How Many Parking Spaces Are Required For a Commercial Building?

How Many Parking Spaces Are Required For a Commercial Building - Seko Construction

How Many Parking Spaces Are Required For a Commercial Building?

If you have a commercial building, you will want to be sure that customers or employees are able to get there and utilize the building according to its intended purpose! For that, you will need enough parking spaces nearby, whether in an attached parking garage or on a flat, surface lot.

The recommended number may vary depending on the purpose and size of the building, as well as the area in which it is being built. Read on to learn more about how you can calculate parking space numbers for your commercial building

What Is a Parking Ratio?

When you are calculating parking spots for a commercial building, you may run into a term called parking ratio. What is a parking ratio, you are surely wondering? A parking ratio in commercial real estate is a statistic that is usually expressed per every 1000 square feet of a property.

Many cities could have commercial zoning laws that set a minimum number of parking spots, which is then measured by a parking ratio. These may also vary based on the type of commercial building, too! 

How to Calculate Parking Ratio

If you are working on a parking lot or parking garage for your commercial building, you will need to calculate its parking ratio. After learning what a parking ratio is, you may understand better why this is so important and is something that you will need to do.

In order to calculate the parking ratio of your commercial building, you should divide the number of spaces by the square footage of the building, in thousands. If you know the parking ratio that is required of your building, but do not know how many parking spots that equates to, you can also invert the formula and plug in the parking ratio to find the “x” which is the number of parking spaces!

Office Building Parking Spaces

There is a rule of thumb that for office spaces, five parking spots for every 1000 square feet of the building is recommended. Of course, this is just a general rule, and there may be more specific regulations according to where your office building is located.

In Alberta, for example, there used to be minimum parking ratios– however, some cities, such as Edmonton, voted to drop these requirements. It is important to do your due diligence and research this, as requirements are typically decided on differently in each city, with many decisions being on a case-by-case basis.

EV Parking Spaces

Another consideration that comes into play with setting up parking spaces for buildings is EV parking spaces. EV parking spaces are those that are reserved for electric cars and can be used as charging stations. In the past, this would not be something that you would have to think about, but these days, there has been a rise in electric cars and electric car technology.

They are not something that will be going away, so it is important to be able to accommodate them. Requirements vary based upon the location in which you are building, and in some places, there are no requirements at all– instead, these things are decided individually, pertaining to the particular building itself.

This is why it is important to research the bylaws and zoning laws of the area or city that you are building in.

Handicapped Parking Spaces

When you are setting up parking spaces, you should also be aware of the number of handicapped spots that you are designating, and that you are required to have. There are certain rules or requirements for handicapped spaces that must be followed when designing a parking lot.

Of course, these should be located closer to the building entrance so that they are considered accessible spots. It is also possible for the city to install something known as an accessible parking stall in front of residences or businesses that are on public property.

Typically, this requires a written request from whoever owns the property or business. Then the city may install an accessible parking stall, which is able to accommodate one vehicle due to its size. Edmonton is one such city that does this! 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate the number of parking spaces?

If you are trying to calculate the number of parking spaces that you need for a parking garage or other commercial building, you should divide the number of spaces by the square footage of the building. This will give you a parking ratio. This will give you a parking ratio of how many spaces per foot you should have in the building.  

How many parking spaces are required for a commercial building in Canada?

Commercial buildings in Canada may have different requirements based on where in Canada you are located, so if you are working on adding a parking garage or building a commercial building, you should be sure that you read up on all the rules and laws of the area in which you are building or working.

That being said, a commercial building in Canada generally needs about 400 square feet of space that is devoted to parking spots. This can also vary depending on the type of commercial building that you are constructing, and what its purpose is.

How many parking spaces are required for a commercial building in the USA?

If you are building a commercial building in the USA, you will also need to put in a specified number of parking spots to make the place run smoothly. After all, if there is no parking, it may be difficult for people to come and utilize the building properly.

One of the general rules of thumb here is that you should put in one space for every 300 square feet of building that there is. This may differ due to the particular purpose of the building– such as an office building vs a shopping mall– as well as the area that you are building in.