How many parking lots in a market need resurfacing

In two Ohio areas we searched in October 2026, 42 of 98 parking lots (43%) looked poor or damaged from above. Our condition check suggested sealcoat for 74 lots and mill and overlay for 13, so the real question for a paving contractor is which lots to visit first.

In two Ohio areas we searched in October 2026, 42 of 98 parking lots (43%) looked poor or damaged from above, 46 looked fair and 10 looked good. Our condition check suggested sealcoating for 74 of the lots, mill and overlay for 13, patching for 1 and no work for 10. Nine in ten lots showed at least some wear, so for a paving contractor the useful question is not whether there is work in a market but which lots to visit first.

The two areas were about 0.4 square miles each, one in Franklin County near Columbus and one in Vandalia near Dayton. They are two small samples, not a survey of Ohio, and the share will be different in your market. The method below is how to find out what it is.

What we found in two Ohio areas

Franklin County, Columbus area: 39 lots. 2 good, 18 fair, 18 poor, 1 damaged. Suggested service: 32 sealcoat, 5 mill and overlay, 2 none.
Vandalia, Dayton area: 59 lots. 8 good, 28 fair, 22 poor, 1 damaged. Suggested service: 42 sealcoat, 8 mill and overlay, 1 patching, 8 none.
Both areas together: 98 lots in about 0.8 square miles. 10 good, 46 fair, 42 poor or damaged (43%). Suggested service: 74 sealcoat, 13 mill and overlay, 1 patching, 10 none.

Sealcoat dominates because most lots were greying and fading rather than broken. The heavier job, mill and overlay, was suggested for 13 lots. The Columbus-area sample was more worn than the Dayton-area one: 19 of 39 lots poor or damaged, against 23 of 59.

How the lots were found and graded

We ran one plain-word search, "parking lot", over each area on 15 October 2026. Our detection model outlined every lot it found in Mapbox satellite imagery. Our condition check then graded each lot's surface as good, fair, poor or damaged and suggested a service.

The grade looks for what a paving contractor looks for from the air: a dark, even surface against a grey or oxidised one, crisp or faded striping, patching, potholes and broken edges. Concrete lots are recognised as concrete and are not suggested for sealcoat. We did not check every outline by hand.

Searching an area this size is quick. Across 50 of our own scans of about 0.4 square miles each, the median took 49 seconds.

What a grade from above cannot tell you

Hairline cracks. The included imagery shows detail to about half a metre per pixel. Fine cracking is not visible at that scale, and a pale surface is not evidence of cracks.
Today's condition. Each grade comes from one picture, and the picture can be months to about two years old depending on the place. A lot may have been sealed since. Every result shows its date.
The price of the job. The suggested service is a starting point for a site visit, not a contractor's quote. It says nothing about the base, drainage or how much material a lot needs.
Hidden surface. Parked cars, trees and shadow can cover part of a lot, and the grade only reflects what is visible.
The owner's plans. A worn lot tells you where to ask, not whether the owner has a budget or has already booked the work.

How to turn a market into a call list

Search your own territory for "parking lot" and grade what comes back. You get every lot outlined on the map with a grade and a suggested service.
Start with the poor and damaged lots. The fair lots are sealcoat candidates, often worth a separate, lighter offer.
Check the date on each picture before you call. When the picture is too old for the decision, a fresh capture can be bought separately from satellite providers.
Where a US county or state publishes parcel ownership as public record, each lot shows the owner on record, mailing address and parcel number, with the source and date of the record. The owner is not always the person who books paving work, so expect to find a property manager too.
Assign the site visits to your team in Tasks, and look before you quote.

Pro is $49 a month for one person and covers up to 100 square miles of search a month. Business is $149 per person a month for teams of 2 to 49 and covers 250 square miles. See how contractors use the same tools on our construction page, or book a demo and bring the territory you work.

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Key takeaways

In two Ohio areas, 42 of 98 parking lots (43%) looked poor or damaged from above.
Our condition check suggested sealcoat for 74 lots and mill and overlay for 13.
A grade from above cannot see hairline cracks or price the job; visit before you quote.
Check each picture's date, since a lot may have been sealed since it was taken.

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Construction