23.322.080 Parking Layout and Design | Berkeley Municipal Code

23.322.080 Parking Layout and Design.

1. All off-street parking spaces, access driveways, circulation patterns, and ingress and egress connections to the public right-of-way must conform to the City of Berkeley’s Traffic Engineering requirements.

2. The Traffic Engineer shall determine whether the size, arrangement, and design of off-street parking spaces, access driveways, circulation patterns, and ingress and egress connections to the public right-of-way are adequate to create usable, functional, accessible, and safe parking areas, and are adequately integrated with Berkeley’s overall street pattern and traffic flows.

B. Dimensional Standards. Dimensional requirements and standards for off-street parking spaces, driveways, and other access improvements, and maneuvering aisles shall be incorporated in administrative regulations, subject to the review and approval by the City Manager and ZAB.

C. Access Orientation in Non-Residential Districts. Access to new parking areas in a Non-Residential District that serve commercial uses shall be oriented in such a way as to minimize the use of streets serving primarily residential uses.

D. Residential Parking Lots in Non-Residential Districts. Parking lots in a non-residential district used exclusively for residential parking must comply with standards in Section 23.322.080 that apply in Residential Districts.

(a) One new off-street parking space in a required side setback area, where none exists, is allowed by right.

(b) The space must be constructed of a permeable surface unless the Public Works Department or Office of Transportation determines it is infeasible.

(d) The location of the space shall minimize impact on usable open space.

2. Other Setback Areas. No portion of an off-street parking space may be located in a required front, street side, or rear setback area unless:

(a) The parking space location is authorized by Chapter 23.306 (Accessory Dwelling Units); or

(b) The Zoning Officer approves an AUP, in consultation with the Traffic Engineer, and the space meets all applicable requirements in this section.

(a) An off-street parking space may not be located closer than 10 feet in horizontal distance from a door or a window of a building with three or more dwelling units where the space is on the same or approximately the same level as the building.

(b) For the purposes of this section, a window whose bottom edge or point is more than 6 feet in vertical height from the level of the subject off-street parking space is not considered on the same or approximately the same level.

1. Where Prohibited. Except when otherwise allowed by this chapter, ground-level off-street parking spaces are not permitted within 20 feet of the lot’s street frontage unless the parking is entirely within a building with walls.

2. Corner Lots. For a corner lot, the ZAB may approve a Use Permit to allow the parking within 20 feet of the street frontage facing the secondary street.

(a) Off-street automobile parking in the C-W district is not permitted between the front lot line and a main structure within a designated node.

(b) Outside of a designated node, off-street automobile parking may be allowed between the front lot line and a main structure with a Use Permit or AUP. If the project requires ZAB approval, a Use Permit is required. An AUP is required for all other projects.

i. Parking in the rear or on the side of the property is impractical because of the lot’s depth and/or width.

ii. Parking in the rear of the property would result in adverse impacts on abutting residential or other uses.

iii. Parking in the rear or on the side of the property would result in the placement of a driveway in an unsafe location.

iv. Continuation or re-establishment of parking in front of the building is necessary for the reuse of an existing structure which is substantially set back from the front lot line.

1. On a lot with an existing or proposed ADU, replacement of required off-street parking for the main building or required off-street parking for an ADU is allowed in any configuration on the lot, including within the front setback; or

2. Within the Hillside Overlay on a lot with an existing or proposed ADU, where no legal off-street parking exists for the main building, required parking provided for the main building is allowed in any configuration on the lot, including within the front yard setback.

H. Grade Change. This subsection applies to off-street parking spaces in all districts, except for parking decks in Residential Districts.

1. The difference in elevation between a parking space and the finished grade on adjacent areas of the lot may not exceed 5 feet at any point.

2. Where there is a difference in elevation between a parking space and adjacent finished grade, the parking space shall be setback from a lot line as shown in Table 23.322-7.

Table 23.322-7. REQUIRED SETBACKS FOR PARKING SPACES WITH ADJACENT GRADE CHANGES
DIFFERENCE IN ELEVATION	MINIMUM SETBACK
Parking space lower than finished grade
3 to 5 ft	4 ft.
Less than 3 ft	No min. setback
Parking space higher than finished grade	6 ft.

1. Table 23.322-8 shows required parking space screening. Screening must effectively screen parked vehicles from view from buildings and uses on adjacent, abutting, and confronting lots. Screening may not interfere with pedestrian safety.

Table 23.322-8. REQUIRED PARKING SPACE SCREENING
DISTRICTS	WHEN REQUIRED	REQUIRED SCREENING FEATURE	SCREENING FEATURE HEIGHT
All Residential Districts	2 or more parking spaces, or any parking space partly or entirely within a required rear setback area	Continuous view-obscuring wood fence, masonry wall, or evergreen hedge which may be broken only for access driveways and walkways	4 ft. min and 6 ft. max.
All Commercial and Manufacturing Districts	2 or more parking spaces	Wall, fence, or evergreen shrubbery hedge in a landscape strip	Parking adjacent to public right-of-way or front lot line: 3 ft. min. and 4 ft. max. Parking adjacent to rear or side lot line: 4 ft. min and 6 ft. max.

2. In the C-W, M, MM, MU-LI districts, screening and landscape buffers are not required for any portion of a parking lot adjacent to Third Street (Southern Pacific Railroad).

1. All paved areas for off-street parking spaces, driveways, and any other vehicle-related paving must be separated from adjacent lot lines and the public right-of-way by a landscaped strip as shown in Table 23.322-9.

Table 23.322-9. REQUIRED LANDSCAPE BUFFERS
DISTRICT/NUMBER OF SPACES	MINIMUM WIDTH OF LANDSCAPE STRIP
DISTRICT/NUMBER OF SPACES	AREAS ADJACENT TO SIDE OR REAR LOT LINES	AREAS ADJACENT TO PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY OR FRONT LOT LINE
Residential Districts
1 -- 3 spaces	2 ft.	2 ft.
4 spaces or more	4 ft. [1]	4 ft. [1]
Commercial and Manufacturing Districts
1 space	None required	None required
2 -- 3 spaces	2 ft.	3 ft.
4 spaces or more	4 ft. [1]	4 ft. [1]

[1]Calculated as average width along the full length of landscape strip

2. In all districts, this landscape buffer requirement does not apply to driveways that serve two adjacent lots when adjacent to a side lot line.

3. In the Residential Districts, this landscape buffer requirement also does not apply to pedestrian walkways that are separated from such areas by a landscaped strip at least two feet wide.

K. Paved Setback Areas. In Residential Districts, the total area of pavement devoted to off-street parking spaces, driveways, and other vehicle-related paving may not exceed 50 percent of any required setback area that runs parallel to and abuts a street.

1. A driveway may not exceed 20 feet in width at any lot line abutting a street or one-half of the width of the street frontage of the lot, whichever is less.

2. In a Non-Residential district, the Zoning Officer may modify this requirement with an AUP.

M. Driveway Separation. On a single lot in a Residential District, driveways must be spaced at least 75 feet from one another, as measured along any continuous lot line abutting a street.

N. Tandem Parking. Tandem spaces that provide required off-street parking require an AUP, except when allowed by right by Chapter 23.306 (Accessory Dwelling Units).

O. Carports. A carport shall meet the minimum horizontal and vertical dimensions specified by the City’s Traffic Engineer to be used for one or more legal parking spaces required under this chapter. (Ord. 7888-NS § 13, 2023: Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)