Sonoma County Municipal Code Art. 86 Parking Regulations

All uses permitted in Chapter 26 of the Sonoma County Code shall provide on-site parking according to the following formulas.

(f) A portion of the above required parking spaces shall be provided for disabled persons consistent with state and federal law.

(g) Vehicular and bicycle parking requirements for all uses not specifically enumerated herein shall be determined by the zoning administrator or the planning commission.

(h) In most cases where mixed uses are proposed, the required parking for the use with the most restrictive parking standard may be utilized to meet the above standards; provided, that the applicant can demonstrate the effectiveness of the parking plan in relation to the proposed uses, and provided that future changes in the use of the property are subject to review by the decision-making body so as to maintain the effectiveness of such plan. Otherwise, each proposed use shall be required to meet its applicable parking standard.

(i) The above parking standards may be reduced when it has been satisfactorily demonstrated to the planning director or applicable decision-making body that fewer spaces will adequately serve the specific use or that the applicant has encouraged transit opportunities through one (1) or more of the following:

(1) Participation in a comprehensive travel demand management (TDM) program including, but not limited to, provision of flex-time, carpooling, and transit passes such that VMT generated by the project is reduced;

(2) Provision of transit stops and/or turnouts developed in cooperation with and approved by Sonoma County Transit;

(3) Provision of amenities for bicyclists, bus riders, carpoolers and pedestrians beyond those required by this section.

(j) The parking standards may be increased when it is determined that employee parking substantially reduces the number of spaces needed for customer use.

(k) The director may waive the requirement for parking to be covered, subject to administrative design review in accordance with Article 82, only where consistent with the neighborhood character and where either:

(1) topographic conditions and/or small lot size make the provision of covered parking infeasible; or

(2) the parking area will be visually screened from adjacent lots and from the common roadway(s) serving the property.

(l) An exception to the required parking may be made in cases of re-use of existing buildings located within urban service areas or unincorporated communities where it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the decisionmaker that the provision of parking meeting the above requirements is not feasible, and the use is of the same or less intensity than the previous use.

(m) The parking required may be reduced by up to twenty percent (20%) of total required spaces when it has been satisfactorily demonstrated to the planning director or applicable decision-making body that:

(1) adequate parking for the projected use is provided such that the public health and safety is not compromised; and

(2) that such design provides greater sustainability through the incorporation of amenities to encourage alternative modes of transportation and VMT reduction to offset GHG emissions from vehicle trips; and/or

(3) that the reductions are required in order to implement Low Impact Development (LID) parking lot design, including onsite retention and treatment of stormwater.

Examples include the provision of covered secured bike parking or bike lockers, showers and changing areas for employees, vegetated swales, and connections to Class I facilities. The parking required may be reduced by ten percent (10%) when at least ten percent (10%) of the total spaces are provided as covered by solar panels. These reductions may be combined but the total reduction in the required number of parking spaces may not exceed twenty percent (20%).

(n) The decision maker may increase the allowable percentage of compact spaces to not more than fifty percent (50%) of the total number of required spaces when the increase is needed to facilitate the provision of solar panels, EV charging stations, LID provisions, covered bike parking, connecting trails and the like.

(o) For the purpose of establishing minimum dimensions for parking spaces, a solar covering shall not cause the "covered parking space requirements" to be triggered in an existing parking lot in order that solar panels may be installed over existing spaces. For new parking areas, dimensions for parking spaces to be covered by solar panels shall be of adequate width to allow doors to open freely.

(p) Notwithstanding, the allowable modifications to required parking spaces and dimensions outlined above do not apply to accessible spaces otherwise required by code.

(Ord. No. 6516, § III(Exh. A), 5-6-2025; Ord. No. 6458, § XIII, 12-5-2023; Ord. No. 6297, § II(Exh. C), 12-10-2019; Ord. No. 6247, § II(Exh. G), 10-23, 2018)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 6247, § II(Exh. G), adopted Oct. 23, 2018, repealed the former § 26-86-010 and enacted a new section as set out herein. The former § 26-86-010 pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 4643, adopted in 1993; Ord. No. 5569 §§ 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, adopted in 2005; Ord. No. 5711 § 8 (Exh. I), adopted in 2007; Ord. No. 5715 § 2, adopted in 2007; Ord. No. 5883, § IV, adopted March 30, 2010; and Ord. No. 6046, § II(c), Exh. B, adopted Sep. 10, 2013.

(a) For nonresidential projects with fifty (50) or more employees, covered bike parking or bike lockers shall be provided at the rate of one (1) secured, covered space or bike locker for every eight (8) employees. Each covered bicycle space shall be a minimum of three (3) feet in width and six (6) feet in length, and have a minimum of seven feet of overhead clearance. For each three (3) covered bicycle spaces or bike lockers provided, the required onsite parking requirement may be reduced by one (1) space. For each shower and changing area provided as set forth in the table below, the required parking may be reduced by three (3)spaces.

(b) In addition to the bicycle parking requirements set forth in subsection 26-86-010(a), the additional support facilities shown in the table below are recommended for nonresidential projects with fifty (50) or more employees that are located both within a designated urban service area and within one half of one (½) mile of a Class 1 bikeway:

Recommended Shower and Changing Facilities

(Ord. No. 6046, § II(c), Exh. B, 9-10-2013)