Parking Garage Maintenance Checklist

A parking garage is an important investment that requires ongoing maintenance. Parking garage maintenance tasks include everything from checking for cracks or damage. Staying on top of maintenance needs, before they become problematic, is an important cost-saving approach. Here are the items you will regularly need to take care of as a parking garage owner or someone who runs a parking garage.

Parking Garage: Structural Checks

There are a few aspects related to the structural system that should be routinely checked. 

These include:

• Floor surface deterioration/wear and tear
• Water leaks
• Concrete or surface cracks
• Any visible rust
• Damage
• Protective concrete
• Rebar
• Floor coating

Depending on the environmental conditions, different areas of your parking garage may suffer deterioration or damages faster than others. It’s important to survey the entire structure on a weekly and monthly basis, keeping an eye out for any small repairs that will become bigger if they aren’t taken care of.

Parking Garage: Leaks, Seals and Roof

Additional structural components of a parking garage that should be regularly maintained are:

• Roofing
• Ceiling
• Expansion joints
• Tensioning systems
• Joint sealant (floors)
• Windows and openings
• Interior and exterior walls
• Doors and openings
• Floor membrane areas

The entrances, exits and openings around a structure can be easy to miss. These are frequently the first places to show load issues or signs of stress. It’s essentially important to identify cracks, fractures, sloping or warping that could indicate a larger structural problem.

Parking Garage: Operational Maintenance Items

As a parking garage functions day to day, it will require regular, operational maintenance. These tasks include:

• Plumbing: toilets, fixtures, floors, walls
• Garbage receptacles
• Cleaning: sweeping and wash-downs
• Employee areas
• Cashier windows/booths
• Entrance and exit gates
• Elevators: doors, floors, windows, tracks, lights
• Escalators: handrails, motor, steps
• Stairs: handrails, floors, walls, windows

While certain items, like payment machine malfunction, will be brought to your attention, other operational maintenance items require proactive effort. Staying on top of all equipment maintenance will offset long-term costs.

Parking Garage: Electrical Systems Maintenance

Most parking garages have enhanced automation, which can save in labor costs but require specific maintenance. Tasks include:

• Checking light fixtures and swapping out bulbs
• Inspecting special units
• Maintaining distribution panels
• Maintaining all equipment that relies on electricity

If you own a parking garage for any length of time, you will probably upgrade appliances or systems that rely on electricity. It is vital that this is only done by a qualified electrician, since it will be inspected and must align with relevant codes.

Parking Garage: Doors and Hardware Maintenance

The doors in your parking garage must latch and some of them must lock. Check mechanized doors and security doors. Doors may need hardware updates or regular lubrication to maintain proper function. Windows also should be part of your regular parking garage maintenance checklists, as they may be required to open for fire standards and should close fully to protect your indoor spaces from environmental conditions.

Parking Garage: Ventilation and HVAC Maintenance

Air conditioning systems in your parking garage must be serviced like any other commercial HVAC units. They require regular preventative maintenance, which will include a thorough inspection, filter change and other slight modifications that improve function and efficiency. It is also important that you check ventilation in both outdoor and enclosed areas of your parking garage. There are serious health and safety standards that must be met at all times.

Parking Garage: Plumbing and Drainage Maintenance

As any building owner knows, water is the most notorious culprit for decay and damage. Proper drainage and regularly maintenanced plumbing systems will offset the risk of water damage in your building. Here are the regular things that should be checked and relate to plumbing and drainage maintenance:

• Sump pump
• Irrigation
• Bathrooms/sanitary facilities
• Drains
• Water systems (may require seasonal maintenance)

At the first indication of a leak or water damage of any kind, call a professional. 

Parking Garage: Signs and Landscaping

The aesthetics of a parking garage are important, both for the experience of employees and patrons and the overall value of the building. The following items merit regular attention:

• Gardening and landscaping: mowing, weeding, trimming
• Trash removal
• Sweeping or snow removal on sidewalks
• Paint: no rust spots and quality appearance; touch-ups as needed
• Signs: legible, in place, clean and illuminated if need-be

There may be state regulations or simply community dynamics that stipulate which and how many languages sign text should be posted in. All of this is an important part of serving patrons and maintaining a well-kept parking garage.

Parking Garage: Safety Systems Maintenance

To comply with state and federal regulations, there are several safety systems installed in parking garages. These must be maintained. Potential safety hazards that should be regularly reviewed include:

• Carbon monoxide detector
• Fire safety systems, including alarms and posted signs
• Handrails
• Guardrails
• Exit lighting
• Physical hazards, including debris

While each security system may be different, the basic components and function should be confirmed as operational at all times:

• Audio surveillance equipment installed and operational
• Video surveillance equipment installed and operational
• Stair door locks
• Stair door alarms
• Closed circuit surveillance systems
• Panic buttons and authority notification installed and operational
• Safety/security for employee areas, including cashier window, if applicable

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parking garages may have to comply with specific regulations related to sanitizing shared spaces or enhanced cleaning protocol. It is important that you know what you are responsible for and that you are in alignment with best practice in this regard.

Parking Garage Inspections

If your parking garage is in the United States, the structure must comply with state laws and regulations. The frequency with which you must have your parking garage inspected will vary from state to state. In a parking garage inspection, an official will confirm that your structure is in compliance with state laws for permitting, health/safety, building codes and more. As a building owner or someone who is maintaining a parking garage, the onus is on you to know the rules and maintain your parking garage accordingly. The condition assessment you receive from a parking garage inspector can provide helpful insight into additional parking garage maintenance steps you need to take each year.

Parking Garage Barrier Cable Services and More

Tendon Systems has a team of qualified engineers and innovative designers who specialize in post tensioning, barrier cable, restoration and engineering services. We provide expert work for parking garage barrier cable, slab on grade installation or restoration and more. Seeing our customers as partners, we have thrived as industry leaders in post tensioning and restoration. If you have a project in mind, contact the Tendon team today.