Parking Minimums

What Are Parking Minimums?

Parking minimums are zoning requirements that set the least number of off-street parking spaces a new building must provide. For housing, the rule is usually stated per unit (for example, 1.5 spaces per apartment) or per bedroom. Each locality sets its own ratios, and they vary widely. Some codes also require spaces to be covered or in garages.

How Parking Minimums Work

The parking count is checked during permitting like any other zoning standard. If a site cannot fit the required spaces in a surface lot, the builder has to build a garage, put parking under the building, build fewer homes or seek a variance.

Required parking adds cost in several ways:

• Land. Spaces and drive aisles take up ground that could hold homes.
• Construction. Garages and underground spaces are expensive to build.
• Design. Ramps and driveways can make small infill lots unworkable.

A 2005 HUD report, an update to a 1991 federal advisory commission report on regulatory barriers to housing, described excessive development standards as “gold-plated.” One example it gave was a requirement of at least 4.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, even for multifamily buildings.

Example

Suppose a small lot is zoned for six apartments, but the city requires two parking spaces per unit and the lot can fit only eight surface spaces. Unless the builder pays for a garage, the parking rule caps the building at four apartments. The parking rule, not the density limit, determines how many homes get built.

Why It Matters for Workforce Housing

Parking requirements weigh most heavily on the small, lower-cost building types that workforce housing often depends on, including missing middle housing, accessory dwelling units and single-room occupancy buildings. Some states have limited them:

• California, AB 2097 (signed September 2022, effective January 1, 2023). Public agencies may not impose minimum parking requirements on residential, commercial or other development within one-half mile of a major transit stop. Hotels and other short-stay lodging are excluded. A city or county can still require parking if it makes specified written findings within 30 days of receiving a completed application. For housing, that exception is not available when a project has fewer than 20 units, or dedicates at least 20% of its units to very low-, low- or moderate-income households, students, older adults or people with disabilities.
• Texas, SB 15 (effective September 1, 2025). On lots of 4,000 square feet or less in certain new single-family subdivisions, large cities may not require covered parking, off-site parking or more than one space per unit.

Critics worry that cars will spill onto nearby streets, especially where transit is limited. Supporters respond that ending a minimum lets builders, lenders and residents decide how much parking a project needs.