For a homeowner with a mobility disability, where they can park is not a convenience — it’s access to their own home. Fair-housing law treats a request for accessible parking as a reasonable accommodation, which means an HOA usually has to provide it, even if that means bending its ordinary parking rules.
Parking as a reasonable accommodation
When a person with a disability needs a parking arrangement because of that disability, asking for it is a request for a reasonable accommodation. Common examples an HOA may need to grant:
- A reserved, marked accessible space as close as possible to the resident’s unit;
- An assigned space in a community where parking is normally unassigned or “first come, first served”;
- An exception to a rule limiting the number, size, or location of a resident’s parking where the disability requires it (for example, room to deploy a wheelchair lift).
Who pays, and who does the work
There’s a distinction worth knowing. Reserving and designating a space — a policy change — is an accommodation, at the association’s expense. If accessible parking requires a physical change to a common area — restriping, a new sign, or a curb cut — that’s a reasonable modification to common property, which the association is often responsible for. Either way, the HOA can’t simply refuse because it would rather not.
What an HOA can and can’t ask
If your disability and your need for accessible parking aren’t obvious, the association may ask for limited verification that you have a disability and a disability-related need for the space — but not your diagnosis or full medical records. An accessible-parking placard or plate can help establish the need, but the HOA can’t demand one as the only acceptable proof.
If your HOA says no
Denying accessible parking, charging for it, or stalling the request can be disability discrimination. Make the request in writing (see how to request an accommodation), keep records, and if the HOA won’t provide it, file a complaint with HUD or the Arizona AG’s Civil Rights Division within one year.