How to start a line striping business

• Restriping repaints an existing layout: stalls, arrows, crosswalks and accessible spaces. Start here.
• New layout sets stalls and aisles on new pavement, or changes a layout, from a plan. Ask for the site plan, the markings the owner wants and who confirms the design. If nobody can confirm it, refer the design work out.
• Public roads are a separate business. Federal rules make the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) the national standard for traffic control devices on roads open to public travel, including roads through shopping centers. Parking areas and the driving aisles inside them are left out of that definition. Road jobs also bring traffic control: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires the devices that protect construction workers to conform to Part 6 of the MUTCD.

Even a restripe needs a check. The U.S. Department of Justice says a business that restripes must provide accessible spaces as the 2010 Standards require, and the U.S. Access Board's guide treats resurfacing or resealing a lot as an alteration.

These are the federal minimums from the Justice Department's restriping brief and the Access Board's guide. Your state or city can add more. Confirm the layout with the owner in writing, and flag anything that doesn't match.

For bigger lots, use the full table in the restriping brief.

• Van spaces. At least 1 of every 6 accessible spaces, or fraction of 6, must be van accessible. So 7 accessible spaces need 2 van spaces.
• Widths. Car spaces are at least 96 inches wide, with an access aisle at least 60 inches wide. Van spaces are at least 132 inches wide with a 60-inch aisle, or 96 inches wide with a 96-inch aisle. Two spaces can share one aisle.
• Aisle markings. Mark the aisle so people won't park in it. The Standards don't set the color or method; state or local rules may.
• Signs. Each space gets a sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility, and van spaces add "van accessible." A lot with 4 or fewer spaces in all doesn't need the signs. Mount signs with the bottom at least 60 inches above the ground.
• Slope and location. Spaces and aisles can't be steeper than 1:48 in any direction, and they go on the shortest accessible route to an accessible entrance.

Paint won't fix a slope or a missing route, so tell the owner in writing before you stripe.

Example. Maya (example) restripes a 60-space strip-center lot. The table calls for 3 accessible spaces, and at least 1 must be van accessible. The old layout shows 2 accessible spaces and no van space. She shows the owner the table, gets a revised layout signed, and paints that one.

The Texas Department of Transportation's marking handbook calls traffic paint the oldest and most widely used marking material. It says water-based paint has far fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than solvent-based paint, is easier to handle and dries to no-track faster. Texas hasn't allowed solvent-based paint on its roads for years. Thermoplastic is a different system, solid at room temperature and applied hot with its own equipment. Leave it for later.

Federal rules cap VOCs in traffic marking coatings, a category that covers parking lot paint, at 150 grams per liter (1.3 pounds per gallon). Ask your supplier whether your state or air district sets tighter limits. Check that the paint fits your striper and its tips, and follow the label for weather limits and dry time.

Starting equipment: a walk-behind airless striper with tips for the line widths you'll paint (B100.4); stencils for arrows, numbers and the accessibility symbol; a measuring wheel and a long tape; a chalk line or string; a blower and broom; and cones and tape. Rent the striper for your first jobs.

• Before a lot is sealed, measure and photograph every line, and mark the line ends outside the area being sealed so you can put the layout back.
• Before you quote, count the stalls and check the accessible spaces against the table.
• On the job, blow the lines clean, snap chalk lines or pull string for long runs, and measure stall widths twice.
• Before you paint, spray a test pattern on cardboard to check the line width and edges.
• Watch the wind. Overspray on cars and curbs is a common complaint (B100.3).

Your buyers are property managers, businesses, churches and schools (B100.3). Two places to find work: sealcoaters who need lots restriped after they seal, and owners whose lines have faded.

Work when the lot is quiet: early mornings, evenings or days the business is closed, one section at a time behind cones. OSHA lists struck-by among the common hazards in highway work zones, and on a lot it's the driver who cuts through your cones. Wear a high-visibility vest, and park the truck where it shields the crew. Once you hire, OSHA requires you to keep the paint's label and safety data sheet (SDS) for your workers and train them to handle it.

Learn layout beside an experienced striper, or ask your supplier what training comes with the machine. Practice on an empty lot, with the owner's permission, before your first paid job.

Licensing depends on your state, county and city, says the U.S. Small Business Administration. California, for example, puts directional lines, markers, signs and arrows on parking facilities under its C-32 classification. Get insurance before the first paid job (B100.7). You can start on weekends while you keep your paycheck (B100.1). Report every dollar, cash included, as the IRS requires.

• ADA.gov: ADA compliance brief: restriping parking spaces
• U.S. Access Board: Parking spaces
• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
• OSHA On-Site Consultation: no-cost, confidential safety help for smaller businesses
• Small Business Development Centers: no-cost business consulting