Is Your Parking Lot Liability Catching Up With You?
Michigan is one of the toughest states in the country to maintain commercial asphalt. The numbers tell the story.
Michigan Ranks #3 Worst for Potholes Nationwide
The combination of freeze-thaw cycles, water infiltration, and clay subgrade soils is brutal on commercial pavement.
- 42 freeze-thaw cycles per year statewide average (range 23-60 by region)
- $3.9 billion in pavement damage every year across Michigan
- $406 per pothole incident in average vehicle damage cost
Only 23% of Southeast Michigan lane miles are in good condition
The 2023 Liability Law Change
Michigan eliminated the “open and obvious” doctrine in July 2023. A visible pothole on your commercial lot can now trigger a slip-and-fall or vehicle damage claim, regardless of how obvious the hazard was.
That single change made deferred maintenance a legal exposure, not just a budget item.
Freeze-Thaw Is the Engine Behind All of It
Water seeps into hairline cracks, freezes overnight, expands, and pries the crack open wider every cycle. By March, what started as a hairline crack is a pothole that costs five times more to fix.
Bart’s Asphalt repairs damage early, with the right method for the failure type, so it stays fixed.