Parking Reforms Legislation

Communities nationwide are reexamining an outdated element of zoning codes: mandatory parking requirements. These long-standing rules dictate how much off-street parking developers must provide to support every apartment and business.

Rigid off-street parking rules often ignore local demand and are an increasing impediment to multifamily housing development and walkable communities. Cities and states are now pushing back, sparking a movement to reduce or eliminate parking requirements in favor of solutions that are tailored to local needs.

A history of the (parking) space race

Parking requirements emerged in the 1920s as car use surged, reshaping American cities around parking. Today, parking lots dominate urban landscapes, occupying nearly one-third of city land. With almost 291 million vehicles nationwide, the U.S. has at least three—and possibly up to eight—parking spaces per car, totaling as many as two billion spaces.

This oversupply stems largely from zoning codes that long-required parking far beyond actual demand. Experts link excessive parking to sprawl, higher housing costs, stalled redevelopment, increased flooding, and climate impacts. In response, cities and states are increasingly rolling back or eliminating parking mandates.

View sample parking reforms legislation >

Understanding the legal momentum behind the trend

According to a recent article from Commercial Real Estate Development, zoning codes are starting to catch up with how people actually live and build today. Many communities are realizing that strict parking minimums no longer make sense—and can even get in the way. These rules often drive up construction costs, limit new housing options, and make it harder to redevelop underused sites, sometimes stopping worthwhile projects altogether. Across the country, cities and states are updating their laws to give communities more flexibility and modernize how land use decisions are made.

Parking reform is rarely happening in isolation. It’s often part of broader efforts to update comprehensive plans, meet state housing goals, or remove barriers that have made growth more difficult or less inclusive. For municipalities and private developers alike, this signals a clear shift: rethinking parking requirements is quickly becoming a core part of zoning updates—not a fringe idea.

Benefits of Eliminating (or Reducing) Minimum Parking Requirements

A recent study by the National Law Review highlights some of the ways different sectors of the community can benefit from the reduction or complete elimination of outdated parking mandates.

For Developers

Reducing or eliminating parking requirements can lower construction costs and shorten project timelines by removing mandatory parking minimums. In 2021, the average U.S. parking space cost between $21,000 and $35,000 to build, with underground parking costing up to twice as much. Advocates estimate these costs can increase monthly rents or mortgages by $200–$500 per unit.

Recent studies show the real-world impact of parking reform. After the City of Seattle, WA reduced parking requirements in 2012 for multifamily housing near transit and in dense areas, developers built 40% less parking spaces, nearly 18,000 fewer spaces — saving an estimated $537 million over five years, or more than $20,000 per unit.

Similarly, following Buffalo NY’s 2017 reforms, mixed-use projects provided 53% less parking than previously required, with some building none at all. Across 36 developments, reforms eliminated 502 spaces, saving $30 million and preserving eight acres of land.

For Municipalities

Municipalities may also benefit from reduced parking mandates through increased housing production, adaptive reuse, and higher tax revenues. With less land devoted to parking, cities can add housing and other uses, supporting higher density, walkability, and reduced car dependence.

Eliminating parking minimums also advances historic preservation and revitalization. In Los Angeles, for example, strict parking rules once left 19th-century office buildings vacant. After requirements were lifted, 57 historic buildings were converted to housing within eight years.

Legislating between the lines

These cities recently passed parking reforms.

Austin, Texas: Facing rapid growth and a housing crunch, Austin eliminated off‑street parking requirements for new residential and commercial developments, while maintaining ADA parking standards.
Port Townsend, Washington: To lower housing costs and encourage new development, Port Townsend replaced parking minimums with interim recommendations, with permanent removal planned through a comprehensive plan update.
San Francisco, California: San Francisco eliminated parking minimums citywide in 2019, adopted parking maximums, and paired reforms with demand-based pricing — setting a national benchmark for walkable, transit-oriented policy.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Through phased reforms that began in 2009, Minneapolis gradually reduced parking requirements and eliminated minimums citywide by 2021, while also lowering maximums.
Atlanta, Georgia: Atlanta has explored replacing parking minimums with maximums but paused reforms after public pushback; broader zoning changes are under consideration as part of a longer-term, incremental strategy.
Sandpoint, Idaho: Eliminating downtown parking requirements helped preserve historic buildings, retain businesses, and spur redevelopment. One renovated former lumber facility increased its property assessment by more than $2 million, supporting local job growth and economic activity.

For more examples, see the Parking Reform Network’s map of over 4,000 cities worldwide that have implemented parking reforms.

A world with fewer parking mandates puts us all in a better space

Communities considering parking reform for themselves can look to the many other areas that have already enacted it for a view of what they can expect in a world with fewer parking mandates, including:

More homes, in all shapes and sizes, from backyard cottages and duplexes to apartment buildings and affordable housing
More great neighborhoods, with creative reuse and preservation of historic buildings, smart sharing agreements for existing parking, and even conversions of parking lots to new communities of homes and shops
Less unneeded asphalt and the pollution, deadly “heat islands,” and long-lasting sprawl that come with it, paving over nearby farmland and open spaces
Less red tape and costly delays for builders and city staff alike
More nimble adaptation to modern parking-lite conveniences like online shopping, remote work options, and ride-hail apps
More money in local budgets for everything from firefighting to libraries, after-school programs to parks, and other community priorities

Useful examples of parking reforms legislation from the eCode360^® Library

If your community is interested in drafting or updating legislation related to parking reform, here are some useful examples that can be found in our eCode360 Library:

Updating your municipal code is vitally important

Submit your code updates as soon as possible and ensure constituents and local government officials are always referencing and working with the most up-to-date resources. Make it part of your Board meeting close-out process to send your adopted legislative changes to General Code when everything from that meeting is already right at hand.

Questions about updating your code?

Our Client Care team is available to explain the options and benefits of scheduled code updates or any other code-related questions you might have. Contact us.

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