Question about parking lot wheel stops distance from walls in commercial lots.

[Tansy22]

Hello, my city residence in West Virginia is next to a private commercial parking lot so badly designed that cars are hitting my retaining wall, antique fence, and the supports to the 2nd floor bay window. One car smashed a third of the retaining wall this year. I want to be familiar with International building codes for parking lots before I contact my city officials and councilwoman. One space has no wheel stop, two spaces have wheel stops inches away from my structures. A 4th space blocks access to my back gate by an overhanging vehicle.

The city follows International Building Codes, but the parking lot is clearly unsafe.

I saw a quote on this forum and wondered if this would apply to my situation: "1. Each parking space adjoining a wall, column, or other obstruction higher than 0.5 foot shall be increased by two feet on each obstructed side; provided, that the increase may be reduced by 0.25 foot for each one foot of unobstructed distance from the edge of a required aisle, measured parallel to the depth of the parking space".

I'm not clear how far a car should be required to park away from existing structures and how to recommend fixing these parking spaces, plus this iron fence and wall are 150 years old and were not meant to support the weight of the parked vehicles, but that's another problem I hope to fix by having cars parked at least 3 feet further away.

Thank you for explanations and suggestions!

 

[Yikes]

Tansy22, welcome to the forum!
1. The IBC has nothing to say about parking space dimensions and clearances to adjacent obstructions. The applicable code would be your local zoning zoning code.
2. The verbiage you quoted, if I understand it correctly, is addressing obstructions at the side of a car, not the front or rear of a car. I have seen similar rules in other cities. It usually relates to being able to turn in and back out of a parking space without scraping the side of the car.
3. For wheel stop location, consult your local zoning code. For example, in Los Angeles, the wheel stop gets placed 36” from the front of the stall (24” at compact stalls).

Let’s move on to discussing the wall itself.
4. Does the retaining wall belong to you, or to the parking lot?
5. If the fence+ retaining wall was intended to act as a vehicle barrier to keep cars from falling over the retaining wall, and if was being built under today’s code, the applicable structural requirement would be found in 2018 IBC 1607.9: "Vehicle barriers for passenger vehicles shall be designed to resist a concentrated load of 6,000 pounds (26.70 kN) in accordance with Section 4.5.3 of ASCE 7." Location requirement is in IBC 406.4.2: "Vehicle barriers not less than 2 feet 9 inches (835 mm) in height shall be placed where the vertical distance from the floor of a drive lane or parking space to the ground or surface directly below is greater than 1 foot (305 mm). Vehicle barriers shall comply with the loading requirements of Section 1607.9."

My impression from the photos was that this wall+ fence was never originally intended to function as a vehicle barrier. If the wall is yours, and if the neighbor’s use of their property is damaging your property, this is likely a civil/liability matter, where you can make a property damage claim against your neighbor for damage they (or their visitors/customers) cause to your property. Ask your neighbor for the name of their insurance company.

 

[mtlogcabin]

It is a problem in snowy climates where over the years the snow plow operator will displace the curb stops and they never get put back in their original spot.
It is a civil matter as pointed out above. Knowing exactly where the property line is in relation to the existing wall would be critical if you need to go through the legal process to rectify the damages.
If the wall is not on your property you still have a trespass issue with it leaning across onto your property and potentially damaging the structural supports of your building.
Hopefully, You and your neighbor can work it out without going to court.

Check out this link using flexible bollards instead of curb stops https://www.flexpostinc.com/flexible-bollards/

Below is what your zoning ordinance states that may help you with your neighbor if you approach it with a 50/50 cost share.

https://www.cityofmartinsburg.org/home/showpublisheddocument/908/638151870617100000

2. Maintenance and Materials.
a. Any fence or wall shall be durably constructed and well-maintained. Privacy fences shall be constructed so that the finished side of the fence faces toward abutting properties and rights-of-way unless the fence is not visible from adjoining property. Fences and walls that have deteriorated shall be replaced or removed.
b. A fence shall not be constructed out of fabric, Junk, Junk Vehicles, appliances, tanks, or barrels.
c. Electric fences, except for in-ground pet fencing, are prohibited in all Zoning Districts.
d. Barbed wire fences are prohibited in all Zoning Districts except, where the need is clearly demonstrated, for Civic and Institutional Use applications.
e. Razor fences are prohibited in all Zoning Districts.

 

[Yikes]

I should add that both you and the adjacent property owner seem to be dealing with "grandfathered" construction. Depending on the actual surveyed location of the property line, it is possible that both of you have construction that may have been legal at time of permit but might not be legal if it were to be built today. For example, under today's code the metal posts supporting your bay window would likely have to be fire-protected, and no bay windows allowed, where those items are less than 5' from the property line.

So, be careful in trying to utilize current code to criticize construction previously allowed under an old code. I think the safer route is to just view it as a property damage / general liability insurance issue.
On the other hand, if the parking lot represents a somewhat recent change in use from what was there before, then the lack of vehicle guard might not be "grandfathered" in.