Van Accessible Parking - Oregon Wheel Chair User

Important information for out of state wheehchair van drivers.

Oregon's New "Wheelchair User" Parking Law

This law only applies to "van accessible" disabled parking spots with the adjacent eight foot wide wheelchair aisles and not to other disabled parking spots. This is a very important distinction to people with disabled parking permits but without the special Oregon issued "Wheelchair User" permit, since they can be ticketed and fined the full penalty if they park in a “Wheelchair User Only" marked van accessible stall.

From SECTION 1. ORS 447.233: "A van accessible parking space reserved for wheelchair users shall have a sign that includes the words “Wheelchair User Only.”"

"Where five or more parking spaces are designated accessible, any space that is designated as van accessible shall be reserved for wheelchair users. A van accessible parking space shall be at least nine feet wide and shall have an adjacent access aisle that is at least eight feet wide."

The new rules only apply to new van accessible parking spots or repainted van accessible parking spots after January 1, 2008. There is no requirement to upgrade existing spots. This also only applies to single parking lots with more than 100 total parking spots. This law does "not apply to long-term parking facilities at the Portland International Airport."

Portland, OR, has suspended enforcing the new law for six months. In the near future there will be very few, if any, “Wheelchair User Only" van accessible parking stalls.

This law presents problems to Washington and other out of state wheelchair van users since there is no way to obtain the special Oregon "Wheel Chair User" parking permit in other states.

I think this is a very confusing law and a poor solution to the very real problem of the lack of available van accessible parking stalls for those of us who need them and drive side lift vans.