Visible signs of aging and disrepair includ the following:

• Raveling
• Cracking
• Alligatoring
• Potholes
• A dreary faded color and texture
• Poor stormwater management and standing water 

If you set up a proper pavement maintenance plan and act proactively to protect your investment by regularly sealcoating on schedule, the life of your parking lots will be extended significantly—and therefore your costs minimized over the life of the hardscape.

Multi-year pavement maintenance plans have proven to be very useful tools, and proper sealcoating is at the heart of the plan. When you work from a plan, it will produce the best price, dramatically reduce the work required to plan and implement annual construction programs, increase the ability to obtain needed funding during annual budgeting processes, and lead to reduced maintenance and repair costs.

It’s often tempting for business owners to ignore signs of wear and tear in their parking lots. You may think that you are saving money; however, without proper care, your parking lot can deteriorate in as little as five to seven years, costing you significantly more money in the long term.

• Regular sweeping and cleaning to remove debris and see any areas that need repair
• Seal coating every couple of years 
• Filling cracks and potholes as soon as they appear
• New striping to keep it clear and visible for safety

• Repaint your lines
• Keep it clean with regular sweeping and powerwashing
• Keep landscaping maintained, especially around the edges of the lot
• Get rid of oil stains
• Seal it
• Upgrade your lighting

According to the IRS, parking lot resurfacing or concrete replacement can be capitalized. Routine maintenance, which is defined as actions the parking lot owner expects to repair periodically during the lifetime of the parking lot, are expensed.

To help parking lot owners best classify their parking lot expenses, the IRS suggests a 10-year time frame. If you expect to perform maintenance more than once in a 10-year period, it should be expensed. If you plan to only do something once in a 10-year period, you may capitalize. 

For example, resealing the parking lot or sealing cracks, an annual activity, can be expensed but milling and resurfacing, an infrequent action, counts instead as capital.

The costs are mainly based on the size and type of lot, amount of traffic, type of traffic, severity of the damage, materials required, current weather conditions, and zoning regulations within your locality among many more considerations.

• The average cost of sweeping a 500-space parking lot is between $75-90 per visit.
• If you’re interested in re-striping, you should expect to pay about $4-5 per 18-foot line (4 ft. wide).
• For commercial sealcoating, the average cost nationwide is about $0.19 per square foot.

Parking lot sweepers, power washers, and striping machines can all be used to help maintain your parking lot, and are best utilized by hiring professionals.

Yes, an owner of a parking lot can be found liable for the following circumstances:  

Accidents or injuries due to:

• Inadequate signals or markings
• Uneven surfaces and potholes
• Negligent maintenance of snow and ice

Sealant – Your first application of sealant should come within two or three years of the asphalt being applied. After that, a seal coat should be applied every three to five years. 

Cracks and potholes – Small cracks and potholes should be repaired quickly and at least on a yearly basis. 

Cleaning – Lots should be swept and cleaned on a weekly basis and hydro cleaned once or twice a year. 

Drainage – A thorough drainage inspection should be completed once a year. 

Striping – Re-striping annually for heavy traffic or every other year for light traffic.

Inspections – A visual inspection for damage should be carried out once a month and immediately following extreme weather conditions