18.52.040 Off-Street Parking, Loading and Bicycle Facility Requirements

   (a)   Parking Requirements

   In each district, off-street parking, loading and bicycle facilities for each use shall be provided in accordance with Tables 1 and 2, shown in subsection (c) of this Section 18.52.040. For affordable housing developments qualifying for density bonuses under Chapter 18.15 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, adjustments to parking requirements will be calculated in accordance with Chapter 18.15. The requirement for any use not specifically listed shall be determined by the director on the basis of requirements for similar uses, and on the basis of evidence of actual demand created by similar uses in Palo Alto and elsewhere, and such other traffic engineering or planning data as may be available and appropriate to the establishment of a minimum requirement.

   (b)   Calculation of Required Parking

   Off-street parking, loading and bicycle facility requirements established by subsection (a) shall be applied as follows:

      (1)   Where the application of the schedule results in a fractional requirement, a fraction of 0.5 or greater shall be resolved to the next higher whole number.

      (2)   For purposes of this chapter, gross floor area shall not include enclosed or covered areas used for off-street parking or loading, or bicycle facilities.

      (3)   Where uses or activities subject to differing requirements are located in the same structure or on the same site, or are intended to be served by a common facility, the total requirement shall be the sum of the requirements for each use or activity computed separately, except as adjusted by the director under the provisions of Table 1 or Section 18.52.050. The director, when issuing a permit(s) for multiple uses on a site, may restrict the hours of operation or place other conditions on the multiple uses so that parking needs do not overlap and may then modify the total parking requirement to be based on the most intense combination of uses at any one time.

      (4)   Where requirements are established on the basis of seats or person capacity, the building regulations provisions applicable at the time of determination shall be used to define capacity.

      (5)   Where residential use is conducted together with or accessory to other permitted uses, applicable residential requirements shall apply in addition to other nonresidential requirements, except as provided by Sections 18.52.050 and 18.52.080.

      (6)   The parking requirements outlined in Tables 1 and 2 are inclusive of parking spaces that fulfill accessibility requirements set forth in Title 16 (Building Code) of the Municipal Code in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

      (7)   A parking space served by EVSE or a parking space designated for future installation of EVSE (EV Ready) shall count as one standard automobile parking space for purposes of the parking requirements outlined in Tables 1 and 2.

      (8)   A van-accessible parking space or accessible parking space with an adjacent accessible path of travel shall count as at least two standard automobile parking spaces for purposes of the parking requirements outlined in Tables 1 and 2, inclusive of van-accessible parking spaces served by EVSE or designated as EV Ready.

      (9)   Motorcycle parking shall not count towards the vehicle parking requirements outlined in Tables 1 and 2.

   (10)   The area of a parklet permitted per Chapter 12.11 shall not be counted toward a business’ gross floor area for the calculation of minimum off-street parking requirements whether within a parking assessment district or outside of parking assessment districts.

   (c)   Tables 1, 2 and 3: Parking, Bicycle, and Loading Requirements

   Tables 1 and 2 below outline vehicle and bicycle parking requirements in general and for Parking Assessment Districts, respectively. Table 3 outlines loading requirements for each land use. For mixed-use projects, the requirements for each land use shall be applied and required for the overall project.

Table 1
Minimum Off-Street Parking Requirements

Use	Vehicle Parking Requirement (# of spaces)	Bicycle Parking Requirement
		Spaces	Class 1 Long Term (LT) and Short Term (ST)
RESIDENTIAL USES
Single-Family Residential (Primary Unit)	Tandem Parking Allowed
(a)   In the OS district	4 spaces, of which at least one space must be covered	None
(b)   In all other districts	2 spaces, of which at least one space must be covered
(c)   Underground parking for single famly uses is prohibited, except pursuant to a variance granted in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 18.76 (Permits and Approvals) of this title, in which case the area of the underground garage shall be counted toward the gross floor area.
Accessory Dwelling Unit	No parking required	None
Junior Accessory Dwelling Units	No parking required	None
Two-Family Residential (R-2 & RMD Districts)	1.5 spaces per unit, of which at least one space per unit must be covered Tandem Parking Allowed, with one tandem space per unit, associated directly with another parking space for the same unit	1 space per unit	100% - LT
(R-1 and RE Districts, pursuant to Section 18.42.180)	At least one space per unit. No spaces required if the unit is located within one-half mile walking distance of either a high-quality transit corridor or a major transit stop, as defined in California Public Resources Code Sections 21155 and 21064.3 respectively, or located within one block of a car share vehicle	1 space per unit	100% - LT
Multiple-Family Residential	1 per micro unit (2) 1 per studio unit 1 per 1-bedroom unit 2 per 2-bedroom or larger unit At least one space per unit must be covered Tandem parking allowed for any unit requiring two spaces (one tandem space per unit, associated directly with another parking space for the same unit, up to a maximum of 25% of total required spaces for any project with more than four (4) units)	1 per unit	100% - LT
(a)   Guest Parking	No additional guest parking required	1 space for each 10 units	100%-ST
Senior Housing (3) (5)	0.75 per unit
EDUCATIONAL, RELIGIOUS, AND ASSEMBLY USES
Business and Trade Schools	1 space per 4-person capacity, or 1 per 250 sf of gross floor area, whichever is greater	1 per 40-person capacity, or 1 per 2,500 sf, whichever is greater	40% LT 60% Covered ST
Religious Institutions	1 space for each 4 seats or 4-person capacity, based on maximum use of all facilities at the same time, or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit.	1 space per 40 seats or 40 person capacity, based on maximum use of all facilities at the same time	20% - LT 80%-ST, or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit
Mortuaries	1 space for each 4 seats or 4-person capacity, plus funeral procession queue capacity of 5 cars	2 spaces	100%-ST
Private Schools and Educational Facilities:
(a)   Elementary (K-5)	2 spaces per teaching station	1 space for every 5 students	100%-ST, enclosed
(b)   Grades 6-8	2 spaces per teaching station	1 space for every 5 students
(c)    Grades 9-12	4 spaces per teaching station	1 space for every 5 students
Private Clubs, Lodges, and Fraternal Organizations	1 space for each 4 seats or 4-person capacity based on maximum use of all space at one time, or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit	1 space for each 40 seats or 40-person capacity based on maximum use of all space at onetime	20% - LT 80% - ST
RECREATION USES
Commercial Recreation, including health and fitness clubs	1 space for each 4-person capacity, or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit, not to exceed a 30% reduction	1 space per 16-person capacity, or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit	20% - LT 80%-ST or as adjusted by the director as part of a conditional use permit
Community Facilities, including swim club, tennis club, golf course, community centers, neighborhood centers, and similar activities
HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Convalescent Facilities	1 per 2.5 patient beds	1 per 25 patient beds	2 LT spaces, remainder ST
Hospitals	1 space for each 1.5 patient beds	1 per 15 patient beds	60% - LT 40% - ST
SERVICE USES
Animal Care Facilities	1 per 350 sq. ft. of gross enclosed floor area	1 per 3,500 sf (1 space minimum)	80% - LT 20%-ST
Automobile Dealerships	1 per 400 sq. ft. of sales, service and office administration area, and 1 per 500 sq. ft. of exterior sales or display area, excluding automobile storage (not on display)	1 per 10 employees	100%-ST
Automotive Services & Service Stations:
(a)   Service Station	1 per 350 sq. ft. of gross enclosed floor area, plus queue capacity equivalent to the service capacity of gasoline pumps	1 per 10 employees	100%-ST
(b)   Services, Enclosed	1 per 350 sq. ft. of enclosed space; and 1 per 500 sq.ft. of exterior sales, display or storage site area (open lot area)	1 per 10 employees	100%-ST
Day Care Centers	1 per 1.5 employees	1 per 6 employees	100%-ST
Day Care Homes, Adult (Small)	2 per dwelling unit, one of which shall be covered	None
Day Care Homes, Adult (Large)	2 per dwelling unit, one of which shall be covered, plus any additional spaces required by conditional use permit to serve visitors and employees not residing at the home	None
Day Care Homes, Family (Small)	2 per dwelling unit, one of which shall be covered	None
Day Care Homes, Family (Large)	2 per dwelling unit, one of which shall be covered, plus one for each employee not residing at the home	None
Financial Services:
Financial services including: banks and savings and loan offices	1 per 250 sq. ft.	1 per 2,500 sf	40% - LT 60% - ST
General Business Services:
(a)   Enclosed	1 per 250 sq.ft.	1 per 2,500 sf	80%- LT 20%-, ST
(b)   Open lot	1 per 500 sq. ft. of sales, display or storage site area	1 per 5,000 sf	100%- ST
Personal Services	1 per 200 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,000 sf	20%-LT 80%-ST
Residential Care Homes	2 spaces (for the residential owners or tenants), one of which shall be covered	None
Recycling Center	1 space for each attendant	None
RETAIL USES (4)
Retail:
(a)   Intensive (retail not defined as extensive)	1 per 200 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,000 sf	20% - LT 80%-ST
(b)   Extensive (retail with more than 75% of gross floor area used for display, sales and related storage, with demonstrably low parking demand generation per square foot of gross floor area)	1 per 350 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,500 sf	20% - LT 4080% - ST
(c)   Open lot	1 space for each 500 square feet of sales, display, or storage site area	1 per 5,000 sf	100%-ST
Drive-up windows providing services to occupants in vehicles	Queue line for 5 cars, not blocking any parking spaces, in addition to other applicable requirements	None additional
Eating and Drinking Services:
(a)   With drive-in or take-out facilities	3 per 100 sq. ft. of gross floor area	3 per 400 sf	40% - LT 60% - ST
(b)   All others	1 space for each 60 gross sq. ft. of public service area, plus 1 space for each 200 gross sq. ft. for all other areas.	1 per 600 sf of public service area, plus 1 per 2,000 sf for other areas
Hotel/Motel/Inn	1 space per guestroom; plus the applicable requirement for eating and drinking, banquet, assembly, commercial or other as required for such uses, less up to 75% of the spaces required for guestrooms, upon approval by the director based on a parking study of parking generated by the mix of uses.	1 space per 10 guestrooms, plus requirements for accessory uses (drinking, banquet, assembly, commercial or other)	100%-ST
Shopping Center	1 per 275 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,750 sf	40%-LT 60% - ST
OFFICE USES
Administrative Offices
(a)   In the RP and ROLM districts	1 per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,000 sf	80%-LT 20% - ST
(b)   In all other districts	i per 250 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,500 sf
Medical, professional, and general business offices
(a)   In the RP and ROLM districts	1 per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,000 sf	60% - LT 40% - ST
(b)   In all other districts	1 per 250 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,500 sf
MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING
Manufacturing
(a)   In the RP, and ROLM districts	1 per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,000 sf	80% - LT 20% - ST
(b)   In all other districts	1 per 500 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 5,000 sf
Research and Development
(a)   In the RP and ROLM districts	1 per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,000 sf	80% - LT 20% - ST
(b)   In all other districts	1 per 250 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 2,500 sf
Warehousing and Distribution
(a)   In the RP and ROLM districts	1 per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 3,000 sf	80% - LT 20% - ST
(b)   In all other districts	1 per 1,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area	1 per 10,000 sq. ft.
OTHER USES
Any use not specified	To be determined by the director

 

   1.   Long Term (LT) and Short Term (ST) bicycle spaces as described in Section 18.54.060.

   2.   A "micro-unit" as used herein means a residential unit of 450 square feet or less.

   3.   Senior housing for purposes of this provision means an independent living facility, not a convalescent or residential care facility.

   4.   For residential mixed-use developments in the CD-C zone, CC(2) zone, on CN and CS zoned sites abutting El Camino Real, and on CS zoned sites abutting San Antonia Road between Middlefield Road and East Charleston Road, the first 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail uses shall not be counted toward the vehicle parking requirement.

   5.   Because these parking standards are reduced from the standards otherwise applicable to multiple-family residential development, projects that utilize these reduced parking standards shall not be eligible for further parking reductions through adjustments under Section 18.52.050, Table 4.

Table 2
Minimum Off-Street Parking Requirements for Parking Assessment Districts
(IF USE IS NOT LISTED, REFER TO TABLE 1 FOR REQUIREMENTS)

Use	Vehicle Parking Requirement {# of spaces)	Bicycle Parking Requirement
		Class1	Spaces
For Downtown University Avenue Parking Assessment District:
All uses (except residential) 2	1 per 250 square feet	1 per 2,500 square feet	40% - LT 60% - ST
For California Avenue Parking Assessment District:
Automobile Service Stations	1 per 310 square feet of gross enclosed floor area, plus queue capacityequivalent to the service capacity of gasoline pumps	1 per 10 employees	100%-ST
Automotive Services	1 per 150 square feet of gross floor area, display, or storage on site	1 per 10 employees	100%-ST
Eating and Drinking Services:
(a) With drive-in or take-out facilities	3 per 100 sf of gross floor area	3 per 400 sf	40% - LT 60%-ST
(b) All others	1 per 155 sf of gross floor area	1 per 1,550 sf
Financial services:
(a)   Bank, savings and loan offices with 7,500 square feet of floor area or less:	1 per 180 sf of gross floor area	1 per 1,800 sf	40%-LT 60% - ST
(b)   Banks, savings and loan offices with more than 7,500 square feet of floor area:	1 per 310 sf of gross floor area
(c)   Others	1 per 180 sf of gross floor area	1 per 1,800 sf
General Business Services:
(a)   Enclosed	1 per 360 sf of gross floor area	1 per 3,600 sf	80%- LT 20%- ST
(b)   Open lot	1 per 500 sf of sales, display or storage site area	1 per 5,000 sf	100%- ST
Medical, professional, and general business offices	1 per 310 sf of gross floor area	1 per 3,100 sf	60%-LT 40% - ST
Personal Services	1 per 450 sf of gross floor area	1 per 4,500 sf	20% - LT 80% - ST
Retail:
(a)   Intensive	1 per 240 sf of gross floor area	1 per 2,400 sf	20%-LT 80% -ST
(b)   Extensive	1 per 350 sf of gross floor area	1 per 3,500 sf
(c)   Open lot	1 for each 500 square feet of sales, display, or storage site area.	1 per 5,000 sf	100%-ST
OTHER USES
Any use not specified	See Table 1

 

   1.   Long Term (LT) and Short Term (ST) bicycle spaces as described in Section 18.54.060.

   2.   For residential mixed-use developments in the CD-C zone, CC(2) zone, and on CN and CS zoned sites abutting El Camino Real, the first 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail uses shall not be counted toward the vehicle parking requirement.

Table 3
Minimum Off-Street Loading Requirements

Use	Gross Floor Area	Loading Spaces Required
RESIDENTIAL USES
∙ Single-family residential use ∙ Two-family residential use ∙ Multiple-family residential use	No requirement established	0
∙ Dormitory, Fraternity/Sorority, or group housing where meals are provided in common dining facilities ∙ Housing for the elderly or other community facility, where meals are provided in common dining facilities	0 - 9,999 sq. ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000 sq. ft. or greater	2
HEALTH CARE SERVICES
∙ Hospitals ∙ Convalescent facilities	0 - 9,999 sq. ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000-199,999 sq.ft.	2
	200,000 sq. ft. or greater	3
SERVICE USES
Automotive Uses	0 - 29,999 sq. ft.	1
	.30,000-69,999. sq.ft.	2
	70,000-120,000 sq. ft	3
	Each additional 50,000 sq. ft. over 120,000 sq.ft.	1 additional space
∙ Financial services ∙ Personal services ∙ Administrative office services	0 - 9,999 sq. ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000- 199,999 sq. ft.	2
	200,000 sq. ft. or greater	3
RETAIL USES
∙ Hotel/Motel/Inn	0 - 9,999 sq. ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000 – 199,999 sq. ft.	2
	200,000 sq. ft. or greater	3
∙ Retail Services ∙ Eating and Drinking Services	0 - 4,999 sq. ft.	0
	5,000 – 29,999 sq. ft.	1
	30,000 - 69,999 sq. ft.	2
	70,000-120,000 sq. ft.	3
	For each additional 50,000 sq. ft. over 120,000 sq.ft.	1 additional space
OFFICE USES
∙ Medical offices ∙ Professional offices ∙ General business offices	0 - 9,999 sq. ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000-199,999 sq.ft.	2
	200,000 sq. ft. or greater	3
MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING USES
∙ Warehousing and Manufacturing distribution	0 - 4,999 sq. ft.	0
	5,000 – 29,999 sq. ft.	1
	30,000 - 69,999 sq. ft.	2
	70,000-120,000 sq. ft.	3
	For each additional 50,000 sq. ft. Over 120,000 sq.ft.	1 additional space
∙ Research and development	0-9,999 sq.ft.	0
	10,000-99,999 sq.ft.	1
	100,000-199,999 sq. ft.	2
	200,000 sq. ft. or greater	3
OTHER USES
All uses not specifically listed	To be determined by the director

 

   (d)   Residential and mixed use structures with fifty (50) or more dwelling units shall provide at least one (1) on-site, short-term loading space for passenger vehicles, to be used by taxicabs and similar transportation and delivery services.

(Ord. 5594 § 7, 2024: Ord. 5587 § 15, 2023: Ord. 5554 § 31, 2022: Ord. 5542 § 14, 2022: Ord. 5538 § 14, 2021: Ord. 5524 § 2, 2021: Ord. 5512 § 6, 2020: Ord. 5504 § 4, 2020: Ord. 5460 § 11, 2019: Ord. 5412 § 21, 2017: Ord. 5406 § 6, 2017: Ord. 4964 § 3 (part), 2007)