City staff propose codifying off‑street parking manual and allowing tandem/driveway parking to meet minimums

Planning staff asked the council to adopt zoning amendments that would codify the off‑street parking standards manual and align Salt Lake City code with state bills passed in the last legislative session.

"This amendment updates Salt Lake City's parking regulations to ensure consistency with the recently adopted state laws pertaining to barriers to parking that may have an impact on housing affordability," Megan Booth said. Staff said the compliance deadline is Dec. 31, 2025.

Key proposed changes: allow tandem parking layouts to count toward minimum parking in all land uses (tandem defined as two spaces in a row, not three), allow driveway parking to count toward minimums for single‑family, two‑family, rowhouse and townhome uses where at least one space is behind the front line of the building, and codify the off‑street manual. Staff emphasized they are not changing parking dimension standards, landscaping/screening or driveway width and accessibility rules.

Council members asked for clarifications about whether tandem stalls can be unlimited by percentage, how assignments would work for residential tandem spaces, and whether hydraulic or stacked mechanical parking systems are allowed. Staff said tandem can meet minimums (with assignment to specific units in residential settings), businesses were expected to manage their own tandem layouts, and enforcement for vehicle storage or outside business activity remains a separate zoning/enforcement issue.

What’s next: staff recommended adoption to meet the state requirement; planning staff said they will follow up on technical questions (e.g., hydraulic systems and specific enforcement scenarios) before formal action.