Owning or managing a commercial property is an intense job. Managing your parking lot paving needs is likely the last thing on your mind, but if you’re in charge of any publicly-accessible building that has an accompanying parking lot, there are some key elements of maintaining that lot. Here’s what you need to know about the care and feeding of your building’s parking lot.
Your Parking Lot is a Hotbed of Liability
Not to say the sky is falling, but the parking lot of your commercial property is one of the biggest legal liabilities your company has. This may sound a bit alarmist, but the truth is that if you have control and management of the lot, you’re required to not only comply with certain accessibility regulations but you’re also on the hook if any damage or injury to visitors occurs due to poor parking lot conditions.
If your parking lot paving is uneven, cracked, or filled with potholes, for instance, you could see yourself being dragged into court if a visitor trips and falls. Meanwhile, damage occurring to vehicles due to pockmarked parking lots can also cost a pretty penny. Finally, if your lot doesn’t meet the legal requirements for accessibility, you could be fined pretty badly if you’re cited for a violation. In other words, you’ve got to pay attention to your location’s lot.
Keeping Your Parking Lot in Good Shape
Paving issues do more than expose you to legal liability. Rough-looking lots tend to dissuade visitors, as nobody wants to have to navigate rubble-strewn asphalt or a parking lot that’s a minefield of muddy, muck-filled potholes. This means that keeping your parking lot in good shape is more than just a cost of doing business — it’s an aesthetic issue that factors into marketing your business location.
Thankfully, it’s not necessarily difficult to keep your lot in good condition, provided you begin regular preventative maintenance at the first sign of cracked or crumbling infrastructure. Going too long between noticing damage and getting it repaired can make remediation actions more expensive and more time-consuming, two things that will have a definite negative impact on your site’s ability to do business.
Parking Lot Paving Help is Just Around the Corner
Do you know how to ensure your parking lot is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act? Do you have any idea how many handicapped-accessible spots you need, where they need to be situated, and how much of a slope your lot can have before it violates the law? Chances are you don’t, and that’s fine — that’s what experts are for.
Nobody expects you personally to roll up your sleeves and start spreading asphalt at the first time of trouble. Contacting a skilled and experienced paving company to get the work done for you will ensure that the job is done quickly and well — and that you don’t have to worry about ADA inspectors coming around and giving you a hard time. If you want a safe, beautiful, and profitable parking lot, never hesitate to contact your local paving company.