In all districts, off-street parking shall be provided as follows:
(A) Purpose and intent. The purpose and intent of this section is to set forth parking requirements in proportion to the parking demand for each use in order to ensure functionally adequate, efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and secure off-street parking facilities, and to provide for on-street parking in certain circumstances. The regulations and design standards of this section are intended to ensure the usefulness of parking facilities, protect the public safety, and mitigate potential adverse land use impacts.
(B) Applicability.
(1) Development. Every development, as defined in the City of Palm Bay Code, Title XVII Land Development Code, established after the effective date of this section shall comply with the requirements set forth.
(2) Residential districts.
(a) Parking in driveways. Driveways may be used to satisfy the parking requirements for single-family dwellings, duplexes and mobile homes provided that sufficient space is available exclusive of right-of-way or road easements.
(b) Commercial vehicle parking or storage. No required parking space shall be used for a commercial vehicle for parking or storage or other uses which may interfere with normal off-street parking needs. A commercial vehicle is any truck, bus, trailer, portable equipment, machinery or similar vehicle or combination thereof, used or intended to be used for any commercial enterprise or business purpose, or which has over six (6) wheels, more than two (2) axles, a height greater than eight (8) feet and has an overall length of more than twenty-two (22) feet, excluding self-propelled roadway vehicles less than six thousand (6,000) pounds net weight.
(c) Emergency vehicles. Parking shall not be permitted which blocks emergency vehicles on either public or private roads.
(3) Exemptions.
(a) Redevelopment. Building permits and certificates of occupancy may be issued for remodeling or structural alterations in existing developments without requiring compliance with this section provided such redevelopment does not result in an increase in the number of required parking spaces.
(b) Change of use. The number of parking spaces required by this section may be reduced when the use of a building is changed or reduced to a use or floor area for which fewer parking spaces are required. When the use is changed to a use for which more parking spaces are required, the number of spaces shall be increased to comply with the off-street parking schedule and design standards. Off-street parking requirements may be met with shared or remote parking areas as described elsewhere in § 185.140.
(C) General requirements.
(1) Any principal structure built or enlarged or increased in capacity by adding dwelling units, guest rooms, seats, or floor area after the effective date of this section shall provide off-street parking in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2) It shall be unlawful for an owner or operator of any structure or use affected by this chapter to discontinue or change the required parking areas, other than through a corresponding reduction in size of the structure or change in use, without meeting the requirements of this section.
(D) Design Requirements.
(1) All parking spaces, and access drives shall be improved in accordance with the design standards set forth in the current edition of the City of Palm Bay Public Works Manual and the Land Development Code.
(2) Each parking space shall have a minimum width of ten (10) feet and a minimum length of nineteen (19) feet. If a parking space contains a wheel stop or abuts a curbed or landscaped island, an overhang may be permitted, and the length of the space thereby shortened to a minimum of sixteen (16) feet.
(a) Accessible spaces shall follow the current editions of the ADA, the FDOT Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the Florida Accessibility Code for Building Construction (FACBC), and F.S. Chapter 208.
(b) Wheel stops may be used to prevent a vehicle from encroaching on adjacent sidewalks or property. The wheel stop shall be set back a distance that provides an unobstructed sidewalk width of four (4) feet to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Florida Accessibility Code for Construction.
(3) All off-street parking areas shall be designed to have adequate access to a public street or alley. The function and operation of the proposed parking type must be compatible with and appropriate for the type of parking proposed. Back-out parking or any other type parking utilizing the public right-of-way as an access aisle is prohibited except when applied to single-family and duplex land uses. Interior aisle widths shall conform to the minimum requirements below:
Parking Aisle Width
Angle One-Way Two-Way
Angle One-Way Two-Way
30° 12 feet 22 feet
45° 14 feet 22 feet
60° 18 feet 22 feet
90° 24 feet 24 feet
Parallel 12 feet 22 feet
(4) Non-residential driveways.
(a) Non-residential driveways widths measured at the right-of-way line shall be a minimum width of fifteen (15) feet for one-way traffic and twenty-four (24) feet for two-way traffic.
(b) One (1) driveway per parcel shall be permitted for properties with up to one hundred and fifty (150) feet of street frontage. An additional driveway may be permitted for each additional one hundred and fifty (150) feet of street frontage.
(c) Driveways shall be at least fifty (50) feet apart measured from the closest driveway edge at the right-of-way line.
(d) Driveways along a minor side street shall not be located closer than one hundred twenty (120) feet to the nearest major street intersection.
(e) In no case, however, shall a driveway or curb cut be permitted on the radii of any intersection. All driveways that connect to a public road right-of-way shall be paved from the property line to the edge of pavement of the abutting roadway.
For larger commercial development that proposes multiple lanes of traffic, the following driveway width requirements shall apply:
Minimum | Maximum | |
Three-way traffic lanes | 36 feet | 48 feet |
Four-way traffic lanes | 48 feet | 60 feet |
(5) Where off-street parking is required, such required parking areas shall be used for vehicular parking only. No sales, dead storage, repair work, dismantling or servicing of any kind shall be conducted, and the required areas in the various zoning districts shall be in addition to the loading and service spaces normally required for the business or office served.
(6) Where off-street parking is required, such parking shall be provided on the same lot or premises with the business or office which is being served. In the event the use of the lot or premises expands or changes and would require additional parking that cannot be accommodated on-site, the parking requirement may be satisfied off-site by following the provisions of § 185.140(H).
(7) Where artificial lighting is provided, it shall be designed and arranged so that no source of such lighting will be a visible nuisance to adjoining property used or zoned for a residential purpose. In addition, such lighting shall be designed and arranged to shield public streets and highways and all adjacent properties from direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind. All lighting shall meet the standards provided for in § 185.143 of the Palm Bay Code of Ordinances.
(8) When units or measurements determining the number of off-street parking spaces result in requirement of a fractional space, any such fractional space equal to or greater than one-half (½) shall require a full off-street parking space.
(9) All required off-street parking areas shall be provided in compliance with the landscaping provisions of this Code of Ordinances set forth in § 185.142 and Chapter 180.
(10) The provisions of this division (D) shall apply to all new off-street parking or other vehicular use areas.
(11) Parking lots permitted prior to adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be re-painted atop the existing parking space striping and will be considered maintenance. However, parking areas that are modified from this original layout shall be re- designed meeting the ADA requirements, inclusive of parking space striping, signage, markings, and handicapped ramps (where applicable). The site must still meet the minimum amount of parking spaces as provided for in this section.
(E) Shared parking.
(1) The standards and peak parking analysis contained in the most current edition of "Parking Generation" by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), is hereby adopted and shall be referenced in any calculation of shared parking.
(2) The Director of Growth Management may permit the required parking spaces for one use to be shared with required parking spaces for one or more uses upon a finding that:
(a) The shared parking spaces are in close proximity and readily accessible to the uses served; and
(b) The uses served have different peak parking demands and operating hours; and
(c) The design of the parking area in terms of traffic circulation, vehicular and pedestrian access, stormwater management, landscaping, open space preservation, and public safety meets the requirements set forth in Chapter 185.
(3) It shall be the responsibility of an applicant for shared parking approval to provide a description of the uses, site plan(s), trip generation report, parking study and other information necessary to permit a finding by the Director of Growth Management regarding the request for shared parking.
(4) In granting approval to meet the parking requirement with shared parking, the Director of Growth Management may require an agreement for shared parking be made between or among the
appropriate parties in the form of a shared parking agreement with easement(s) in recordable form acceptable to the City Attorney's office. Such document shall be recorded in the public records of Brevard County, Florida.
(F) Parking computations.
(1) Acceptable thresholds. As part of an approval of new construction, a change in use, substantial renovation, or expansion of an existing shopping center, the applicant shall calculate the required number of spaces as listed in division (G) and:
(a) The number of handicapped parking spaces shall be as required by applicable Florida Statutes.
(2) Unlisted uses. Upon receiving a development application for a use not listed in division (G), the Director of Growth Management shall apply the parking and loading requirements for the listed use most similar in parking needs to the use for which development approval is requested.
(3) Multiple uses. Lots containing more than one (1) use shall provide parking in an amount equal to the total of the requirements for all uses unless a shared parking arrangement is approved pursuant to division (E).
(4) Fractions. When calculations of the number of required spaces result in fractions, any fraction up to one-half shall be disregarded and any fraction of one-half or more shall be rounded upward to the next highest full number.
(5) Bench seating. Where seating consists of benches or pews, each twenty (20) linear inches shall be considered one seat.
(6) Floor area. For the purpose of computing parking requirements which are based on the amount of square footage in buildings, calculations shall be on a gross floor area basis, unless otherwise indicated.
(7) Employees. For the purpose of computing parking requirements based on the number of employees, calculations shall be for the largest number of persons working on any single shift, including owners and managers.
(G) Amount of off-street parking required. Off-street parking shall be provided based on the following minimum requirements:
(1) Animal hospital or veterinarian clinic: One (1) space for each five hundred (500) square feet of gross floor area, plus one (1) space for each doctor and/or employee.
(2) Auto repair: One (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area, plus credit of one (1) space per bay.
(3) Care home or convalescent home: One (1) space for each patient bed.
(4) Church or other place of worship: One (1) space for each three (3) seats in auditorium or chapel area, or one (1) space for each one hundred and twenty (120) square feet of floor area of the main assembly hall, whichever is greater, plus one (1) space per classroom.
(5) Country club, health clubs, racquet clubs, or recreational facility: One (1) space for each one hundred and twenty (120) square feet of assembly hall/auditorium or one (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area, whichever requirement may be greater, plus two (2) spaces per court and four (4) spaces per golf hole.
(6) Day care centers: One (1) space per state required staff person plus one (1) space per ten (10) children, based on state license maximum.
(7) Residential uses.
(a) Single-family dwelling unit: Minimum of two (2) parking spaces per dwelling unit.
(b) Multiple-family dwellings:
1. Minimum of two (2) parking spaces per a two (2) or more bedroom dwelling unit;
2. One and one-half (1½) parking spaces per one (1) bedroom dwelling unit; and
3. One (1) space per efficiency unit that is part of a mixed one (1) and two (2) bedroom multi-family development. A development of efficiency units only shall have a minimum of one and one-half (1½) parking spaces per unit.
(8) Elderly and handicapped housing: One half (½) of a parking space per dwelling unit.
(9) Financial institution: One (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area.
(10) Food store: One (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area.
(11) Furniture carpet or appliance store: One (1) space for each four hundred (400) square feet of retail floor space.
(12) Hospital: One (1) space for each two (2) beds, plus one (1) space for each employee at maximum employment on a single shift.
(13) Hotel or motel: One (1) space for each guest room or rental unit, plus one (1) space for each employee.
(14) Manufacturing and industrial activities: One (1) space for every employee on the largest working shift, or one (1) space for each one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater, plus one (1) space for each company vehicle operating from the premises.
(15) Marina: One (1) parking space for every two (2) wet boatslips and one (1) parking space for every four (4) dry boatslips.
(16) Medical and dental offices and clinics: One (1) space for each three hundred (300) square feet of gross floor area, plus one (1) space per each employee.
(17) Mobile home: Two (2) spaces per mobile home.
(18) Office (administrative, business or professional): One (1) space for each three hundred (300) square feet of gross floor area.
(19) Place of public assembly, including an assembly hall, exhibition hall, convention hall, entertainment center, community center, library or museum One (1) space for each three (3) seats, or one (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater.
(20) Restaurants and drinkingestablishments: One (1) space for each three (3) seats, plus one (1) space for every employee.
(21) Drive-thru restaurants without indoor seating: one (1) space for each seventy-five (75) square feet of gross floor area plus one (1) space for every employee.
(22) Retail stores and shops, personal service establishments, household repair or equipment shops: One (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of gross floor area.
(23) School, elementary (public, private or parochial): One (1) space for each classroom or office room, plus one (1) space for each one hundred and fifty (150) square feet of seating area, including aisles, in any auditorium or gymnasium or cafeteria intended to be used as an auditorium.
(24) School, junior and senior high schools and colleges (public, private or parochial), K-8 and K-12 educational facilities: Four (4) spaces for each classroom or office room, plus one (1) space for each one hundred and fifty (150) square feet of seating area, including aisles, in any auditorium or gymnasium or cafeteria intended to be used as an auditorium.
(25) Shopping centers.
(a) For commercially zoned developments with twenty-five thousand (25,000) gross square feet or greater, minimum off-street parking shall be provided according to the following schedule:
Gross Floor Area | Parking/Square Feet |
25,000 to 50,000 sq. ft. | 1 space per 250 sq. ft. |
50,000 sq. ft. and over | 1 space per 400 sq. ft. |
(b) There shall be no other parking space reductions in shopping centers than provided above.
(c) When tenants of a shopping center include theaters, the following also applies:
1. Theaters. Shopping centers that contain a theatre shall provide the amount of parking as required in (a) above, plus the number of spaces required for theaters in (26) below.
(26) Theaters and other places of assembly having fixed seating: One (1) space for each four (4) seats, plus one (1) space for each two (2) employees.
(27) Warehousing and wholesaling: One (1) space for each one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross floor area for buildings up to ten thousand (10,000) square feet of gross floor area. For buildings in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet, one (1) space shall be provided for each two thousand (2,000) square feet, plus one (1) space for each company vehicle operating from the premises.
(28) Multi-tenant warehouse buildings (typically used for contractors and other service establishments): One (1) space for each five hundred (500) square feet of gross floor area, plus one (1) space for each company vehicle operating from the premises.
(29) Indoor Recreation: For those indoor recreation categories not specifically provided for herein, there shall be a minimum of one (1) space for each three hundred (300) square feet of gross floor area or one (1) space for each two (2) machines, whichever is greater.
(30) Self-storage facilities:
(a) Internally-accessed self-storage facilities (indoor, climate-controlled):
1. One (1) space for each 25 units, plus three (3) spaces for the facility's lease office.
(b) Externally-accessed facilities (drive-up storage units):
1. At least three (3) parking spaces shall be provided adjacent to the facility's lease office. Interior traffic lanes between storage buildings shall be a minimum of thirty-five (35) feet wide for two-way traffic and a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet for one-way traffic, in order to accommodate loading and unloading, as well as through and/or emergency traffic.
(c) Outdoor storage of vehicles (boats, R.V.'s, etc.) may occur at either of the above facility, on paved or stabilized surfaces as approved by the City Engineer. The outdoor storage area must be screened from any public rights-of-way or adjacent residentially zoned property by an 8' tall completely opaque wood or PVC fence, or masonry wall that has a finished appearance on both sides of the wall.
(H) Off-site parking and storage lots. All off-site parking and storage lot applications shall be considered individually by the Director of Growth Management and shall be subject to the requirements of this section and the City Land Development Code for site plan approval.
(1) Conformance standards. All off-site parking and storage lots must be located no further than five hundred feet (500') from the outermost boundaries to the parent parcel that must contain a minimum of one (1) principal structure. No off-site parking area shall be permitted where the subject property is separated from the parent property by an arterial or collector roadway.
(2) The applicant must submit a survey showing any exceptional specimen trees on site and submit a parking plan with details for surface material, traffic and safety devices, along with storm water treatment, for administrative site plan review.
(3) Any exceptional specimen trees to be preserved in-place shall be effectively fenced or separated so that no damage shall occur to these trees while the site is being used for parking of vehicles or storage of materials on site.
(4) Storage lots shall be screened on all sides by a minimum 6' tall completely opaque wood or PVC fence, or a masonry wall with a finished exterior surface.
(5) Storage lots shall be constructed of paved or stabilized surfaces as approved by the City Engineer, or designee, and the driveway shall be paved from the property line to the edge of pavement of the abutting roadway.
(6) Parking lots shall meet the parking development standards of this section and meet the landscape requirements of § 185.142.
(7) The proposed off-site parking or storage lot must post the identity of the business(es) that has control of the site, the hours of operation for the lot, as well as emergency contact information that is clearly visible from the street. This information shall remain posted for as long as the site is in use.
(8) Any lot or parcel of land leased for off-site parking or storage shall cease use at the same time the lease agreement is terminated.
(9) A unity of title shall be required for off-site parking lots where they are utilized to meet the minimum parking requirements of the parent parcel.
(I) Parking rate adjustment.
(1) Any deviation in parking from the acceptable thresholds set forth in this section, shall require approval by the Director of Growth Management. This approval shall rely on written request for a parking rate adjustment filed with the Director of Growth Management. At a minimum the application shall include:
(a) All data, materials, and information required for site plan approval of the subject site,
(b) A map of the surrounding area reflecting existing zoning,
(c) A parking study that identifies the relevant facts upon which the request is based, and describes in detail the basis for the proposed rate adjustment, and
(d) Documents demonstrating that the applicant controls and will continue to control the property(ies) affected by the application.
(2) The parking study required in section may include, but is not limited to:
(a) Local parking studies of the same land use,
(b) Shared parking by mixed uses,
(c) On-site trip capture from secondary trip opportunities, and/or
(d) Utilization of off-site parking, employer-based or other activities and/or provisions that will result in alternative travel modes that are not dependent on on-site parking,
(3) In granting a parking rate adjustment, the Director of Growth Management shall determine that the proposed rate adjustment would not result in undesirable overflow parking, nor otherwise adversely impact the character and integrity of the surrounding area.
(J) Paving standards. All parking spaces, access drives, and loading zones shall be paved in accordance with the design standards set forth in the current edition of the City of Palm Bay Public Works Manual and the Land Development Code.
(K) Vehicular and pedestrian interconnections. For commercial development, vehicular and pedestrian interconnections are encouraged.
('74 Code, § 25-191) (Ord. 89-08, passed 4-27-89; Am. Ord. 94-37, passed 7-7-94; Am. Ord. 2008-70, passed 12-18-08; Am. Ord. 2010-89, passed 1-6-11; Am. Ord. 2016-17, passed 4-21-16; Am. Ord. 2017-14, passed 2-16-17; Am. Ord. 2018-33, passed 9-6-18; Am. Ord. 2018-68, passed 1-3-19; Am. Ord. 2020-12, passed 2-20-20)