A. 
Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than 160 square feet exclusive of driveways or aisles and shall be of usable shape and condition, except up to 30 percent of the parking area may have spaces measuring 128 square feet in area with the width of eight feet and if such spaces are utilized, they must be designated for small cars only.
B. 
Off-street parking dimensions must conform with the latest adopted city engineering design standard details in addition to the standards in this chapter.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2400 § 1, 2008; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
Off-street parking facilities shall be located as hereinafter specified. For all zoning districts, other than CB-2, off-street parking shall be provided on the development site and be under the same ownership as the development site served, except as allowed by shared use parking. Shared use parking may be allowed pursuant to EMC § 19.14.050. Off-street parking is not required in a CB-2 zoning district, except for dwelling units.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
Whenever any building is enlarged in height or in ground coverage, off-street parking shall be provided for expansion or enlargement in accordance with the requirements of the schedule; provided, however, that no parking space need be provided in the case of enlargement or expansion where the number of parking spaces required for such expansion or enlargement is less than 10 percent of the parking spaces specified in the schedule for the building. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to require off-street parking spaces for the portion of such building existing on October 8, 1973.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
A. 
All public or private parking areas or garages except those required in conjunction with a single-family or two-family dwelling on a single lot shall be designed, laid out and constructed in accordance with the latest adopted engineering and design standard details and the provisions of this chapter.
1. 
In any district, driveways or accessways providing ingress and egress to or from private parking areas or garages, public parking areas or garages and parking spaces are permitted together with any appropriate traffic control devices in any required yard.
2. 
In any residential district, public or private parking areas and parking spaces are not permitted in any required yard except as provided herein:
a. 
Recreational vehicles, boat trailers, and all other vehicles not in daily use may be parked in the required front yard for no more than 48 consecutive hours, and may be parked in the required rear yard without time limit, except as permitted in EMC § 19.30.130.
b. 
Public or private parking areas, parking spaces or any building or portion of any building intended for parking which is developed or maintained in conjunction with any building or use permitted or as a use permitted in any residential district are permitted in any rear or side yard that abuts an alley; provided, the parking areas, structures or spaces comply with the parking diagram.
B. 
Groups of three or more parking spaces, except those in conjunction with single-family or two-family dwellings on a single lot, shall be served by a service drive so that no backward movement or other maneuvering of a vehicle within a street other than an alley is required. Service drives shall be designed and constructed to facilitate the flow of traffic, provide maximum safety of pedestrians and vehicular traffic on the site but in no case shall two-way and one-way driveways be less than 20 feet and 12 feet respectively.
C. 
Tandem Parking Allowed for Residential Off-Street Parking. Tandem parking spaces may count towards residential minimum parking requirements established in EMC § 19.14.070, at a rate of one space for every 20 linear feet.
D. 
Public parking areas provided in excess of the requirements of this chapter or as a use permitted shall be designed and laid out in conformance to the city engineering design standards.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2400 § 1, 2008; Ord. 2607 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017; Ord. 2783 § 2 (Exh. A), 2024; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
Off-street parking requirements may be met collectively by means of shared use parking agreements, provided they comply with the following:
A. 
The shared use parking facility shall be within 400 feet of each of the development sites it serves, measured as the walking distance from the nearest point of the parking facilities to the nearest point of the building served.
B. 
The number of parking stalls shall be the sum of that required for the various uses served by the parking facility, unless, and to the extent that, the difference in time between the parking demand generation of the various uses served by the parking facility merits a reduction in the number of spaces. The administrator shall decide such reductions based on information supplied by the parties to the agreement.
C. 
The parties to a shared use parking agreement shall provide the administrator with a copy of said agreement and record the agreement with the King County division of records and elections. The agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, successors and assigns of the parties.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
The plan of the proposed parking area shall be submitted to the community development department with the application for the building for which the parking area is required. The plan shall clearly indicate the proposed development, including location, size, shape, design, curb cuts, lighting, landscaping, low impact development BMPs, construction details and other features and appurtenances required.
A. 
All traffic control devices such as parking stripes, designated parking stalls, directional arrows or signs, bull rails, curbs and other developments shall be installed and completed as shown on the approved plans. Hard-surface parking areas shall use paint or similar devices to delineate car stalls and directional arrows. Where pedestrian walks are used in parking lots for the use of foot traffic only, they shall either be curbed and raised six inches above the lot surface or have significant visual, textural or material contrast and be flush with the lot surface. Wheel stops shall be required at flush walkways and on the periphery of the parking lots so cars shall not protrude into walkways, the public right-of-way off the parking lot or strike buildings. Wheel stops shall be two feet from the end of the stall for head-in parking. Parallel stalls shall be designed so that doors of vehicles do not open into the public right-of-way.
B. 
Landscaping shall be included as per Chapter 19.08 EMC.
C. 
Screening in the form of a solid masonry wall, architectural fences or dense coniferous hedges shall be erected or planted and maintained to a height of not less than five feet nor more than six feet where the parking lot has a common boundary with any residentially classified property.
D. 
Lighting of areas provided for off-street parking shall be so arranged to not constitute a nuisance or hazard to passing traffic and where lots share a common boundary with any residentially classified property the illuminating devices shall be so shaded and directed to play their light away from residentially classified property.
E. 
Maintenance of all areas provided for off-street parking shall include removal and replacement of dead and dying trees, grass and shrubs, removal of trash and weeds, and repair of traffic control devices, signs, light standards, fences, walls, surfacing material, curbs and railings.
F. 
Permeable pavement and other pervious hard surfaces shall be maintained according to established industry protocols and as approved by the city engineer.
G. 
Parking areas on private property, including interior driveways and access to a public street, shall be paved with asphaltic concrete or cement concrete pavement. Permeable pavement/materials are preferred where feasible as detailed below:
1. 
Residential development.
2. 
Commercial/institutional developments.
3. 
Permeable pavement design, materials and construction shall as a minimum meet the requirements in the stormwater manual adopted in EMC § 14.10.010 and shall demonstrate that the permeable pavement will function as designed.
a. 
Exception. Grass block pavers, also known as "grasscrete" or "turf stone," are allowed outright for residential off-street parking spaces.
4. 
As is the case with any other stormwater improvements, property owners are responsible to properly maintain permeable pavement systems so that the systems continue to function as designed.
5. 
Credits for approved permeable surfacing shall be modeled and assigned as described in the stormwater manual adopted in EMC § 14.10.010, Appendix III-C, Washington State Department of Ecology Low Impact Development Design and Flow Modeling Guidance.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2400 § 1, 2008; Ord. 2604 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017; Ord. 2607 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
The minimum number of required parking spaces shall be as follows, computed to the nearest whole number. See also EMC § 19.14.071 through § 19.14.073.
Land Use
Min.
Per
Single-family dwellings – 2 or more bedrooms
2
dwelling unit or 1 tandem space with a 2-vehicle capacity
Single-family – 1 bedroom
1
dwelling unit
Multifamily dwellings
See Chapter 19.40 EMC for development-specific requirements
Mixed use developments
See EMC § 19.38.130 for development-specific requirements
Housing reserved for senior citizens
.75
dwelling unit
Group homes and nursing homes
.33
bed plus 1 space per staff doctor and employee of the two largest shifts
Hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts
.7
room
Offices (nonmedical) and banks
2.8
1,000 square feet
Medical/dental offices and clinics
5.7
1,000 square feet
Eating and drinking establishments
10
1,000 square feet
Low-intensity sales and service (businesses that generate low levels of traffic per square foot of floor area, such as those offering building supplies, feed and grain, large appliances, furniture, carpets, motor vehicles, boats, and machinery)
1
1,000 square feet
Moderate-intensity sales and service (businesses that generate moderate levels of traffic per square foot of floor area, such as those offering home improvements, dry cleaning, laundromats, sign making, shoe and clothing repair, locksmiths, photography, and auto repair)
2
1,000 square feet
High-intensity sales and service (businesses that generate high levels of traffic per square foot of floor area, such as those offering food and liquor without service, clothing, hardware, household goods, pharmaceuticals, arts and crafts, auto parts, sporting goods, office equipment, books, plants, jewelry, musical instruments, and barber and beauty services)
3
1,000 square feet
Places of public assembly such as churches, funeral homes, halls, and theaters. Note: If the facility houses more than one activity, such as a main assembly area and classroom, "maximum occupancy" shall mean the maximum likely to occur at one time in the entire facility in normal operations.
.25
person at maximum occupancy
Active indoor recreation such as sports clubs and recreation centers
4
1,000 square feet
Daycares and preschools
2
worker at maximum shift
Elementary and junior high schools
1.5
employee and faculty member
High schools
.2
student
Colleges
.35
student
Libraries
4
1,000 square feet
Industries, research facilities, print shops, bakeries
1
1,000 square feet
Wholesalers and warehouses
.5
1,000 square feet
Government operations not listed above, hospitals, open-air activities, plant nurseries, public utilities, outdoor recreation, mini-storage, drive-through facilities (car washes, service stations, etc.)
The administrator shall determine the parking requirements for these and similar uses on a case-by-case basis.
(Ord. 2004 § 1, 1999; Ord. 2416 § 1 (Exh. A), 2009; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
Where the above requirement is based on square feet, this means the combined horizontal area of all floors of a building measured from its exterior faces, excluding spaces lacking standing head room.
(Ord. 2004 § 1, 1999; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
For employers implementing commute trip reduction programs, the administrator may reduce the required minimum parking to reflect the corresponding reduction in parking demand.
(Ord. 2004 § 1, 1999; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
During any development permit process, the official or board charged with rendering the decision may, based on a disclosed, written analysis of the proposed use's probable parking demand, require more off-street parking than EMC § 19.14.070 requires, or may limit the allowable off-street parking as necessary to avoid excessive acreage devoted to parking.
(Ord. 2004 § 1, 1999; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
Parking space requirements for buildings and uses not set forth herein shall be based upon requirements for the most comparable building or use specified herein as determined by the community development director.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2607 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)
A. 
Use of Public Right-of-Way. Maneuvering space shall be completely off the right-of-way of any public street except for parking spaces.
B. 
Access.
1. 
Driveway Location. The location of ingress and egress driveways shall be subject to approval of the public works department under curb cut permit procedures. Driveways shall not exceed 40 percent of the property frontage. There shall be a minimum of 18 feet between driveway curb returns where there is more than one driveway on the property under unified ownership or control and used as one premises.
2. 
Driveway Width. The width of any driveway shall not exceed 30 feet exclusive of the radii of the returns, the measurement being made parallel to the centerline of the street roadway.
3. 
Number of Driveways.
a. 
Industrial and Warehouse Uses. There shall not be more than two driveways for each 330 feet of street frontage for a single ownership.
b. 
All Other Uses. There shall be not more than two driveways for each 330 feet of street frontage for a single ownership, except where a single ownership is developed into more than one unit of operation each sufficient in itself to meet the requirements of this title, and where the necessity for separate access to the street is evident. In such cases there shall not be more than two driveways for each unit of operation.
4. 
Driveway Radius. The radius for any driveway return shall be five feet, as specified in the American Public Works Association Standard Plans and Specifications, unless otherwise directed by the public works department.
5. 
Driveway Angle. The angle between any driveway and the street roadway or curbline shall not be less than 45 degrees.
6. 
Hazardous Driveways. No driveway shall be constructed in such a manner as to be a hazard to any existing street lighting standard, utility pole, traffic regulating device, fire hydrant, adjacent or vicinal street traffic, or similar devices or conditions. The cost of relocating any street structure when necessary to do so shall be borne by the abutting property owner. Said relocation of any street structure shall be performed only through the department and person holding authority for the particular structure involved.
(Ord. 1960 § 3, 1998; Ord. 2800 § 2 (Exh. B), 2025)