How to inspect your asphalt parking lot for maintenance needs and hazards.

Regular parking lot maintenance is essential in maximizing your asphalt investment. By staying on top of repairs and routine procedures, you can keep your pavement in good working order and, more importantly, prevent accidents and injuries. While it may not seem obvious, parking lots are notorious for causing outdoor slips, trips, and falls due to parking lot hazards like cracks, poor lighting, or lack of signage.

As such, you must regularly inspect your pavement to check for potential parking lot hazards. The sooner you spot a problem, the sooner you can schedule maintenance to prevent it from becoming a bigger issue. If you are unsure on how to inspect your parking lot, here’s a checklist to help you cover all the important areas in your inspection.

The Entrance

Start your inspection with the parking lot entrance to ensure no obstructions prevent vehicles from going in. Ideally, you would want:

• Automatic gates working smoothly and correctly
• Trimmed vegetation along pedestrian walkways
• Visible points of entry
• Gates to open automatically in case of power failure

Markings and Striping

Next, your parking lot should have clear and visible markings to guide traffic flow. Generally, you should have parking lot striping included in your regular maintenance plan to ensure that your markings are always clear and visible. Failing to do so can cause significant parking lot hazards since people can get injured from not seeing the lines correctly.

Aside from this, other things to look for in your inspection include:

• Mirrors and stop signs posted in blind spots
• Well-lit and visible signs
• Visible handicapped spots in the correct size
• Designated parking spots
• Designated lanes for different types of vehicles
• Working charging station for electric vehicles
• Legible and accurate arrows, lines, and signs

Inspect the Surface Condition

Inspecting your asphalt’s surface condition is one of the most important areas to check on this list since it is usually where most parking lot hazards exist. If your pavement is uneven, cracked, or in poor condition, you increase the risk of slip/trip accidents or vehicle damage.

Here’s what you should look for on your parking lot surface to avoid these cases:

• Smooth paving
• No cracks, potholes, or cracked and crumbling asphalt
• No tripping or fall hazard
• Slip-resistant surfaces on curbs and ramps
• Ramp slopes elevated to the correct ratio

Security

The next area to inspect will be your parking lot security. For this part, you should verify that you have proper security measures in place to keep your customers safe.

Specifically, you can check for the following:

• Appropriate emergency signs in place
• Working emergency call boxes and stations
• Adequate lighting for nighttime operations
• No debris, trash, and combustibles on the lot
• No abandoned vehicles

Parking Lot Drainage

Another important aspect to consider in a parking lot inspection is your drainage. It may be harder to assess this if you are not familiar with your drainage design, so you can ask professionals for help. That said, here are the key things you should look for to get an idea of what your drainage should be like:

• Stormwater drains and grates are free from debris
• Proper stormwater control measures are in place
• Unobstructed gutters
• No standing water on your lot

Schedule Professional Parking Lot Inspections Today from ACPLM

Conducting a routine parking lot inspection is essential to identify potential parking lot hazards on your pavement. While you can occasionally schedule professional inspections for a more in-depth assessment, you should still check your parking lot regularly in case you need parking lot repair.

No matter what condition your parking lot is in, you can trust that ACPLM can help you. We perform a wide range of asphalt repair and maintenance services to ensure your parking lot stays safe and durable. So, get in touch with us today at 888-959-9637 to get started with a free consultation.