The DDA Compliance Checklist Every Facility Manager Should Run Through Once a Year

Accessible parking is easy to get right when a carpark is built. It's just as easy to let it slip over the years. Paint fades.

A bollard gets knocked over and never replaced. A resurfacing crew covers the hatching. Then someone who really needs that space can't use it.

This checklist is the walk-through we'd suggest you do once a year. It takes about an hour for most sites. Grab a tape measure, your phone camera and your approved plans if you have them.

1. Accessible bays and shared areas

The NCC calls up AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 for accessible parking. Under that edition, each accessible bay should be:

• At least 2.4 metres wide and 5.4 metres long
• Next to a shared area that is also 2.4 metres wide and 5.4 metres long
• Marked with the International Symbol of Access (the wheelchair symbol) on the bay surface
• Close to flat, with no steeper fall than 1 in 40 in any direction

Two accessible bays can sit either side of one shared area. That saves space and is very common.

A newer AS 2890.6:2022 adds a shared area behind the bay and other changes; it isn't yet called up by the NCC, so we mark to the edition on your approved plans.

Check: measure each bay and shared area. Is the symbol clear? Is the shared area hatched in yellow and easy to see?

2. Bollards in the shared area

The shared area must have a bollard in it. Its job is simple. It stops people parking a car or motorbike in the space that a wheelchair user needs to get in and out of their vehicle.

Check: is the bollard there, upright and easy to see? Bollards get hit all the time, so this is one of the most common gaps.

3. Do you have enough accessible bays?

The number you need comes from NCC Table D4D6. It depends on your building class. A few examples:

• Offices, factories and warehouses (Class 5, 7 and 8): 1 accessible space for every 100 car spaces, or part of 100
• Shops (Class 6): 1 for every 50 spaces, up to 1,000 spaces
• Hospitals, schools, hotels and other buildings: their own rates in the same table

If you've added bays since the building was approved, the count may have changed. Ask your certifier or access consultant to confirm the right number for your site.

4. TGSIs (tactile ground surface indicators)

TGSIs are the raised studs or tiles you feel underfoot. They warn people who are blind or have low vision that a hazard is ahead. AS/NZS 1428.4.1 sets where they go and how they're laid out.

Warning TGSIs are usually needed:

• At the bottom of kerb ramps that lead onto a driveway or road
• At the top and bottom of stairs and ramps
• Where a path meets a vehicle area with no kerb to warn people

They're laid in a strip set back from the hazard, and they need strong colour contrast with the surface around them. Grey studs on grey concrete don't do the job.

Check: are any studs missing or loose? Has the colour faded? Is anything parked or stacked on top of them? See our TGSI installation service if you need them added or replaced.

5. Kerb ramps

A wheelchair user needs a smooth way up from the carpark to the footpath. That's usually a kerb ramp beside the shared area.

Check: is there a kerb ramp near the accessible bays? Is it clear of bins, trolleys and planter boxes? Is the surface free of cracks and lips? Does the bottom of the ramp line up with the shared area, not with a parked car?

6. Signs

Each accessible bay should have a sign with the wheelchair symbol, as well as the symbol painted on the ground. Painted symbols get hidden under parked cars. Signs don't.

Check: is every sign still there, straight and readable? Can a driver see it while looking for a space?

7. The path from the bay to the front door

An accessible bay is only useful if the person can get from it to the building. Under AS 1428.1 (current edition AS 1428.1:2021), a continuous accessible path of travel should be at least 1 metre wide, with no steps.

Check: walk the path yourself. Look for steps, steep bits, loose pavers, gates that are hard to open, and anything stored in the way.

8. Line condition

Faded markings are the number one thing we see. If drivers can't see the hatching, they park on it.

Check: can you clearly see the bay lines, the yellow hatching and the wheelchair symbol from the driver's seat? If not, it's time to repaint. Our disabled parking line marking team can refresh them, often outside business hours.

Who signs off on compliance?

Let's be straight about this. A line marking contractor marks your site to the approved plans and the relevant standards. We can give you photos and measurements for your records. But we don't certify compliance. Your building certifier or access consultant does that.

If your checklist turns up gaps, it's worth getting them fixed before a complaint or an audit does it for you. For the detail on bay dimensions, read our guide to AS/NZS 2890.6 accessible parking requirements.

Found a few things that need work? Send us your plans or photos for a fixed-price quote.

Related reading: What Happens When Your Carpark Fails Inspection | Carpark Regulations Guide