Suisun City — Parking

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes Suisun City's local rules for parking, off‑street loading, and bicycle parking as written in the local zoning/planning ordinance. It focuses on what the Suisun City zoning code requires (design standards, minimum counts, shared‑use rules, and special rules for structures such as parking garages) and points to where the City defers to state rules (for accessible and bicycle parking). For procedural items (design review, specific permits) see the linked local pages referenced below.

This page links to the City's planning menu for the first mention of related items: parking, development standards, design review, Overlay Districts, ADUs, and the California Building Standards Code.

Core rules (what the ordinance actually requires)

• Off‑street parking is mandatory for any new building, expansions that increase demand, or occupancy changes that increase parking need; required stalls must be on the same site unless an exception applies. See § 18.42.030 .
• Basic design standards that apply citywide (stall sizes, paving, drainage, lighting, screening, etc.) are in § 18.42.040 and related subsections: standard stall 9 ft × 19 ft, compact 8 ft × 16 ft, vertical clearance 8.5 ft, paved surface required (with some allowance for approved porous surfaces), drainage, and lighting limits (fixtures ≤ 15 ft high and adjacent illumination ≤ 5 footcandles) are specified. See § 18.42.040 .
• Residential design standards (garage stall dimensions, driveway widths, visitor parking rules and circulation requirements) are in § 18.42.050; for example, covered residential stalls must be 9 ft × 19 ft, driveways serving 5+ units must be 24 ft wide, and visitor parking rules for multi‑unit developments are set in the parking tables. See § 18.42.050 .
• Commercial and institutional design standards (motorcycle areas, access drive widths, maneuvering, striping, islands and landscaping percentages, etc.) are at § 18.42.060 and § 18.42.070. Motorcycle areas must be at least 54 sq ft where required, and up to 35% of uncovered spaces may be compact car stalls for qualifying developments. See § 18.42.060 and § 18.42.070 .
• Bicycle parking for commercial and office uses is required by reference to the California building code; Suisun City requires "adequate locking facilities" and encourages weatherproofing/covering — the City delegates the quantitative technical requirements to the California Building Standards Code. See § 18.42.070(C) and the California building code citation in the code materials .
• Shared parking is allowed when operations have complementary hours. Joint use must be demonstrated to the Development Services Director, be no more than the stalls reasonably available, be within 300 feet walking distance, and be secured by a written agreement acceptable to the City Attorney. See § 18.42.090 .
• Parking structures may be allowed an extra story in height (where other code limits the height) provided at least 75% of ground floor area is parking and ground floor parking is screened; planning commission approval is required. See § 18.42.100 .
• Where the zoning code points to state law for accessible parking/handicapped stalls, the City defers to state requirements (see § 18.42.040(C)). See § 18.42.040(C) and the California building code references for accessible parking details (e.g., van vs. car accessible dimensions). See § 18.42.040(C) and California building code excerpts .
• The code allows parking reductions for mixed‑use or other qualifying projects using shared parking methodology (Urban Land Institute or another approved resource) and grants specific density‑bonus parking ratios on request for qualifying affordable projects (see § 18.14.060 and § 18.47.080). See § 18.14.060 and § 18.47.080 .

District-by-district breakdown (parking focus)

Below are the actual zoning districts named in Suisun City's code that have explicit parking tables. For each district block I summarize the parking rules that apply there (purpose/uses are paraphrased from the same zoning chapters; always verify parcel‑specific uses with the zoning map).

RL, RM, RH1, RH2, RMU

• Purpose / typical uses: residential districts covering low‑ and medium‑density housing and residential mixed‑use areas (RMU allows mixed uses and provides flexibility). See general RMU mix rules in § 18.14.030–18.14.060 .
• Parking standard highlights: residential minimums are given in Table 18.42.01 (part of § 18.42.110). Examples: single‑family = 2 per dwelling (one in garage); multi‑family: studios/1‑BR = 1 covered per unit + 0.25 guest; 2‑BR = 1 covered + 0.5 uncovered + 0.25 guest; accessory dwellings = 1 covered per unit. Visitor parking: one on‑site uncovered visitor stall per 4 units; for developments of 5+ units up to 35% of required uncovered spaces may be compact stalls. See § 18.42.110 and § 18.42.050 .
• Where it applies: see Table 18.42.01 (RL/RM/RH1/RH2/RMU). See § 18.42.110 .

CR, CSF, O, CMU

• Purpose / typical uses: commercial retail, commercial services/fabricating, business/office, and commercial mixed‑use. See commercial development standards in Chapter 18.32 (Table 18.32.01). See § 18.32.010 .
• Parking standard highlights: commercial use parking rates are in Table 18.42.02 (part of § 18.42.110). Examples: restaurants/cafés typically calculated per 100 sq ft or per gross floor area depending on use; banks and many retail uses use a per 250–400 sq ft ratio; auto sales/repair uses have specialized per‑bay or per‑service metrics. Loading space requirements are also listed per use. See § 18.42.110 .
• Design & special requirements: commercial lots must meet the commercial design rules in § 18.42.060–070 (motorcycle stalls, compact car limits, bicycle parking per state code, landscaping islands, striping, and circulation). See § 18.42.060–070 .

APS, P, OS, P/QP (Agricultural / Parks / Open Space / Public‑Quasi‑Public)

• Purpose / typical uses: parks, public/quasi‑public uses, agricultural production/sales, open space and public facilities; development standards vary by use. See Chapter 18.33 and the APS/P tables. See § 18.33.010 .
• Parking standard highlights: Table 18.42.03 sets uses and parking rates for parks, campgrounds, golf courses, wineries, agricultural processing, etc. Examples: parks = 2 per 0.5 acre; campgrounds = 2 per campsite + 1 per employee; winery= 1 per 1,000 sq ft. See § 18.42.110 (Table 18.42.03) .
• Loading: Where specified (manufacturing, processing, large retail), one loading space plus additional for every 20,000 sq ft is typical (see table notes). See § 18.42.110 .

Quick reference table — most decision‑relevant standards

Checklist (what an applicant must satisfy)

• Show off‑street parking count computed against the correct table (Table 18.42.01 / 02 / 03) and cite the use type; include loading stalls if required. See § 18.42.110 .
• Dimension every stall and aisle to meet § 18.42.040 and the residential/commercial subsections (e.g., 9×19 standard stalls; 24 ft driveways for 5+ units). See § 18.42.040 and § 18.42.050–060 .
• Provide ADA/accessible stalls per state law (follow California building code dimensions and count). See § 18.42.040(C) and California code excerpts .
• Show paving, drainage, lighting, screening, landscaping (min 10% of parking area landscaped; islands and tree requirements), and striping details per § 18.42.040 / .060 / .070. See § 18.42.040(G) and § 18.42.060 / .070 .
• If proposing shared parking, include a shared‑use analysis (ULI or equivalent), distance math (≤ 300 ft) and a legal agreement acceptable to the City Attorney. See § 18.14.060 and § 18.42.090 .
• If requesting parking reductions (mixed‑use, density bonus, or affordable housing), include the justification and reference to the relevant section (§ 18.14.060 / § 18.47.080). See § 18.14.060 and § 18.47.080 .
• For ADUs/SB9 projects, apply the ADU/SB9 parking rules in the ADU/SB9 sections (local exceptions and/or state ADU law may apply). See the ADU/SB9 provisions in the code (e.g., § 18.30.170 and SB9 urban split rules) .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Suisun City requires off‑street parking for new buildings, expansions, and use changes; the City publishes three parking tables (residential, commercial, and parks/public) that set minimum counts, and it also sets out detailed dimensional, paving, drainage, lighting, landscaping, and circulation rules. The City refers to the California building code for accessible and bicycle parking details; shared parking and some reductions are permitted but require City approval. Key citation: § 18.42.030–110 (parking chapter). See § 18.42.030 and § 18.42.110 .

Source References

• Suisun City Municipal Code — Chapter: Parking and Loading Areas. Key sections: § 18.42.010–110, including design and tables.
• Suisun City Municipal Code — Residential and Commercial zone chapters and development standards (Tables and references to parking): e.g., Chapter 18.32 (commercial development standards) and RMU rules (§ 18.14.030–060).
• Shared parking and parking reductions (RMU/mixed‑use) — § 18.14.060 and § 18.42.090.
• Bicycle parking reference to state code and accessible parking reference to state law — § 18.42.070(C) and § 18.42.040(C); California building code excerpts included in the retrieved materials.
• Parking and special uses (ADU/SB9 cross references): local ADU rules and SB9 urban lot split rules as included in the zoning code (Accessory Dwelling Unit section/§ 18.30.170 and SB9 text).

Information Gaps (what was NOT confirmed in the retrieved materials)

• Local numeric short‑term vs. long‑term bicycle parking counts are not spelled out in the Suisun City parking chapter; the ordinance points to the California building code for bicycle parking counts and design. See § 18.42.070(C) .
• City‑level EV / EV‑capable stall counts or local amendments to the California Green Building Standards Code are Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the Development Services Department.
• If you need parcel‑specific allowances (on‑street credits, compact‑car mix beyond stated percentages, or parking structure height bonuses), the code shows those are discretionary and require director or commission approval but the precise process/standards may need verification for your project. See § 18.42.070(B) and § 18.42.100 .

Retrieved passages

• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) High relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (section and) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (Section 21155) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• CBC § 3 (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Suisun City Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Suisun City Municipal Code — Chapter: Parking and Loading Areas. Key sections: **§ 18.42.010–110**, including design and tables. (§ 18.42.010)
• Suisun City Municipal Code — Residential and Commercial zone chapters and development standards (Tables and references to parking): e.g., **Chapter 18.32** (commercial development standards) and RMU rules (**§ 18.14.030–060**). (Chapter 18.32)
• Shared parking and parking reductions (RMU/mixed‑use) — **§ 18.14.060** and **§ 18.42.090**. (§ 18.14.060)
• Bicycle parking reference to state code and accessible parking reference to state law — **§ 18.42.070(C)** and **§ 18.42.040(C)**; California building code excerpts included in the retrieved materials. (§ 18.42.070)
• Parking and special uses (ADU/SB9 cross references): local ADU rules and SB9 urban lot split rules as included in the zoning code (Accessory Dwelling Unit section/**§ 18.30.170** and SB9 text). (§ 18.30.170)
• SuisunCity_ZoningCode.md
• 2025 California Building Code.md
• 2025 California ADU handbook.md

• Official Suisun City code library