[Amended effective 5-12-2019; 6-21-2025]
601.A. 
Overall Requirements.
1. 
Number of Spaces. Each use that is newly developed, enlarged, significantly changed in type of use, or increased in number of establishments shall provide and maintain off-street parking spaces in accordance with Table 6.1 and the regulations of this Article.
2. 
Uses Not Listed. Uses not specifically listed in Table 6.1 shall comply with the requirements for the most similar use listed in Table 6.1, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that an alternative standard should be used for that use.
3. 
Multiple Uses. Where a proposed lot contains or includes more than one type of use, the number of parking spaces required shall be the sum of the parking requirements for each separate use.
4. 
Parking Landscaping. See Sections 803 and 804 of this Ordinance.
Table 6.1 - Off-Street Parking Requirements
(See Section 601.B. below for the TC District
Use
Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces Required
Plus 1 Off-Street Parking Space for Each:
A. RESIDENTIAL USES:
1.
Dwelling Unit, other than types listed separately in this table.
2 per dwelling unit.
As part of a new subdivision, if a vehicle must be moved from one space in order to access the second space, then an additional parking space shall be available for each dwelling unit, such as an on-street space in front of the dwelling or an overflow parking lot.
2.
Home Occupation
See Section 403
3.
Housing Permanently Restricted to Persons 62 Years and Older and/or the Physically Handicapped
1 per dwelling/rental unit, except 0.5 per dwelling/rental unit if evidence is presented that the non-physically handicapped persons will clearly primarily be over 70 years old
Non-Resident Employee
4.
Boarding House
1 per rental unit or bed for adult, whichever is greater
Non-Resident Employee
5.
Group Home
1 per 2 residents, unless the applicant proves the home will be limited to persons who will not be allowed to drive a vehicle from the property
Employee
B. INSTITUTIONAL USES:
1.
Place of Worship or Church
1 per 5 seats in room of largest capacity. For pews that are no individual seats, each 48 inches shall count as one seat.
Employee
2.
Hospital
1 per 3 beds
1.1 Employees
3.
Nursing Home
1 per 6 beds
1.1 Employees
4.
Assisted Living Facility and/or Retirement Community
1 per 5 beds, plus parking for any individual dwelling units as provided above
1.1 Employees
5.
Day Care Center
1 per 10 children, with spaces designed for safe and convenient drop-off and pick-up
1.1 Employees
6.
School, Primary or Secondary
1 per 4 students aged 16 or older
1.1 Employee
7.
Utility Facility
1 per vehicle routinely needed to service facility
8.
College or University
1 per 1.5 students not living on campus who attend class at peak times (plus required spaces for on-campus housing)
1.1 Employee
9.
Library, Community Center or Cultural Center or Museum
1 per 5 seats (or 1 per 250 square feet of floor area accessible to patrons and/or users if seats are not typically provided)
1.1 Employee
10.
Treatment Center
1 per 2 residents aged 16 years or older plus 1 per non-resident intended to be treated on-site at peak times
Non-Resident Employee
11.
Swimming Pool, Non-Household
1 per 50 square feet of water surfaced, other than wading pools
1.1 Employee
C. COMMERCIAL USES:
All commercial uses, as applicable, shall provide additional parking or storage needed for maximum number of vehicles stored, displayed or based at the lot at any point in time. These additional spaces are not required to meet the stall size and parking aisle width requirements of this Ordinance.
1.
Auto Service Station or Repair Garage
5 per repair/service bay and 1/4 per fuel nozzle with such spaces separated from accessways to pumps
Employee; plus any parking needed for a convenience store under "retail sales"
2.
Auto, Boat, Recreational Vehicle or Manufactured Home Sales
1 per 15 vehicles, boats, RVs or homes displayed
Employee
3.
Bed and Breakfast Use
1 per rental unit plus the 2 per dwelling unit
Non-resident employee
4.
Bowling Alley
2 per lane plus 2 per pool table
1.1 Employees
5.
Car Wash
Adequate waiting and drying areas.
1.1 Employees
6.
Financial Institution (includes bank)
1 per 200 square feet of floor area accessible to customers, plus "office" parking for any administrative offices
1.1 Employees
7.
Funeral Home
1 per 5 seats in rooms intended to be in use at one time for visitors, counting both permanent and temporary seating
Employee
8.
Miniature Golf
1 per hole
1.1 Employees
9.
Haircutting/Hairstyling
1 per customer seat used for haircutting, hair styling, hair washing, manicuring or similar work
1.1 Employees
10.
Hotel or Motel
1 per rental unit plus 1 per 4 seats in any meeting room (plus any required by any restaurant)
1.1 Employees
11.
Laundromat
1 per 3 washing machines
On-site Employee
12.
Offices or clinic, Medical/dental
5 per physician or physician's assistant and 4 per dentist
1.1 Employees
13.
Offices, other than above
1 per 300 square feet of total floor area
14.
Personal Service Use, other than haircutting/hairstyling (min. of 2 per establishment)
1 per 200 square feet of floor area accessible to customers
1.1 Employees
15.
Indoor Recreation (other than bowling alley), Membership Club or Exercise Club
1 per 4 persons of maximum capacity of all facilities
1.1 Employees
16.
Outdoor Recreation (other than uses specifically listed in this table)
1 per 4 persons of capacity (50% may be on grass overflow areas with major driveways in gravel)
1.1 Employees
17.
Restaurant
1 per 4 seats, or 3 spaces for a use without customer seats. This parking shall be calculated separately from a shopping center.
1.1 Employees
18.
Retail Sales (other than types separately listed and other than a shopping center)
1 per 200 square feet of floor area of rooms accessible to customers.
19.
Retail Sales of Only Furniture, Lumber, Carpeting, Bedding or Floor Covering
1 per 800 square feet of floor area of rooms accessible to customers
20.
Shopping Center involving 5 or more retail establishments on a lot.
1 per 200 square feet of leaseable floor area
21.
Tavern or Nightclub or After-hours Club
1 per 30 square feet of total floor area
1.1 Employees
22.
Theater or Auditorium
1 per 4 seats, one-half of which may be met by convenient parking shared with other business uses on the same lot that are typically not routinely open beyond 9:00 p.m.
1.1. Employees
23.
Trade/Hobby School
1 per 2 students on-site during peak use
1.1 Employee
24.
Veterinarian Office
4 per veterinarian
1.1 Employee
25.
Short-Term Rentals within the Borough of Boyertown
The existing off-street parking, if any, must be used and shall not be diminished; additional off-street parking shall be added to the lot, if feasible under the dimensional regulations applicable to the lot, so as to provide one space per bedroom.
26.
Short-Term Rentals within Colebrookdale Township and Pike Township
One space per bedroom for buildings and structures, plus one space for the residence
D. RESERVED
E. INDUSTRIAL USES:
In addition to parking or storage needed for maximum number of vehicles stored, displayed or based at the lot at any point in time, which spaces are not required to meet the stall size and aisle width requirements of this Ordinance
All industrial uses (including warehousing, distribution and manufacturing)
1 per 1.1 employee, based upon the maximum number of employees on-site at peak period of times
1 visitors space for every 10 managers on the site
Self-Storage Development
1 per 20 storage units
1.1 Employee
601.B. 
Parking Reduction in TC District Within the Borough of Boyertown.
1. 
Purposes. To recognize the availability of on-street parking in the TC district, and the limited ability to provide parking to serve existing buildings, and the potential of customers walking to businesses in the area.
2. 
Off-street parking shall not be required within the following portion of the TC district, in recognition of the availability of municipal parking:
a. 
Lots fronting upon the south side of Philadelphia Avenue between Peach Street and the railroad right-of-way, and
b. 
Lots fronting upon the east side of South Reading Avenue between Philadelphia Avenue and a point 120 feet north of the right-of-way of East Third Street, and
c. 
Lots fronting upon the west side of South Reading Avenue between Philadelphia Avenue and the right-of-way of East Third Street.
3. 
The parking requirements in Table 6.1 shall be modified within the TC District as follows:
a. 
The amount of required off-street parking shall be reduced by 50% for a commercial use within the TC District within a building that existed prior to January 1, 1960.
b. 
Off-street parking shall be required for any additional dwelling units or any new construction of any building or any expansion of a building, except as may be allowed under Section 602.C.2.
c. 
Optional Fee-in-lieu of parking.
(1) 
As a special exception, the Zoning Hearing Board may permit the reduction of off-street parking requirements in the TC District if the applicant commits to pay a fee-in-lieu-of providing a certain number of required off-street parking spaces.
(2) 
For each required off-street parking space that is waived, a fee shall be required of $2,000, unless such amount is modified by resolution of Borough Council.
(3) 
All such fees shall be paid to the Borough or an Authority authorized by the Borough to receive such fees. All such fees shall be accounted for separately. All such fees shall only be used for the creation of additional on-street or off-street public parking to serve the TC district. Such fees may also be used for the payment of debt for improvements to increase the amount of public parking, the leasing of private areas for public parking, or for the acquisition of land for public parking.
(4) 
The fee shall be a one-time payment. The reduction of the required number of parking spaces shall continue with the land over time, regardless of ownership or use of the property.
(5) 
The application shall be offered to the Borough Planning Commission and Borough Council for any review they care to make prior to an approval by the Zoning Hearing Board.
602.A. 
General. Parking spaces and accessways shall be laid out to result in safe and orderly use, and to fully take into account all of the following: vehicular access onto and off the site, vehicular movement within the site, loading areas, pedestrian patterns and any drive-thru facilities. No parking area shall cause a safety hazard or impediment to traffic off the lot.
602.B. 
Existing Parking.
1. 
Any parking spaces serving such pre-existing structures or uses at the time of adoption of this Ordinance shall not in the future be reduced in number below the number required by this Ordinance.
2. 
If a new principal non-residential building is constructed on a lot, then any existing parking on such lot that serves such building shall be reconfigured to comply with this Ordinance, including but not limited to, requirements for channelization of traffic from adjacent streets, channelization of traffic within the lot, minimum aisle widths, paving and landscaping.
602.C. 
Change in Use or Expansion. A structure or use in existence at the effective date of this Ordinance that expands or changes in use of an existing principal building shall be required to provide all of the required parking for the entire size and type of the resulting use, except as follows:
1. 
If an existing lawful use includes less parking than would be required if the use would be newly developed, then that deficit of parking shall be grandfathered for reuses of an existing building. For example, an existing store might include three parking spaces and would have been required to provide seven spaces if it was newly developed. Therefore, there is an existing nonconforming deficit of four spaces. Then, if that store is converted to an office that would need 10 spaces, the office would need to provide a total of six spaces (10 spaces minus the pre-existing deficit of 4 equals 6).
2. 
If a non-residential use expands by an aggregate total maximum of 5% in the applicable measurement (such as building floor area) beyond what existed at the time of adoption of this Ordinance, then no additional parking is required. For example, if an existing building included 3,000 square feet, and a single minor addition of 150 square feet was proposed, then additional parking would not be required. This addition without providing new parking shall only be allowed one time per lot.
602.D. 
Continuing Obligation of Parking and Loading Spaces. All required numbers of parking spaces and off-street loading spaces shall be available as long as the use or building which the spaces serve still exist, and such spaces shall not be reduced in number below the minimum required by this ordinance. No required parking area or off-street loading spaces shall be used for any other use (such as storage or display of materials) that interferes with the area's availability for parking.
602.E. 
Location of Parking.
1. 
Required off-street parking spaces shall be on the same lot or abutting lot with the principal use served, unless the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Officer that a method of providing the spaces is guaranteed to be available during all of the years the use is in operation within 300 feet walking distance from the entrance of the principal use being served. Such distance may be increased to 500 feet for employee parking of a non-residential use. A written and signed lease shall be provided, if applicable.
a. 
The Zoning Hearing Board may require that the use be approved for period of time consistent with the lease of the parking, and that a renewal of the permit shall only be approved if the parking lease is renewed.
2. 
Within the TC district, no new off-street surface parking space shall be placed between a principal building and the curbline of Reading Avenue and Philadelphia Street. This requirement shall not prevent the realignment of existing parking areas. This provision shall not prevent vehicle parking from being located to the side or rear of a building, provided such building faces onto Main Street.
3. 
With the GR district within the Borough of Boyertown, if an existing rear or side alley is available or could be feasibly extended, it shall be used for access to any garage or parking spaces for the lot instead of a front yard driveway accessing directly onto Philadelphia Avenue or Reading Avenue.
602.F. 
Reduction of Parking Requirements as a Conditional Use.
1. 
Purposes. To minimize the amount of land covered by paving, while making sure adequate parking is provided. To recognize that unique circumstances may justify a reduction in parking.
2. 
As a conditional use, the Governing Body may authorize a reduction in the number of off-street parking spaces required to be provided for a use if the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Governing Body that a lesser number of spaces would be sufficient.
a. 
The applicant shall provide evidence justifying the proposed reduced number of spaces, such as studies of similar developments during their peak hours. The applicant shall also provide relevant data, such as numbers of employers, peak expected number of customers/visitors and similar data.
b. 
Under this section, an applicant may prove that a reduced number of parking spaces is justified because more than one principal use will share the same parking. In such case, the applicant shall prove that the parking has been designed to encourage shared use, and that long-term agreements ensure that the parking will continue to be shared. The amount of the reduction in parking should be determined based upon whether the different uses have different hours of peak demand and/or overlapping customers.
(1) 
In addition, an applicant may prove that parking needs will be reduced or that off-site parking is feasible because the applicant agrees to make a long-term commitment to a shuttle service for residents or employees.
c. 
Reserved Area for Additional Parking. Under this section, the Governing Body may require that a portion of the required parking be met through a reservation of an area for future parking. The Governing Body may require the reservation for a certain number of years or an indefinite period corresponding to the years the buildings are in use.
(1) 
Such reservation shall be in a form acceptable to the Governing Body Solicitor that legally binds current and future owners of the land to keep the reserved parking area in open space and then to provide the additional parking if the Borough/Township determines it is necessary. A deed restriction is recommended.
(2) 
If approved under this subsection "c.", the applicant shall present a site plan to the Zoning Officer that shows the layout that will be used for the additional parking if the parking is required to be provided in the future. The site plan shall show that the additional parking is integrated with the overall traffic access and pedestrian access for the site, and that the additional parking will be able to meet Borough/Township requirements.
(3) 
The additional parking that is "reserved" under this subsection shall be required to be kept as landscaped open area, until such time as the Governing Body decision may authorize the land's release from the restriction, or until the Borough/Township may require that the land be developed as parking.
(4) 
The Zoning Officer shall periodically review the sufficiency of the parking that is provided. If the Zoning Officer in the future determines that the reserved parking is needed to meet actual demand, he/she shall provide written notice to the property-owner. The property-owner shall then have one year to develop the reserved area into off-street parking in compliance with this Ordinance.
d. 
Within the TC district, see also Section 601.B., which may allow a reduction in parking requirements.
603.A. 
General Requirements.
1. 
Backing Onto a Street. No parking area shall be designed to require or encourage parked vehicles to back into a public street in order to leave a parking space, except for: a) a driveway serving one dwelling onto a local street or b) a driveway that enters onto a local street or parking court. Parking spaces may back onto an alley.
2. 
Every required parking space shall be designed so that each motor vehicle may proceed to and from the parking space provided for it without requiring the moving of any other vehicle, unless specifically permitted otherwise.
3. 
Parking areas shall not be within a required buffer yard or street right-of-way.
4. 
Separation from Street. Except for parking spaces immediately in front of individual dwellings, all areas for off-street parking, off-street loading and unloading and the storage or movement of motor vehicles shall be physically separated from the street by a continuous grass or landscaped planting strip, except for necessary and approved vehicle entrances and exits to the lot.
5. 
Stacking and Obstructions. Each lot shall provide adequate area upon the lot to prevent back-up of vehicles on a public street while awaiting entry to the lot, or while waiting for service at a drive-thru facility.
603.B. 
Size and Marking of Parking Spaces.
1. 
Each parking space shall be a rectangle with a minimum width of 10 feet and a minimum length of 18 feet, except the minimum sized rectangle shall be eight feet by 22 feet for parallel parking and except where a larger space is required by Section 603.C.
2. 
For handicapped spaces, see Section 603.F. below.
3. 
All spaces shall be marked to indicate their location, except those of a one or two family dwelling.
603.C. 
Aisles. Parking spaces and aisles shall be designed and built in conformance with the following:
Angle of Parking
Parking Space Min. Width
(feet)
Parking Space Min. Depth
(feet)
Aisle Width - One Way Traffic
(feet)
Aisle Width - Two Way Traffic
(feet)
90°
10
18
20
24
55° to 89°
10
22
18
22
35° to 54°
10
21
15
20
1° to 34°
10
19
12
20
Parallel
8
22
12
20
Min. = Minimum
603.D. 
Accessways and Driveways.
1. 
Width of Driveway at Entrance onto a Public Street, at the edge of the cartway*
One-Way Use*
Two-Way Use*
Minimum
12 feet
22 feet
Maximum
20 feet
35 feet
*
This standard may be revised where the State Department of Transportation requires a different standard is required by PennDOT for an entrance to a State road, or where the applicant demonstrates to the Zoning Officer that a wider width is needed for truck access.
2. 
Drainage. Adequate provisions shall be made to maintain uninterrupted parallel drainage along a public street at the point of driveway entry. The Borough/Township may require an applicant to install an appropriate type and size of pipe at a driveway crossing.
603.E. 
Paving, Grading and Drainage.
1. 
Parking and loading facilities and including driveways shall be graded and adequately drained to prevent erosion or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining properties.
2. 
Except for landscaped areas, all portions of required parking, loading facilities and driveways shall be surfaced with asphalt, concrete, paving block, or other low-dust materials pre-approved by the Borough/Township.
a. 
However, by conditional use, the Governing Body may allow parking areas with low or seasonal usage to be maintained in stone, grass or other suitable surfaces. For example, the Governing Body may allow parking spaces to be grass, while major aisles are covered by stone.
b. 
If the design and materials are found to be acceptable by the Borough/Township Engineer, portions of parking areas may be covered with a low-dust porous parking surface that is designed to promote groundwater recharge. This might include porous asphalt or pervious concrete placed over open graded gravel and crushed stone.
c. 
Curbing should not be required in parking areas except where absolutely necessary to control storm water runoff.
603.F. 
Lighting of Parking Areas. See "Light and Glare Control" in Article 5.
603.G. 
Parking for Persons with Disabilities.
1. 
Overall Requirements and Number of Spaces. See requirements enacted under the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act for parking for persons with disabilities. This Section 603.G. is a summary of some of the relevant requirements in effect as of the enactment of this Ordinance.
Total No. of Parking Spaces on the Lot
Required Minimum No./Percent of ADA-Accessible Parking Spaces
1 to 25
1 van-accessible
26 to 50
2, 1 of which must be van-accessible
51 to 75
3, 1 of which must be van-accessible
76 to 100
4, 1 of which must be van-accessible
101 to 150
5, 1 of which must be van-accessible
151 to 200
6, 1 of which must be van-accessible
201 to 300
7, 1 of which must be van-accessible
301 to 400
8, 1 of which must be van-accessible
401 to 500
9, 2 of which must be van-accessible
501 to 1,000
2% of total number of spaces, 1/8th of which must be van-accessible
1,001 or more
20 plus 1% of spaces for each 100 over 1,000 spaces, 1/8 of which must be van-accessible
2. 
Location. Handicapped parking spaces shall be located where they would result in the shortest reasonable accessible distance to a handicapped accessible building entrance. Curb cuts shall be provided as needed to provide access from the handicapped spaces.
3. 
Minimum Size and Slope. See requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act regulations.
4. 
Marking. All required handicapped spaces shall be well-marked in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Such signs and/or markings shall be maintained over time.
5. 
Paving. Handicapped parking spaces and adjacent areas needed to access them with a wheelchair shall be covered with a smooth surface that is usable with a wheelchair.
603.H. 
Paved Area Setbacks (including Off-Street Parking Setbacks).
1. 
Intent. To ensure that parked or moving vehicles within a lot do not obstruct sight distance or interfere with pedestrian traffic, to aid in storm water management along streets and to prevent vehicles from entering or exiting a lot other than at approved driveways.
2. 
Any new or expanded vehicle parking or vehicle storage area serving a principal non-residential use shall be separated from a public street by a planting strip. The planting strip shall have a minimum width of five feet and be maintained in grass or other attractive vegetative groundcover. The planting strip may be on one or both sides of any sidewalk, provided the planting width totals five feet. This five feet width shall be increased to 10 feet for a lot including 15 to 50 parking spaces, to 15 feet for a lot including 50 to 99 parking spaces, and to 25 feet for a lot including 100 or more parking spaces.
a. 
The planting strip shall not include heights or locations of plants that would obstruct safe sight distances, but may include deciduous trees that allow motorists to maintain views under the leaf canopy.
b. 
The planting strip may be placed inward from the shoulder of an uncurbed street or inward from the curb of a curbed street. The planting strip may overlap the street right-of-way, provided it does not conflict with PennDOT requirements, and provided that the Borough/Township and PennDOT as applicable maintain the right to replace planting areas within the right-of-way with future street improvements.
c. 
Approximately perpendicular driveway crossings may be placed within the planting strip. Mostly vegetative stormwater channels may be placed within the planting strip.
d. 
The following shall be prohibited within the planting strip:
1. 
Paving, except as allowed by subsection "c." above, and except for street widenings that may occur after the development is completed,
2. 
Fences, and
3. 
Parking, storage or display of vehicles or items for sale or rent.
e. 
Where feasible, where a sidewalk is not installed, this setback should include an unobstructed generally level width running parallel to a street that is suitable for a person to walk.
3. 
See landscaping requirements in Section 803 and 804.
604.A. 
Each use shall provide off-street loading facilities, which meet the requirements of this Section, sufficient to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use and the maximum size vehicle, in a manner that will not routinely obstruct traffic on a public street and traffic entering and exiting the lot. If no other reasonable alternative is feasible, traffic may be obstructed for occasional loading and unloading along an alley, provided traffic has the ability to use another method of access.
604.B. 
At the time of review under this Ordinance, the applicant shall provide evidence to the Zoning Officer on whether the use will have sufficient numbers and sizes of loading facilities. The Planning Commission, Board of Commissioners, Board of Supervisors and/or Borough Council may provide advice to the Zoning Officer on this matter as part of any plan review by such boards. For the purposes of this Section, the words "loading" and "unloading" are used interchangeably.
1. 
In general, loading spaces for smaller trucks shall be 10 feet wide by 20 feet long, for medium trucks shall be 10 feet wide by 40 feet long, for larger trucks shall be 10 feet wide by 50 feet long, and for tractor-trailers shall be 11 feet wide by 65 feet long.
604.C. 
Each space and the needed maneuvering room shall not intrude into approved buffer areas and landscaped areas.
605.A. 
Fire lanes shall be provided where required by State or Federal regulations or other local ordinances.
605.B. 
Access shall be also provided so that fire equipment can reach all sides of principal non-residential buildings and multi-family/apartment buildings. This access shall be able to support a loaded fire pumper truck, but shall not necessarily be paved.
605.C. 
The specific locations of fire lanes and fire equipment access are subject to approval by the Borough/Township, after review by local Fire Officials.