Walk almost any parking lot in California and you will often see the same layout: the van accessible space sits in the spot closest to the accessible entrance, first in line, with the standard accessible spaces lined up beside it. That arrangement is not a code requirement. It is how these clusters have traditionally been drawn, and designers tend to repeat it out of habit.
First, what the code does require. Every accessible parking space, the van space included, must be located on the shortest accessible route from parking to an accessible entrance (ADA 208.3.1, CBC 11B-208.3.1; the entrance must comply with ADA 206.4 and CBC 11B-206.4). So the accessible group as a whole has to be on that shortest route. What the code does not decide is which space within that group gets the spot closest to the entrance.
That spot is the space most likely to be taken. When the van space is in it and a car takes it, the one person who cannot use any other space has nowhere to go.
When I review plans or inspect a site, I recommend placing the van accessible space at the far end of the accessible group, with the standard accessible spaces closest to the accessible entrance. The van space stays in the group, on the same shortest accessible route. Here is why, and what the code does and does not say about it.
"Van accessible" does not mean "van only"
Every accessible parking space has to be identified with a sign showing the International Symbol of Accessibility (ADA 502.6, CBC 11B-502.6). The van space gets additional signage. The 2010 ADA Standards, Section 502.6, say signs identifying van parking spaces "shall contain the designation ‘van accessible.’" The 2025 California Building Code, Section 11B-502.6, requires the same designation, as additional language or an additional sign.
That additional sign does not reserve the space for vans. The ADA says so directly in Advisory 502.6:
"The required ‘van accessible’ designation is intended to be informative, not restrictive, in identifying those spaces that are better suited for van use. Enforcement of motor vehicle laws, including parking privileges, is a local matter."
In other words, the "van accessible" sign tells drivers which space is better suited for a van. Neither the ADA Standards nor CBC 11B restricts that space to vans. Who may park there is left to motor vehicle and parking laws, and in practice drivers of cars with disabled placards park in van spaces every day.
Why the closest space gets taken first
Drivers tend to take the closest space they are allowed to use, and placard holders are no different. Many placard holders drive cars and do not need the extra width. If the van space is the first one they come to, it is often the one they take.
Now look at it from the van driver’s side. A car fits in a van space with no trouble. A van with a side-deploying lift or ramp usually cannot use a standard accessible space, because the lift needs the extra room. In California a standard accessible space (the code calls it a car parking space) is 108 inches wide minimum with an access aisle 60 inches wide minimum. A van space needs more room: either 144 inches wide minimum with a 60-inch access aisle, or 108 inches wide minimum with an access aisle 96 inches wide minimum (11B-502.2 and its exception, 11B-502.3.1). Where spaces and aisles are marked with lines, those widths are measured from the centerline of the striping, not from the inside edge of the paint (ADA 502.1, CBC 11B-502.1). Where a space or aisle is not next to another space or aisle, the measurement may include the full width of the line. Either way, that extra room is the reason the van space exists.
Put the van space in the spot closest to the accessible entrance and the one space a van user can actually use becomes the space most likely to be taken. When a car is parked there, the van user may have no other space on the site where the lift or ramp can deploy.
Who distance actually hurts
I have seen this from both sides. For years I walked on crutches. Today I use a wheelchair. Those two experiences taught me that distance does not cost everyone the same.
The people most affected by a long walk are ambulatory users: people with heart conditions or COPD, people on crutches, people using a walker or a cane, people with back problems. Every extra space down the row is more distance on their feet, and every step costs them something. When I was on crutches, a few extra spaces down the row made a real difference by the time I got to the entrance. People in that group are the ones most inclined to look for the closest space, and many of them drive cars, so they need the standard accessible spaces, and they need those spaces close.
Many wheelchair users are not as concerned about distance. That is not a rule. Some wheelchair users tire quickly, and weather and slope matter to everyone. But now that I use a wheelchair, a few extra feet to the end of the group on a level accessible route is not what slows me down. What stops a van user cold is arriving to find the only van space taken. A van user still needs to be on the shortest accessible route, and the far end of the cluster keeps them there.
Put the standard accessible spaces closest and the van space last, and both groups get what they need: the walkers get the shortest distance, and the van user gets a space that is far more likely to be open when they arrive.
What the code says, and what it does not
Neither code tells you what order to put the spaces in within a cluster. I went through both the 2025 CBC Chapter 11B and the 2010 ADA Standards, and neither one says anything about whether the van space goes first, last, or in the middle of a group of accessible spaces.
I also went back through every earlier code I was able to find: the 2013, 2016 and 2022 editions of CBC Chapter 11B, the 2016 and 2022 editions of CBC Chapter 11A (privately funded multifamily housing), the federal ABA Standards and UFAS, and ANSI A117.1-2009. Where those codes set a location for accessible parking, it applies to the accessible spaces as a group. None of them requires the van space to take the spot closest to the entrance within that group, or puts the spaces in any particular order. The only location rule that applies to van spaces alone gives designers more freedom, not less: in a multistory parking facility, all van spaces may be grouped on one level (208.3.1 Exception 1 in the ADA, ABA and 11B; 1109A.7 and 1109A.8.6 in 11A).
What the code does govern is the location of the group. ADA 208.3.1 and CBC 11B-208.3.1 use essentially the same language. The CBC version reads:
"Parking spaces complying with Section 11B-502 that serve a particular building or facility shall be located on the shortest accessible route from parking to an entrance complying with Section 11B-206.4."
Both codes apply in California, and where they differ, the more restrictive requirement governs. A few related requirements to keep in mind:
• How many van spaces. For every six or fraction of six accessible spaces required, at least one must be a van space (ADA 208.2.4, CBC 11B-208.2.4). A cluster of up to six accessible spaces gets one van space.
• Parking garages. In a multistory parking facility, all van spaces are permitted to be grouped on one level (Exception 1 to ADA 208.3.1; the same exception appears under 11B-208.3.1).
• More than one entrance. Where parking serves more than one accessible entrance, the accessible spaces must be dispersed and located on the shortest accessible route to those entrances.
The point: putting the van space at the far end of the cluster does not mean moving it away from the group. It stays in the cluster, on the same shortest accessible route. You are choosing the order within the group, and the code leaves that choice to the designer.
Getting the end-of-row layout right
Moving the van space to the end of the row changes how the access aisle works, so check these on the drawings:
• Passenger-side aisle. California requires van access aisles on the passenger side of the space (11B-502.3.4). The ADA only requires this for angled van spaces (502.3.4), so 11B is the more restrictive and governs. At the end of a row, make sure the aisle lands on the passenger side for the way vans will actually pull in.
• Shared aisles. Two parking spaces are permitted to share one access aisle (11B-502.3). If the van space shares its aisle with the standard accessible space next to it, the aisle still has to be on the van’s passenger side.
• Width. 144 inches minimum for the van space with a 60-inch aisle, or 108 inches minimum where the aisle is 96 inches wide minimum (11B-502.2 and its exception). These are wider than the ADA minimums, so the 11B numbers govern.
• Signs. The "van accessible" designation goes on that space’s sign (11B-502.6), along with the other California sign requirements, including the "Minimum Fine $250" language (11B-502.6.2).
The bottom line
The code tells you where the accessible parking group has to be. It does not tell you what order the spaces go in. Use that freedom on purpose: standard accessible spaces closest to the accessible entrance, van space at the far end of the group. It keeps the walking distance short for the people who feel it most and keeps the van space open for the people who cannot park anywhere else.
If you want to check your own lot, my DIY Accessible Parking Inspection course walks you through every measurement, step by step, using the 2025 CBC Chapter 11B and the 2010 ADA Standards:
https://www.stephentwist.com/accessible-parking-inspection-course
If you are laying out a new lot or reworking an existing one and want a second set of eyes on the plans, contact me at stwist@stci.hush.com or 530-333-5118.