A. Intent and purpose. These regulations are established to provide for on-site maneuvering and parking of motor vehicles that are attached to and generated by land uses within the city. The parking requirements contained herein are assumed to be minimums only. It is the responsibility of the developer, owner or operator of any specific use to provide adequate off-street parking and maneuvering facilities. The following requirements are designed to lessen traffic congestion and contribute to public safety by providing sufficient on-site parking facilities.
B. General requirements.
1. Application.
a. These standards shall apply when:
(1) A main building is constructed.
(2) An existing building is enlarged for any purpose.
(3) The occupancy or use of any premises is changed to a different use or occupancy.
b. Parking (or additional parking) to meet the requirements of this section shall be provided for:
(1) An existing building that is enlarged.
(2) When the category of use listed in paragraph D. of this section is changed to a different category of use.
c. Where insufficient parking is serving a building or use existing at the time this zoning code became effective, said building may be enlarged only if adequate parking is provided for the total building in accordance with the requirements of this section. If the category of use is listed in paragraph D. of this section, changes to a category of use which requires more parking stalls, additional parking stalls must be provided meeting all requirements of this section.
2. Location.
a. All required parking spaces and garages shall be located on the same lot, or the same building site in the case of a shopping center. Where a parking lot owned by the city is located within four hundred (400) feet of the front door or main entry of the building, parking requirements listed in paragraph D. of this section may be reduced as determined by the Development Services Director.
b. All required parking spaces shall be located not more than two hundred (200) feet from the building or use to be served. Buildings with floor area in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet shall be exempt from this requirement except that all required parking shall be located on the same or contiguous lots.
c. All required parking spaces for individual tenants of shopping centers, shall have his or her required parking within a two hundred (200) foot radius of the main entrance. Parking immediately in front of a tenant space, if not required for fire access, may be reserved for customers of that tenant.
3. Computation of required parking. Whenever the computation of the number of off-street parking spaces required by this section results in a fractional parking space, one (1) additional parking space shall be required for one-half (½) or more fractional parking space, and any fractional space less than one-half (½) of a parking space shall not be counted.
a. All access to a parking area from a public street, alley or highway shall be designed so that motor vehicles leaving the driveway or parking area will enter the highway traveling in a forward direction. This shall not apply to single family subdivisions, or multiple family residential properties serving four (4) units or less.
b. The parking area shall be designed so that a vehicle within the parking area will not have to enter a public street to move from one location to any other location within the parking area.
c. Vehicular access to arterial streets and highways will be permitted only in accordance with driveway locations and access design to be approved by the Traffic Engineer of the city.
4. Surfacing. All parking spaces, driveways, and maneuvering areas shall be paved and permanently maintained with asphaltic concrete or cement concrete, with a structural section to be approved by the City Engineer.
5. Striping. All parking stalls and directional arrows and instructions shall be delineated with paint, as required by the Traffic Engineer.
C. Design.
1. Maximum grades permitted.
a. Entrance - four (4) or less dwelling units. The driveway or accessway shall have a maximum grade of plus fifteen percent (+15%) or minus six percent (-6%) measured along the driveway centerline, for a distance of not less than twenty (20) feet from the ultimate right-of-way line of the street or alley.
b. Entrance - five (5) or more dwelling units, industrial, commercial, office and parking areas serving buildings or recreation areas owned or operated by any governmental agency. The driveway or accessway shall have a maximum grade of plus fifteen percent (+15%) or minus two percent (-2%), measured along the driveway centerline, for a distance not less than twenty (20) feet from the ultimate right-of-way line of the street or alley.
c. Parking spaces. All parking spaces and abutting access aisle shall have a maximum grade of five percent (5%), measured in any direction.
d. Interior driveways. Ramps or driveways within the interior of a parking area (beyond twenty (20) feet from ultimate right-of-way line) shall have a maximum grade of twenty percent (20%). If such a ramp or driveway exceeds ten percent (10%), the ramp or driveway design shall include transitions (at each end of the ramp) not less than eight (8) feet in length, having a slope equal to one-half (½) the ramp or driveway slope.
2. Parking spaces.
a. All parking stalls shall be double or “hairpin” striped. (Please see Diagram “A” in the Appendix following this chapter.)
b. Sizes.
(1) Perpendicular or angular stalls.
(a) Residential.
(i) Covered - ten (10) feet wide by twenty (20) feet long (interior clear dimension to be nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long), minimum seven (7) feet height clearance.
(ii) Uncovered - nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long.
(b) Commercial and office uses and community facilities. Nine and one-half (9½) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long, minimum eight (8) feet height clearance.
(c) Industrial uses. Nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long.
(2) Parallel stalls. Eight (8) feet wide by twenty-three (23) feet long.
(3) Handicapped stalls. Nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long with a minimum five (5) foot ramp at the side and front of the stall.
(4) Compact stalls shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet wide by sixteen (16) feet long.
(a) Compact stalls may be permitted in multiple family residential projects of five (5) or more units in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph C.
(b) Compact stalls may be permitted in commercial and industrial projects requiring a minimum of forty (40) parking spaces in accordance with the following conditions:
(i) A maximum of fifteen percent (15%) of the required number of parking spaces may be compact stalls.
(ii) The maximum number of compact parking stalls may be increased upon approval of a conditional use permit, but in no event shall the number of compact stalls exceed thirty percent (30%).
(iii) Each compact stall approved hereunder shall be individually designated as a compact stall per the City of Brea Public Works Standards.
(c) All parking areas containing compact stalls shall be approved by the Development Services Director and the City Traffic Engineer.
(5) Overhang. Parking stall lengths, except parallel spaces, may be reduced by two (2) feet [seventeen (17) feet for standard size stalls; fourteen (14) feet for compact stalls] where the front of the parking stall abuts a landscaped area or sidewalk which is a minimum of four (4) feet clear. Said landscape area shall be enclosed with a minimum of six (6) inch high curb and no trees or shrubs shall be planted in the two (2) foot reduced area.
c. Locations.
(1) The point of exit or entry from any off-street parking space shall not be closer than fifteen (15) feet from the ultimate right-of-way line of a street and five (5) feet in the case of an alley.
(2) Industrially zoned facilities on arterial streets and commercially zoned facilities providing parking for fifty (50) or more vehicles shall be designed with access driveways which shall not be intersected by a parking aisle, parking space, or another access driveway for a minimum distance of fifty (50) feet from the street right-of-way line. (Please see Diagram “C” in the Appendix following this chapter.)
(3) Required off-street parking in residential zones shall not be provided in areas required for ingress and egress to other parking spaces; no tandem parking is permitted, except with properties associated with an accessory dwelling unit pursuant to the standards as set forth in Section 20.208.040 of this title.
(4) Off-street parking spaces when located below living quarters shall be provided in garages.
3. Driveways and parking aisles.
a. Driveway approaches (curb cuts).
(1) Residential.
(a) One way - sixteen (16) feet minimum, twenty-four (24) feet maximum.
(b) Two way - twenty-four (24) feet minimum, forty (40) feet maximum.
(2) Commercial/Office/Industrial. Refer to City of Brea Public Works Standards 210-A.
b. Access driveways. Access driveways shall have a minimum width of twenty-eight (28) feet. Access driveways are defined as those that provide access into and through a parking area from a street access point providing access to the parking aisles, and those driveways providing interior circulation between parking areas. (Please see Diagram “C” in the Appendix following this chapter.)
c. Parking aisles. Parking aisles are defined as driveways which have parking spaces taking access from either or both sides and which are intended primarily to provide direct access to parking spaces. Parking aisles shall be designed in accordance with Diagrams “A” and “B” in the Appendix following this chapter.
4. Screening. Open parking spaces and parking structures shall be screened with a solid wall, mounded landscaping or evergreen shrubs of not less than three (3) feet nor more than three and one-half (3½) feet in height whenever such parking is adjacent to a street right-of-way. Walls shall be located adjacent to the inside edge of any required boundary landscaping and to the outside edge of the paved parking area when there is no landscaping. When evergreen shrubs are used as a screen they shall be planted in quantity and location so as to form a screen which is a minimum of seventy-five percent (75%) opaque within eighteen (18) months after installation. It shall be the responsibility of the owner to maintain such shrubbery so that it does not exceed three and one-half (3½) feet in height, nor encroach into limited use areas outlined in § 20.08.060 of this chapter.
5. Lighting.
a. All off-street parking areas within commercially zoned projects shall be provided with exterior lighting meeting the following minimums:
(1) The equivalent of one (1) foot candle of illumination shall be maintained on the average throughout the parking area.
(2) All lighting shall be on a time-clock or photo-sensor system.
(3) All lighting shall be designed to confine direct rays to the premises. No spillover beyond the property line shall be permitted.
(4) Parking lot luminaries shall be high pressure sodium vapor with ninety degree (90°) horizontal cut-off flat lenses.
b. All off-street parking areas within industrially zoned areas shall meet all standards in paragraph C.5.a. of this section, except that the equivalent of three fourths (0.75) foot candle of illumination shall be maintained on the average throughout the parking area.
D. Parking space requirements. All land uses shall provide off-street parking in conformity with the following requirements, unless otherwise modified by the provisions contained herein.
Use | Minimum Parking Stalls Required |
Use | Minimum Parking Stalls Required |
Commercial | |
Automobile service stations | A minimum of five (5) parking spaces per use plus an additional space for each service bay. |
Automobile washing and cleaning establishments (not self-service) | Minimum twenty (20) queuing spaces; minimum ten (10) parking stalls; plus two (2) stalls per detail bay; minimum seventeen (17) drying stalls (drying stalls shall be a minimum ten (10) foot by twenty (20) foot clear area). |
Banks, savings and loans, other financial institutions and related offices | One (1) per two hundred (200) square feet (may include stacking credit for drive-through window on the basis of one (1) car for every twenty-three (23) lineal feet of striped stacking lanes). A maximum credit not to exceed thirty percent (30%) of the total required parking for the site or no more than twenty (20) spaces for stacked credit, whichever is less. Drive through lanes shall provide a minimum of one hundred fifteen (115) feet per lane for required stacking space. |
Barbershops and beauty parlors | One (1) per two hundred fifty (250) square feet. |
Coin-operated laundromats Coin-operated dry cleaning | One (1) per two hundred (200) square feet. |
Contractor’s storage yards and other storage and salvage yards | One (1) per three thousand (3,000) square feet of lot area |
General retail, except as otherwise specified herein | One (1) per two hundred (200) square feet. |
Lumberyards and building materials | One (1) per five hundred (500) square feet of retail area and one (1) per one-thousand (1,000) square feet of storage area. |
Mortuaries, crematories, and funeral homes | One (1) per three (3) fixed seats or one (1) per twenty-five (25) square feet of assembly area, where there are no fixed seats. |
Motels and hotels | One (1) per guest unit. |
Motor vehicle sales | One (1) per four hundred (400) square feet. |
Motor vehicle repair | One (1) per two hundred fifty (250) square feet. |
Offices, except as otherwise specified herein | One (1) per two hundred fifty (250) square feet. |
Self-service car wash | Two (2) per wash bay. |
Stores, solely for the sale of furniture and appliances | One (1) per five hundred (500) square feet. |
Shopping centers | Five and one-half (5½) for each one thousand (1,000) square feet. |
Trade schools, business colleges, and commercial schools | One (1) per thirty-five (35) square feet in instruction areas, one (1) per two hundred fifty (250) square feet in office areas. |
Commercial Recreation | |
Bowling alleys | Four (4) per alley plus spaces for uses in building. |
Billiard and pool halls | Two (2) per table. |
Commercial stables and riding clubs | Not less than one (1) space for every five (5) horses kept on the premises or facilities therefore, plus required spaces for additional uses. |
Golf driving ranges | One (1) per tee, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Golf courses | Eight (8) per hole, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Handball/racquetball facility | One and one-half (1½) for each court, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Pitch and putt and miniature golf courses | Three (3) per hole, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Skating rinks/ice rinks or roller rinks | One (1) per one-hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Swimming pool (Commercial) | One (1) per five hundred (500) square feet of enclosed area, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Tennis facility | Three (3) per court, plus spaces required for additional uses on-site. |
Health | |
Medical, dental, veterinary clinics or offices. | Five and one-half (5½) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet. |
Hospitals (general medical) | One and three-quarter (1¾) per bed. |
Sanitariums, asylums, residential care facilities, convalescent and nursing homes, homes for the aged, rest homes | Five and one-half (5½) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet. |
Health studios and spas | One (1) per one hundred fifty (150) square feet of gross floor area (including swimming pools and spas). |
Manufacturing | |
Industrial uses of all types, except a building used exclusively for warehouse or storage purposes | One (1) per five hundred (500) square feet. |
Warehouse/storage buildings or structures exclusively for storage | One (1) per one thousand (1,000) square feet. |
Wholesale establishments and warehouses not used exclusively for storage | One (1) per one thousand (1,000) square feet, plus one (1) per each two hundred fifty (250) square feet of office or sales area. |
Public Assembly | |
Cafes, “sit down” restaurants, “drive-in” restaurants, “drive- through” restaurants, nightclubs, taverns, lounges or other establishments for the sale and consumption on the premises of food or beverages | Minimum of ten (10) or one (1) for each seventy-five (75) square feet of gross floor area, up to six thousand (6,000) square feet, plus one (1) for each fifty-five (55) square feet over six thousand (6,000) square feet or one (1) for every three (3) seats, whichever is greater. “Drive through” or “Drive in” restaurants shall also provide a minimum of one hundred sixty (160) feet of stacking space, as measured from the pick up window, for each drive through lane. |
Auditoriums, theaters, sports arenas, stadiums | One (1) per three (3) fixed seats or one (1) per thirty-five (35) square feet where there are no fixed seats. |
Dance floors, discotheques | One (1) per seven (7) square feet of dance floor area plus one (1) per thirty-five (35) square feet of assembly area. |
Emergency shelters | One (1) per four (4) beds or one-half (1/2) per bedroom designated for family units with children plus one (1) per staff member. |
Libraries | One (1) per three hundred (300) square feet. |
Private clubs, lodge halls, union headquarters | One (1) per seventy-five (75) square feet. |
Churches, religious institutions and similar places of assembly | One (1) per three (3) fixed seats or thirty-five (35) square feet where there are no fixed seats; eighteen (18) inches of bench shall be considered a fixed seat. For worship seating areas with three hundred (300) seats or above shall require a parking study. Any off-site parking shall be within one thousand (1,000) feet of the site it serves, as measured from closest property line. |
Day nurseries | One (1) per two hundred (200) square feet of office and classroom area. |
Residential | |
Single family dwellings | Two (2) covered parking spaces for each unit. |
Attached single family | Two (2) covered parking dwellings spaces for each unit, plus one-half (½) uncovered parking spaces for each dwelling unit. |
Two (2) or more dwelling units on one building site or lot: | |
Bachelor unit | One and one-half (1½) spaces per unit, of which one (1) space shall be located within a garage or three (3) sided carport. |
One (1) bedroom units | One and three-quarter (1¾) spaces per unit, of which one (1) space shall be located within a garage or three (3) sided carport. |
Two (2) bedroom units | Two (2) spaces per unit, of which one (1) space shall be located within a garage or three (3) sided carport. |
Three (3) bedroom or more dwelling units | Two and one-half (2½) off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit, of which two (2) spaces must be covered for each dwelling unit, plus one-half (½) off-street parking spaces must be provided for each bedroom in excess of three (3). |
All building sites or lots containing five (5) or more units | Two-tenths (0.2) guest parking space shall be provided for each dwelling unit, in addition to the required number of parking spaces stated above. A maximum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the required uncovered parking spaces may be of compact car size, provided such spaces are clearly and individually marked. |
Combination of uses | Sum of the requirements for the various uses, except shopping centers. |
E. Truck loading and maneuvering area.
1. All industrial and commercially zoned developments shall be designed so as to prevent truck back-up maneuvering within public right-of-way.
2. a. All industrial and commercially zoned developments designed with dock high approaches and/or truck wells shall be provided with at least one (1) back-up area to said dock or well in accordance with the below schedule. The driveway aisle between parking stalls may be used for said approach provided the forty-eight (48) foot wheel track turning radius is maintained, as outlined in Diagrams “E” and “F” in the Appendix following this chapter.
Berth or Aisle Width (feet) Dock Approach (feet)
10 120
12 117
14 113
b. The dock approach may not be encumbered by parking stalls or physical obstructions and shall be measured perpendicular to the dock or door as shown in accompanying Diagram “E” in the Appendix following this chapter. The minimum dock or door overhead clearance (excluding pipes, lights, etc.) is twelve (12) feet.
3. Unless otherwise provided for in paragraph E.2. above, all commercial and industrially zoned buildings must provide at least one (1) identified loading area (twelve (12) feet by twenty (20) feet with ramp). Access to said loading area must be designed as a minimum to provide a forty-eight (48) foot wheel track turning radius for a fifty-five (55) foot long semitrailer truck maneuvering, in accordance with Diagram “F” in the Appendix following this chapter. Parking aisles and access driveways adjacent to loading doors without dock high approaches or truck wells shall have a minimum width of eight (8) feet plus the aisle width required in Diagram “B” in the Appendix following this chapter, except for ninety degree (90°) parking in which the parking aisle shall be thirty-two (32) feet minimum. Designated fire lanes shall provide fire ladder truck maneuvering in accordance with Diagram “G” in the Appendix following this chapter.
4. All developments zoned commercial and industrial shall be designed with the following:
a. At least one (1) driveway approach capable of accommodating a forty-eight (48) foot wheel track turning radius. (Please see accompanying Diagram “D” in the Appendix following this chapter.)
b. At least one (1) on-site maneuvering area which provides a forty-eight (48) foot turning radius wheel track through the parking area. (Please see accompanying Diagram “E” in the Appendix following this chapter.)
c. All loading doors shall not be visible from a public street.
F. Exceptions or modifications to off-street parking requirements. An exception to or modification of the off-street parking requirements of this section may be granted to avoid circumstances where they might be excessive due to the use involved or other relevant circumstances, but only if such exemption or modification is consistent with the intent and purpose of this section.
1. Exceptions or modifications for multi-family developments require approval of a minor modification in accordance with the provisions of § 20.408.020 of this title. Pursuant to § 20.408.020.B.2., such requests shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director of Community Development.
a. Notice of decision shall be sent by first class mail or delivered by a city employee to property owners within five-hundred (500) feet of the subject property. Pursuant to § 20.424, all decisions of the Director made under this provision of this title are appealable to the Planning Commission.
2. Exceptions or modifications for all projects that are not multi-family developments require approval of a conditional use permit in accordance with the provisions of § 20.408.030 of this title.
3. All requests for an exception or modification must be accompanied by a Parking Demand Study prepared by a licensed professional that demonstrates approval of the exception or modification will not result in insufficient or inadequate parking and meets the following requirements:
a. The Parking Demand Study must at a minimum include: (1) the otherwise applicable parking requirements under § 20.08.040 of this title; (2) any otherwise applicable parking requirements under any entitlement, zoning requirement, or other approval previously approved by the City; (3) a comparative analysis of parking on the site with and without the requested exception or modification; and (4) a Parking Management Plan and/or Transportation Demand Management program, if deemed necessary by the Director of Community Development.
b. A Parking Demand Study for a multi-family development may utilize the Urban Land Institute's Shared Parking methodology or any other reasonably similar methodology shown to be applicable if the project: (1) is either part of a mixed-use development or located in a mixed-use setting conducive to shared parking; and (2) incorporates both features that promote active transportation (e.g., walking and cycling) and convenient access to public transit.
G. Parking requirements not specified. In the event this section does not specify any parking space requirement for any specific use otherwise allowed under this title, the Planning Commission, upon recommendation of the city staff, shall determine the parking requirements for said use. There shall be no application fee for this procedure.
(Ord. 425, passed 10-14-68; Am. Ord. 707, passed 12-23-80; Am. Ord. 708, passed 1-20-81; Am. Ord. 720, passed 10-6-81; Am. Ord. 741, passed 6-21-83; Am. Ord. 782, passed 10-15-85; Am. Ord. 916, passed 2-18-92; Am. Ord. 965, passed 4-4-95; Am. Ord. 1092, passed 5-16-06; Am. Ord. 1128, passed 10-20-09; Am. Ord. 1154, passed 6-21-11; Am. Ord. 1203, passed 2-20-18; Am. Ord. 1222, passed 11-2-21)