City of Austin Parking Requirements and Standards

Austin’s parking requirements changed sharply in November 2023: the city no longer sets a minimum number of off-street vehicle spaces for most projects, so a developer decides how many car spaces to build. Every space that does get built, however, still has to meet federal accessibility rules, Austin’s bicycle parking ratios, electric vehicle readiness percentages, and dimensional standards in the Transportation Criteria Manual. Special districts and private deed restrictions can also impose their own numbers on top of city code.

No More Minimum Off-Street Parking

Ordinance No. 20231102-040 repealed citywide minimum off-street parking requirements for most land uses. Before that ordinance, the Land Development Code told developers exactly how many spaces to provide based on use and square footage. A restaurant now has no formula-driven number, and an apartment building can put square footage into units instead of a garage.

The repeal removes the municipal mandate. It does not touch a few other sources of obligation you should check before assuming you can build zero spaces:

Private deed restrictions and neighborhood covenants that require a set number of spaces per unit still bind the property owner.
Planned development areas and regulating plans adopted by specific districts may keep their own parking provisions independent of the citywide repeal.
Lenders and tenants often impose their own parking expectations, which function as private-market minimums even though the city imposes none.

So the practical question is no longer “what does the code require?” but “how many spaces do the market, my lender, and any private covenants actually demand, and what rules govern whatever I decide to build?”

Accessible Parking You Must Provide

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Texas Accessibility Standards apply to every parking lot regardless of size. If you build parking, a portion has to be accessible, and the count scales with total spaces.¹

1–25 total spaces: 1 accessible (van-accessible)
26–50 total spaces: 2 accessible (1 van-accessible)
51–75 total spaces: 3 accessible (1 van-accessible)
76–100 total spaces: 4 accessible (1 van-accessible)
101–150 total spaces: 5 accessible (1 van-accessible)
151–200 total spaces: 6 accessible (1 van-accessible)
201–300 total spaces: 7 accessible (2 van-accessible)

For 501 to 1,000 spaces, the minimum is 2 percent of the total. Above 1,000 spaces, it is 20 accessible spaces plus one for every additional 100.¹

At least one out of every six accessible spaces must be van-accessible. One common configuration places an access aisle at least 96 inches (8 feet) wide adjacent to the space.² All accessible spaces sit on the shortest accessible route to the entrance, with proper signage, firm surfaces, and compliant slopes.

Federal and Local Penalties

Under current inflation-adjusted rules, the Department of Justice can seek civil penalties of up to $118,225 for a first ADA Title III violation and up to $236,451 for subsequent violations, for penalties assessed after July 3, 2025.³ The authority to bring the action sits with the Attorney General under 28 CFR 36.504.⁴

Austin enforces its own rules separately. Parking in a designated handicapped space or blocking a handicap access ramp carries a $300 fine, reduced to $255 with early payment. A vehicle with three or more unpaid parking fines can be booted or impounded, and interfering with impoundment or removing a boot is a Class C misdemeanor.⁵

Bicycle Parking Is Still Required

Austin kept mandatory bicycle parking when it dropped vehicle minimums. The requirements live in Land Development Code Section 25-6-477, and the counts are tied to whatever number of motor vehicle spaces you decide to provide. Build any car parking at all and you owe bicycle spaces.

Commercial uses: at least 2 bicycle spaces or 10 percent of the motor vehicle spaces provided, whichever is greater.
Multifamily residential: at least 5 bicycle spaces or 10 percent of the motor vehicle spaces provided, whichever is greater.
Industrial, civic, and agricultural: at least 1 bicycle space or 10 percent of the motor vehicle spaces, whichever is greater.
Single-family and two-family residential: none required.

⁶

Location is regulated too. At least 50 percent of the required bicycle spaces have to sit within 50 feet of the principal building entrance and remain visible from public areas. The rest can go near other entrances, at employee-only entries, inside the building, or in a covered parking facility within 50 feet of a street-level entrance. The nearest bicycle space cannot be farther from the entrance than the closest motor vehicle space, excluding accessible spaces.⁶ Rack design has to comply with the Transportation Criteria Manual, and the numbers are checked at site plan review.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Austin’s local energy code, based on Appendix CG of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, requires EV readiness in new construction that includes parking. It defines three tiers:

EV-Capable: raceways, electrical capacity, and panel space so a charger can be added later without opening walls.
EV-Ready: fully wired with a branch circuit and outlet or junction box, ready for immediate charger installation.
EVSE: a functioning charging station installed on day one.

The percentages depend on occupancy type:⁷

Multifamily residential (Group R-2): 5 percent EV-Ready and 35 percent EV-Capable.
Hotels and motels (Group R-1): 5 percent EV-Ready and 35 percent EV-Capable.
Office buildings (Group B): 30 percent EV-Capable.
Retail and mercantile (Group M): 30 percent EV-Capable.
Assembly (Group A): 10 percent EV-Capable.
Industrial (Group F): 5 percent EV-Capable.

Commercial developments other than multifamily with fewer than 10 parking spaces are exempt. Installing a functioning Level 2 charger during construction satisfies the requirement for that space and reduces the overall count by one. A DC fast charger reduces the count by five.⁷

Panel capacity is the piece developers miss. The code requires a minimum of 3.3 kVA with 25-amp capacity per space if an energy management system is used, or 7.2 kVA with 50-amp capacity per space without one. Size the panel only for the building’s base load and you will pay for a retrofit later. Commercial Level 2 stations typically run $3,000 to $7,000 per port to install, and that assumes the electrical infrastructure is already there.⁷

Design and Dimensional Standards

Every space that gets built has to meet the dimensional and layout rules in Austin’s Transportation Criteria Manual. The full specifications are reviewed during site plan submission, but the general framework is straightforward. Standard stalls are typically 9 feet wide by 18 feet long. Compact spaces, where permitted, are usually about 8 by 15 feet and are often capped at 30 percent of a lot’s total spaces. Two-way drive aisles generally require at least 24 feet of width.

Parking areas need striping and signage that define boundaries and direct traffic flow. Curbing or wheel stops protect adjacent landscaping and pedestrian areas. Verify the current edition of the Transportation Criteria Manual before finalizing a plan, because it is updated independently of the Land Development Code and the review happens before construction can begin.

Choosing How Much Parking to Build

Freedom to set your own supply is not the same as an easy decision. A multifamily project in a transit-rich area near downtown may lease successfully with far fewer spaces than a suburban site in northwest Austin. Undersupply can leave units unleased; oversupply leaves expensive spaces empty.

Surface parking construction runs roughly $1.50 to $12.00 per square foot for asphalt paving and subgrade preparation, depending on site conditions. Structured parking is an order of magnitude more expensive. Civil engineering and survey work for a commercial parking site plan can range from around $10,000 up to 4 percent of total construction costs on more complex projects. These are costs you incur even though the city no longer requires the parking itself, because accessibility, bicycle, EV, and dimensional rules attach to whatever you build.

Shared parking agreements between adjacent properties are worth considering when complementary uses sit next to each other, such as a daytime office building beside an evening restaurant. Austin has historically allowed such arrangements, and without a citywide minimum in the way, they are a practical option for holding total space counts down.

1
U.S. Access Board. Chapter 5: Parking Spaces
2
ADA.gov. Accessible Parking Spaces
3
eCFR. 28 CFR Part 85 – Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustment
4
eCFR. 28 CFR 36.504
5
Municode Library. Austin Code of Ordinances Chapter 12-5 – Stopping, Standing, and Parking
6
Municode Library. Austin Land Development Code Chapter 25-6 – Article 9, Division 4
7
Austin Energy. 2024 City of Austin Energy Code – EV Readiness