-profit with at least one employee in Ontario that provides goods, services or facilities.
Large organizations, with 50 or more employees in Ontario, have had to comply since January 1, 2017, and small organizations since January 1, 2018. Designated public sector organizations started in 2016 and the Ontario government in 2015.
The regulation defines redevelopment as planned significant alterations and expressly excludes maintenance, naming painting and minor repairs as examples. Restriping existing accessible stalls on the same lines does not trigger the full requirements, but a re-layout that moves stalls, adds capacity or rebuilds the lot does.
Even when a restripe does not legally trigger the rules, it is the cheapest moment to fix a narrow stall or a missing aisle, because the lines are being painted anyway.
Space counts
The number of accessible spaces depends on the total number of stalls in the lot, from 1 Type A space on a lot of 12 or fewer up to 11 spaces plus 1% of the total on lots over 1,000, under section 80.36. Round up to the next whole number, then split the result between Type A and Type B.
An even result splits equally between Type A and Type B. An odd result splits equally, and the extra space may be a Type B.
| Total parking spaces | Accessible spaces required | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 12 | 1, which must be Type A | 10 stalls: 1 Type A |
| 13 to 100 | 4% of the total | 60 stalls: 2.4, rounded up to 3 (1 Type A, 1 Type B, third may be Type B) |
| 101 to 200 | 1, plus 3% of the total | 150 stalls: 1 + 4.5 = 5.5, rounded up to 6 (3 Type A, 3 Type B) |
| 201 to 1,000 | 2, plus 2% of the total | 400 stalls: 2 + 8 = 10 (5 Type A, 5 Type B) |
| More than 1,000 | 11, plus 1% of the total | 1,200 stalls: 11 + 12 = 23 (11 Type A, 12 Type B) |
Where one site has more than one lot, each lot gets its own count, though the spaces can be distributed between lots if that gives equal or better access to an accessible entrance.
Municipalities can set their own tables through zoning. Kitchener's Table 5-6 uses these same ratios, and site plan review checks them on new projects.
Space types
A Type A space is wide enough for a van with a side-mounted lift or ramp, while a Type B space is a standard-width accessible space that relies on the access aisle beside it. Most lots with more than 12 stalls need both.
At least 3,400 mm (about 11 ft 2 in) wide, plus the 1,500 mm aisle, so a Type A space and its aisle take about 4.9 m of curb. It must carry signage identifying it as van accessible.
Where a lot needs only one accessible space, it must be Type A.
At least 2,400 mm (about 7 ft 10 in) wide, the same width as a compact stall but with the full 5.5 m length most by-laws require. It shares an access aisle with a neighbouring space.
Pairing a Type B with a Type A across one shared aisle saves curb length on tight sites.
Signs
Each required accessible space must be marked with an accessible permit parking sign that meets section 11 of Regulation 581 under the Highway Traffic Act, under section 80.37. Type A spaces also need signage identifying them as van accessible.
A painted symbol on the pavement does not replace the post-mounted sign. Snow covers pavement markings for weeks at a time in an Ontario winter, and municipal enforcement depends on the sign.
Set sign posts after the layout is painted, not before. A post installed first often ends up in the aisle or off-centre once the stall lines go down.
Kitchener by-laws
In Kitchener, the City's Accessible Parking By-law adds owner duties and fines on top of the provincial standard. The Zoning By-law sets stall sizes and the count table that site plan review enforces.
Snow is where most Kitchener lots fall down. Tell your plow contractor in writing which stalls are accessible, and that snow must never be piled on them or their aisles.
AODA, not ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act is US federal law and has no legal force on an Ontario lot. Many line painting websites, including some serving Ontario, still quote ADA stall counts and widths that do not match the AODA.
The differences are real. US standards use their own count table, measure in inches, and set van spaces as one in every six accessible spaces, while Ontario sets Type A and Type B widths in millimetres and splits them roughly evenly.
If a guide quotes stall sizes in inches, refers to a handicap stall, or cites OSHA, it was not written for an Ontario lot. Use Ontario Regulation 191/11 and your municipal zoning by-law instead.
Checklist
Use this checklist on any Ontario lot before a restripe or re-layout. Each line tells you what the rule is and how to check it in a few minutes with a tape measure.
| Item | Requirement | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Number of spaces | Ratio in O. Reg. 191/11 s. 80.36, or your zoning by-law if it asks for more | Count every stall, apply the ratio, round up |
| Type A and Type B split | Equal split; odd extra may be Type B; a single space must be Type A | Count stalls 3.4 m or wider with van accessible signs |
| Type A width | 3,400 mm minimum | Tape centre of line to centre of line at both ends |
| Type B width | 2,400 mm minimum | Same as Type A |
| Length | 5.5 m in Kitchener and most Ontario by-laws | Tape from curb face or end line to the aisle |
| Access aisle | 1,500 mm wide, full length, high tonal contrast diagonal lines | Measure width and check the hatching is still visible |
| Signs | Permit parking sign under HTA Regulation 581 at each space; van accessible sign on Type A | Walk every space |
| Route to the entrance | Best practice: aisle on the curb ramp side, shortest route to an accessible entrance | Walk from the aisle to the door |
| Winter plan | Spaces and access kept clear; no stored snow (Kitchener by-law s. 9) | Written instructions to your plow contractor |
Accessible stalls
We paint Type A and Type B stalls, hatched aisles and accessibility symbols to the AODA and your municipal by-law through our AODA accessible parking stall painting service. A complete stall with lines, 1.5 m aisle hatching and symbol usually costs $120 to $220 before HST.
If your lot needs more accessible spaces or a new layout, our parking lot layout crew can re-plan the rows around them.