Hercules — Parking

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Hercules Zoning Ordinance requires for parking (off‑street parking), loading, and related design standards. Requirements are use-based (Table 13‑32.1) and sit inside Chapter 13‑32 (Off‑Street Parking and Loading Facilities); dimension, surfacing, and layout standards are also provided. See the City rules for project-level exceptions, variances, and design review triggers. § 13‑32.100, § 13‑32.200, § 13‑32.300

Note: this page focuses strictly on zoning/parking rules in the Hercules Zoning Ordinance (Title 13). For building-code items (ramps, accessible stalls details, structural carport rules) consult the California Building Standards Code.

What the code requires (quick summary)

• Required parking counts are listed by use in Table 13‑32.1 and applied citywide (§ 13‑32.300) .
• Loading berth minima and design standards are in § 13‑32.400 and Table 13‑32.1 (§ references in that section) .
• Parking stall dimensions, compact-car limits, aisle widths and surfacing standards are in § 13‑32.300 and Table 13‑32.3 (§ 13‑32.300) .
• Exceptions, reductions or waivers (parking exceptions) are allowed subject to submittal of studies/justification under § 13‑32.500 .
• Off‑site/shared parking must be covered by a recorded easement or joint‑use agreement (§ 13‑32.200) .

(First mention links: "parking" → Hercules Development Standards; "setbacks/development standards" → Hercules Development Standards; "design review" → Hercules Design Review; "overlays" → Hercules Overlay Districts; "ADUs" → Hercules ADUs; "California Building Standards Code" → California Building Standards Code; "landscaping and screening" → Hercules Landscaping and Screening; "variances" → Hercules Variances and Exceptions.)

District-by-district breakdown (how parking rules apply in Hercules)

The Zoning Ordinance applies parking requirements by use rather than by district-exclusive formulas—Table 13‑32.1 lists parking requirements for common uses and the District property development tables point to Chapter 13‑32 for parking. The short district-by-district notes below explain where parking standards matter for common projects in those districts and point to the specific use rows you will most often use.

RS‑E, RS‑L, RM‑L, RM‑M, RM‑H (Residential districts)

• Purpose and typical uses: single‑family homes, duplexes, townhomes and multifamily developments (see residential district tables) (§ 13‑6.x references in district tables; parking referred to Chapter 13‑32) .
• Key parking rules that apply: single‑family homes require 2.0 spaces per unit; an accessory/second residential unit (ADU) is shown as 1.0 space per unit; multifamily requirements are expressed as 1.5 spaces per unit plus 0.5 spaces per unit for guest parking (see Table 13‑32.1) and may require loading for very large complexes (§ 13‑32.300, Table 13‑32.1) .
• Where it applies: lot-level parking must meet Chapter 13‑32 dimensional, surfacing and setback limits (e.g., parking cannot occupy required front yards unless screened) (§ 13‑32.300 K) .
• Practical note: single‑family driveway/garage dimensions for permitted enclosed parking are larger than standard stalls (garage: 20 ft × 10 ft per space) (§ 13‑32.300 M) .

CP (Commercial / Public Mixed‑Use)

• Purpose and typical uses: government offices, transit facilities, retail and mixed‑use development; CP property tables instruct that parking is handled via Chapter 13‑32 (PDP) and some CP projects are processed under a Planned Development Plan (§ 13‑11.1 and 13‑11.2) .
• Key parking rules that apply: retail, restaurants and office uses have parking rates in Table 13‑32.1 (e.g., local retail rates shown as X per 1,000 sf GFA; restaurants and lodging have separate per‑seat or per‑room rules) — use Table 13‑32.1 to calculate required spaces and handicapped spaces per Table 13‑32.2 (§ 13‑32.300) .
• Practical note: larger commercial sites may use shared parking or parking structures as allowed by planned development; parking structures can have special FAR allowances in CP (§ 13‑11.2 note) .

I (Industrial)

• Purpose and typical uses: manufacturing, warehousing, R&D and related services (see Table 13‑9.1) .
• Key parking rules that apply: industrial uses typically use the per‑1,000 sf formulas in Table 13‑32.1 (for example, general industrial often uses 1.5 spaces per 1,000 sf GFA) and have specified loading berth minimums for large facilities (§ 13‑32.300 & § 13‑32.400) .
• Practical note: loading design standards (access from alley or street, paved surface, and orientation away from residential districts) are mandatory (§ 13‑32.400) .

Key standards and quick reference table

Design, screening and siting constraints

• Parking cannot occupy a required front yard or a side yard adjoining a street on corner lots unless screened as required; tandem parking limitations are evaluated case‑by‑case (§ 13‑32.300 K) .
• Loading areas located outside buildings must be screened (solid wall, slatted chain‑link vine fence, or evergreen hedge, min 6 ft high) and cannot be in required yards (§ 13‑32.300 H; § 13‑32.400) .
• Landscaping and screening requirements for parking areas (trees, planter islands, vegetative buffers) are referenced throughout Chapter 13; consult Hercules Landscaping and Screening and Chapter 13‑32 standards (§ 13‑32.x) .

Application pathways, exceptions and variances

• Parking exceptions (reductions or complete waivers) require submittal of a parking study, market profile, TDM documentation, or evidence that existing nearby supply within 1,250 ft will serve the use; approvals follow the project's approval authority (see § 13‑32.500) .
• Variances to parking and loading standards may be sought from the Planning Commission; findings under § 13‑51.400 must be met including that the variance won’t increase on‑street parking problems or safety hazards (§ 13‑51.300–51.400) .
• Planned development approvals or design review may modify how parking is provided (shared facilities, structures) as part of a development plan; see final planned development requirements and design review triggers (§ 13‑48.500) . (First mention links above: "design review" → Hercules Design Review; "variances" → Hercules Variances and Exceptions.)

Bicycle parking

• Bicycle parking standards (required spaces, design, racks) are not found in the retrieved Chapter 13 excerpts. Not found in retrieved materials. Verify with the jurisdiction or consult the city's development standards or bicycle master plan. (If bicycle parking is required by state or regional policy, that detail is not present in the files provided.)

Information Gaps

• Specific, quantified bicycle parking requirements (counts, rack types, long‑term vs short‑term) — Not found in retrieved materials.
• Some district land‑use tables reference parking by pointing to Chapter 13‑32 rather than repeating amounts; where a use is not explicitly in Table 13‑32.1 the code directs the applicant to use the most similar specified use — this requires interpretation on a per‑project basis (§ 13‑32.300) .
• Exact, contemporary numeric values for every commercial sub‑use row (the long Table 13‑32.1 appears split across previews; always confirm the full table in the official code before final calculations) (§ 13‑32.300, Table 13‑32.1) .

Checklist (what an applicant must satisfy to demonstrate compliance)

• Calculate required parking using Table 13‑32.1 for your use(s) (provide math showing units, seats, or 1,000 sf factors) (§ 13‑32.300) .
• Show required handicapped stalls per Table 13‑32.2 and ensure layout allows accessible routes to building entries (§ 13‑32.300, Table 13‑32.2) .
• Dimension all stalls/aisles per § 13‑32.300 and Table 13‑32.3 (stall lengths, widths, aisle widths) and label compact vs standard stalls (§ 13‑32.300; Table 13‑32.3) .
• Show surfacing/paving sections consistent with § 13‑32.300 E and drainage/curb details (§ 13‑32.300 E) .
• Locate loading berths on site plan; demonstrate access from street/alley and screening if outside (§ 13‑32.400) .
• If providing off‑site or shared parking, submit an executed, recorded easement or joint‑use agreement prior to CO (§ 13‑32.200) .
• If requesting a parking reduction, attach required supporting study (parking study, market profile, TDM plan, or nearby shared supply documentation) per § 13‑32.500 .
• Verify whether design review, a planned development, or a variance is required for the proposed modifications to parking standards (§ 13‑48.500; § 13‑51.300–51.400) .
• Coordinate with the City Engineer for ingress/egress locations and any departures from standard paving dimensions (§ 13‑32.300 F and related) .
• Confirm bicycle parking requirements (not found in retrieved files) — Verify with the Planning Department. Not found in retrieved materials.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Hercules requires you to provide the number of off‑street parking and loading spaces shown in Table 13‑32.1, to size and lay out stalls and aisles to the dimensions in § 13‑32.300 (including handicapped stalls per Table 13‑32.2), and to follow loading and surfacing rules in § 13‑32.400; the City can reduce requirements if you supply an approved parking study or TDM measures (§ 13‑32.500). Always verify bicycle parking requirements and any parcel‑specific transit exceptions with Planning.

Source References

• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 13‑32 (Off‑Street Parking and Loading Facilities): § 13‑32.100 (Purpose) and § 13‑32.200 (Applicability) .
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, § 13‑32.300 (Parking standards, Table 13‑32.1, stall dimensions) and Table 13‑32.3 (aisle dimensions) .
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, § 13‑32.400 (Loading standards) .
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, § 13‑32.500 (Parking exceptions / reductions) .
• Handicapped parking Table (Table 13‑32.2) and commercial/industrial parking rates shown in Table 13‑32.1 excerpts .
• District land‑use and property development tables that reference parking standards (Residential district table; RS‑E / RS‑L / RM‑L / RM‑M / RM‑H and CP, I tables) — see Tables in Chapter 13 (e.g., Table 13‑11.1, Table 13‑9.1, Table 13‑6.1) .
• Variance authority and findings related to parking/loading: § 13‑51.300 and § 13‑51.400 .
• Planned development / design review references that affect parking layout decisions: § 13‑48.500 (Final Planned Development Plan) .

Retrieved passages

• Hercules Zoning Code (Chapter is) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (Section shall) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• CBC § 3 (Section 18901) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• Hercules Zoning Code (Section shall) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 13‑32 (Off‑Street Parking and Loading Facilities): **§ 13‑32.100** (Purpose) and **§ 13‑32.200** (Applicability) . (Chapter 13)
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, **§ 13‑32.300** (Parking standards, Table 13‑32.1, stall dimensions) and **Table 13‑32.3** (aisle dimensions) . (§ 13)
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, **§ 13‑32.400** (Loading standards) . (§ 13)
• Hercules Zoning Ordinance, **§ 13‑32.500** (Parking exceptions / reductions) . (§ 13)
• Handicapped parking Table (**Table 13‑32.2**) and commercial/industrial parking rates shown in Table 13‑32.1 excerpts .
• District land‑use and property development tables that reference parking standards (Residential district table; **RS‑E / RS‑L / RM‑L / RM‑M / RM‑H** and **CP**, **I** tables) — see Tables in Chapter 13 (e.g., Table 13‑11.1, Table 13‑9.1, Table 13‑6.1) . (Chapter 13)
• Variance authority and findings related to parking/loading: **§ 13‑51.300** and **§ 13‑51.400** . (§ 13)
• Planned development / design review references that affect parking layout decisions: § 13‑48.500 (Final Planned Development Plan) . (§ 13)
• Hercules_ZoningCode.md

• Official Hercules code library