---
title: "Wheel Stop"
url: "https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/wheel-stop/"
id: "ELM-WHS-05"
description: "A small barrier, typically a short raised block or bumper, placed at the end of a parking space to prevent a parked vehicle from overrunning a curb, sidewalk, or space limit."
updated: "2026-09-26"
---

# Wheel Stop

`ELM-WHS-05`

Situational / Discouraged Element

Wheel Stop

A small barrier, typically a short raised block or bumper, placed at the end of a parking space to prevent a parked vehicle from overrunning a curb, sidewalk, or space limit.

## Why this pattern exists

Vehicles routinely pull farther into a parking space than intended, and without a physical stop, this can push a vehicle’s front end over a curb and into pedestrian space, into landscaping, or into an adjacent lane. This pattern exists to document this small but common protective element, distinct from the curb itself.[1]

## Key considerations

-   Placement should account for typical vehicle overhang so the stop actually prevents encroachment rather than just marking the space’s nominal end
-   Wheel stops in a path of pedestrian travel can themselves become a tripping hazard, and should be placed and colored to avoid this
-   Not always appropriate: some contexts favor a full curb or landscaped buffer over a discrete wheel stop

## Related patterns

[Curb](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/curb.md) (ELM-CRB-01) (the element this pattern protects); [Surface Parking Lot](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/facilities/surface-parking-lot.md) (FAC-SPL-04) (Facility pattern where this most commonly applies)

## References

1.  Legal / regulatory [2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Section 502.7 (Advisory). Regulatory basis for using wheel stops to prevent vehicle overhang into accessible routes and access aisles.](https://www.ada.gov/assets/pdfs/2010-design-standards.pdf)