A listener wants to know if a business can deny you the right to park in a handicap spot if you’ve got a placard. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
Dorothy’s husband has a handicap placard. When they parked in the handicap spot in a medical lot of an establishment—of which they planned to be customers but were not members—they were told that they had to park in the public lot across the street. She wants to know if they have a valid placard, can the business deny them the right to park in their handicap spot?
Well, under the law, all businesses must provide at least one disabled space for every 25 parking spots. That said, a business with a private parking lot doesn’t have to allow non-customers—whether handicapped or not—to park there. Now Dorothy and her husband were customers, just not members. This seems like a silly distinction for a business to make—they’ve got the spot, you’ve got the placard and the intent to spend money there. I think next time I’d call and ask them if they’ll deny you the spot, and if so, deny them your patronage.
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