Yolo County — Parking

Last reviewed: July 6, 2026

Overview

This page distills how off-street parking, bicycle parking, and loading work in the unincorporated areas of Yolo County under the Yolo County Code, Title 8, Chapter 2 (Zoning Regulations), Article 13. The County treats the “Parking Requirements by Land Use” table as a cap, not a floor, and actively encourages right-sized parking and mode shift. All standards here apply only in unincorporated Yolo County; incorporated cities set their own rules. See the County’s zoning, land use, and development standards pages for broader context.

The County’s land use parking table is a maximum, not a minimum: provide no more than the standard number of spaces unless the Planning Director requires more, and reductions up to 25% are available under specific findings.

Countywide applicability and intent

• The Article applies countywide across zoning districts identified in Chapter 2, with the explicit policy that Table 8-2.1306 is a maximum unless decision-makers require more for a specific use.
• A parking plan should reduce on-site parking where feasible and include mobility measures (rideshare, transit passes, better bike/ped access).

Where to put parking, and when it’s required

• Nonresidential: Keep required spaces on the same parcel or an adjacent/contiguous one; if infeasible, lease/purchase spaces within 250 ft. Parking in street right-of-way does not count unless a Use Permit allows it.
• Residential: Required parking cannot be located in required front or side yards (with narrow exceptions referenced for accessory/second units in residential zones).
• Changes or expansions of nonresidential uses: If a space of more than 500 sf commercial or 1,000 sf industrial changes tenant/use, or expands, provide parking for the changed/expanded portion “to the extent feasible” (except in DMX).
• Multi-use sites: Add the requirements for each use; shared reduction options exist (see Adjustments).
• Spaces must be permanent, marked, and maintained; using required lots for sales/storage is prohibited without prior approval.

Parking ratios (selected snapshot)

Parking ratios are organized by land-use category in Table 8-2.1306; below are representative lines applicants frequently need.

Notes: The table in the ordinance is to be used as a “guide,” and the plan should reduce on-site supply where feasible; the ratios function as maximums unless decision-makers require more.

Special space types and counts

• Accessible parking: Required per state code; the County echoes the CBC schedule in Table 8-2.1307. One in eight accessible spaces, but not less than one, must be van-accessible. See the California Building Standards Code for design details.
• Bicycle parking (within community growth boundaries only): Nonresidential = 5% of required vehicle spaces; multifamily = 10%; locate near entrances; separate from vehicle areas; all-weather surface.
• Company vehicles: Provide one on-site space for each company vehicle parked during business hours.
• ADUs: County standards require 1 space per ADU, allow tandem on a driveway, prohibit required replacement of lost covered spaces with an ADU conversion, and exempt parking near transit, in historic districts, and other state-defined cases; ADU parking may be in side/rear yards if set back 5 ft with screening, and must meet Article 13 design standards. See also California ADU law.

Development and design standards

• Space sizes: Standard stalls 9 ft x 18 ft; garages 10 ft x 20 ft (per car); compact 8 ft x 14 ft; motorcycle 4 ft x 8 ft; loading spaces 10 ft x 25 ft x 14 ft high.
• Aisles and access: Typical 90° stalls require 24 ft aisles; fire access aisles 26 ft (or 30 ft for buildings >2 stories); truck aisles 40 ft in commercial/industrial projects; require internal circulation, forward egress, limited driveways per County standards, and defined pedestrian pathways.
• Lighting and striping: Provide on-site safety lighting directed downward; stripe and maintain stalls; add entrance/exit and directional markings.
• Landscaping and screening: Provide a landscape/irrigation plan; achieve 50% lot shading by year 10 (can be reduced if solar canopies or high-albedo paving are used); curb planting areas; add screening next to residential (5-ft landscape strip plus fence), and a planted strip/berm along streets.
• Paving: In agricultural zones, required spaces/roads need only be all-weather and usable (not paved) unless required by discretionary approval or fire access; in all other zones, pave/grade/drain, and pervious paving is encouraged.

Loading

• Provide at least one off-street loading space for buildings of 5,000 sf or more used for manufacturing, storage/warehousing, goods display/retail, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry/dry cleaning, or similar uses, plus one additional loading space per 20,000 sf thereafter.
• Screen loading from streets and neighboring residences.

Adjustments and reductions

• Shared use and on-site sharing: The Planning Director may approve shared peak-hour reductions or shared on-site reductions, with agreements recorded; total combined reduction across tools is capped at 25% for nonresidential uses.
• Off-site supply: Reductions may be granted where ample on-street/public parking or nearby private shared supply exists, based on a professional study.
• Compact/motorcycle substitutions: On lots with 20+ spaces, allow up to 25% compact stalls and 5% motorcycle stalls.
• Permeable paving incentive: Using porous/permeable paving may earn a 20% space-count reduction.
• Zoning Administrator modifications: Separately from the above, the Zoning Administrator may modify off-street parking requirements in Article 13, but not below 75% of what would otherwise be required, with findings of adequacy and safety. See variances and exceptions.

District-by-District Application (unincorporated areas)

Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zones

• Purpose/where: County-defined downtown business districts of certain unincorporated towns for mixed retail/office/residential.
• Parking rules:
  • For projects on vacant/under-developed land ≥ 1 acre: provide off-street parking as the Article requires.
  • Other projects: No off-street parking for new/expanded nonresidential uses up to 3,000 sf GFA; over that, provide parking for floor area beyond 3,000 sf. Residential (4+ units) must provide off-street parking. Director may modify.
  • Off-site options: May satisfy parking by leasing/purchasing spaces within 400 ft; on-site spaces must be behind buildings or screened from streets/residential.

Residential (R) zones

• Placement: Required residential parking cannot be in required front or side yards (with limited exceptions for accessory/second units cross-referenced in Article 5).
• Recreational/commercial vehicles:
  • No RV parking in required front/side/rear yards adjacent to a public street; no occupation of an RV as a dwelling unless a temporary dwelling is approved during home construction; commercial vehicles generally prohibited except for active loading/unloading.
  • RVs may be parked outside required street-facing yards if paved per Article 13, or inside a garage if required residential parking is still met.
• ADUs: See special standards above and in Article 5; design must still meet Article 13 parking design.

Agricultural zones

• Paving: Required parking, loading, and roads must be all-weather and usable (not necessarily paved), unless a discretionary approval or stricter fire access standard applies; accessible stalls still required as applicable.
• Representative uses: The table includes agricultural processing, research, wineries/olive oil, and stables with tailored ratios.

All other non-agricultural zones

• Paving required; durable, dustless surfaces; encourage swales and pervious materials; connections and surface design per County Improvement Standards.
• Core design standards (stall size, aisles, access, lighting, landscaping/screening) apply across commercial/industrial districts in unincorporated areas. See also landscaping and screening.

Other calculation rules

• Fractional spaces: Round fractions < 0.5 down; 0.5 or more up to the next space.

Checklist

• Confirm your site is in unincorporated Yolo County and identify the base zone/any overlays. See overlay districts.
• Prepare a parking plan that right-sizes supply (ratios are maximums) and includes mobility measures where feasible.
• Verify location and off-site options: same/adjacent parcel, or leased/purchased within 250 ft (400 ft in DMX).
• Apply special counts: accessible stalls per CBC; bicycle stalls if inside a community growth boundary; company vehicle stalls.
• Meet space/aisle/access/lighting/striping standards and submit a landscape plan that achieves 50% shading in 10 years.
• Provide loading spaces if thresholds apply and screen loading from streets/residences.
• If seeking fewer spaces: choose an adjustment path (shared, on-street supply, compact/motorcycle, permeable paving); keep total reduction ≤ 25%, or seek a Zoning Administrator modification (not below 75%).
• In DMX, confirm the 3,000 sf nonresidential exemption and placement/screening rules for on-site stalls.
• For residential lots, observe RV/commercial-vehicle limits and ADU parking exceptions.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Yolo County sets parking by use, but treats those ratios as a ceiling, not a floor. Put required stalls on-site (or very close by), build stalls to the County’s size/aisle/landscaping standards, add loading where big deliveries happen, and include bike parking in growth areas. If you can share or right-size parking, the County offers several reduction tools—and even more flexibility in DMX districts—so long as safety, access, and screening are handled.

Source References

• § 8-2.1303 Applicability; table as maximums; Article-wide applicability.
• § 8-2.1304 General parking provisions (location, use changes/expansions, multi-use accounting, permanence/marking and no sales/storage in lots).
• § 8-2.1305 Off-street parking in Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zones.
• § 8-2.1306 Number of parking spaces required; ratios as planning maximums; bicycle/accessible minimums referenced.
• Table 8-2.1306 Parking Requirements by Land Use (selected rows cited).
• § 8-2.1307 Special parking space requirements (accessible, bicycle, company vehicles).
• § 8-2.1308 Loading space requirements.
• § 8-2.1309 Fractional space rounding.
• § 8-2.1310 Adjustments to parking requirements (shared peak-hour, shared on-site, off-street supply, compact/motorcycle, permeable paving).
• § 8-2.1311 Development standards (dimensions, aisles, access, lighting, striping).
• § 8-2.1312 Landscaping and screening (50% shading by year 10, curbing, screening).
• § 8-2.1313 Paving (ag vs. other zones; pervious encouraged).
• § 8-2.1314 Recreational and commercial vehicle parking in residential zones.
• § 8-2.216(g) Zoning Administrator—authority to modify parking to not less than 75% of requirement.

Also see: Yolo County Design Review, Yolo County Nonconforming Uses, Yolo County Landscaping and Screening, and the California Building Standards Code.

Retrieved passages

• Yolo County Zoning Code (article shall) High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (§ 4) High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (Section 8-2.1310.) High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (Section 8-2.1310) High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (article shall) Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (Section 8-) Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code (article or) Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• Yolo County Zoning Code Medium relevance show source text
• CBC § 8 (Section 8-2.1306) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• § 8-2.1303 Applicability; table as maximums; Article-wide applicability. (§ 8-2.1303)
• § 8-2.1304 General parking provisions (location, use changes/expansions, multi-use accounting, permanence/marking and no sales/storage in lots). (§ 8-2.1304)
• § 8-2.1305 Off-street parking in Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zones. (§ 8-2.1305)
• § 8-2.1306 Number of parking spaces required; ratios as planning maximums; bicycle/accessible minimums referenced. (§ 8-2.1306)
• Table 8-2.1306 Parking Requirements by Land Use (selected rows cited).
• § 8-2.1307 Special parking space requirements (accessible, bicycle, company vehicles). (§ 8-2.1307)
• § 8-2.1308 Loading space requirements. (§ 8-2.1308)
• § 8-2.1309 Fractional space rounding. (§ 8-2.1309)
• § 8-2.1310 Adjustments to parking requirements (shared peak-hour, shared on-site, off-street supply, compact/motorcycle, permeable paving). (§ 8-2.1310)
• § 8-2.1311 Development standards (dimensions, aisles, access, lighting, striping). (§ 8-2.1311)
• § 8-2.1312 Landscaping and screening (50% shading by year 10, curbing, screening). (§ 8-2.1312)
• § 8-2.1313 Paving (ag vs. other zones; pervious encouraged). (§ 8-2.1313)
• § 8-2.1314 Recreational and commercial vehicle parking in residential zones. (§ 8-2.1314)
• § 8-2.216(g) Zoning Administrator—authority to modify parking to not less than 75% of requirement. (§ 8-2.216)
• YoloCounty_ZoningCode.md

• Official Yolo County code library