T.B. from Illinois writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I am a disabled person and I own a condo in Cook County, IL There is never any parking and I have to walk two blocks to get to the front door of my building. Is it possible to get an assigned handicap parking spot? If so, what needs to be done?
Mister Condo replies:
T.B., I am sorry you have such a long distance to cover to get from your parking area to your unit. If you read my column regularly, you likely already know what I am about to say. Unit owners may request handicapped parking from the Board at any time. However, the Board is under no obligation to grant the request. The parking areas in most condominiums are private property, owned by the association and under the control of the Board. While they do need to look at your request, it typically puts undue stress on the limited parking resources of the association to grant the request. From the way you describe it, the parking for your building is on the street, which may not even be under the Board’s control. You may need to make a request of your local municipality if that is the case. The first step is to make a written request of the Board. If the Board grants your request, you are good to go. If they deny your request you may wish to make a legal challenge but I wouldn’t expect too much. Good luck!