Idaho law requires handicapped parking signs to have the international handicapped symbol.
Handicapped parking spaces help people with physical disabilities by offering an area close to the destination building in a parking lot for people who may experience difficulty getting across a parking lot to reach a building. These spaces also allow extra room to help wheelchairs maneuver alongside, into and out of vehicles in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Idaho law creates specific requirements for handicapped parking signs, which make the spaces easily recognizable. People installing a handicapped parking sign can make their own sign as long as it meets the state's requirements.
Instructions
1. Purchase or make a weatherproof sign with the international handicapped accessible symbol shown in Idaho Statute 49-410. Use a blank galvanized metal sign with permanent paint that can withstand outdoor conditions, or order a sign online that complies with the ADA. The federal government publishes an online diagram of the symbol so that people can make their own signs with the correct proportions. The handicapped symbol should have a height of at least 10 inches to make the sign easily visible.
2. Dig a narrow hole 20 inches deep if the new sign also needs a new sign post.
3. Fill the bottom 1 foot of the hole with a mixture of dry instant cement and water to help stabilize the sign post.
4. Stick the sign post into the cement in the hole so that it sticks out at least 65 inches above the ground. Idaho Code Section 49-213 requires handicapped signs to sit at least 60 inches above the ground, but the post needs some extra length to allow the sign to be attached to the post with bolts.
5. Use rope tethers or wooden support stakes to hold the post in place until the cement hardens.
6. Fill in the rest of the hole with dirt after the cement dries.
7. Secure the sign to the sign post with metal bolts.The sign must sit at least 60 inches above the ground.
