Modernizing Parking Requirements

Latest News

Denver is pursuing the Modernizing Parking Requirements project in an effort to:

  • reduce city time reviewing development applications
  • promote the development of more housing
  • give building projects the flexibility to build the number of parking spaces they deem necessary, based on market conditions. 

The proposed rule changes would remove minimum parking requirements from development regulations, which now require a minimum number of parking spaces based on the proposed use and zone district of each project. Currently, minimum parking ratios don’t apply to single-unit homes, accessory dwelling units, or certain neighborhoods downtown. Some affordable housing developments already have reduced parking requirements. This project is sponsored by Denver City Councilmembers Sarah Parady, Chris Hinds, Flor Alvidrez, and Darrell Watson, in partnership with Community Planning and Development (CPD), Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI), and the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR).

Background

Denver’s zoning code currently requires that a minimum number of parking spaces be provided for various land uses in the city. For example, market-rate apartments require one parking space per dwelling unit while restaurants require nearly four parking spaces per every 1,000 square feet of indoor space. Developers typically build more parking than is required to ensure their projects are attractive and competitive. These conditions can lead to:

  • more expensive housing because each structured parking space costs as much as $50,000
  • fewer housing units because space that could be used for housing is instead used for parking
  • a reliance on cars as a means of transportation
  • more traffic congestion and air pollution
  • administrative burden for both the city and developers.

Providing flexibility by removing minimum parking requirements would result in a more efficient building and review process and lead to better outcomes. Through this proposal, the city anticipates reducing the amount of time staff spend on parking administration by hundreds of hours per year, sharply cutting the time it takes to review development applications. Development applicants will also no longer have to spend hundreds of hours calculating whether they meet parking requirements.

Along with parking requirements, the city is updating its Transportation Demand Management requirements to ensure that new developments minimize their parking demand by offering subsidized transit passes and supporting car share opportunities.

This project is part of Denver's compliance with state legislation passed in 2024. The legislation requires municipalities to stop enforcing minimum parking requirements for multifamily residential development and adaptive reuse of buildings that will be at least 50 percent residential if they are within a quarter-mile of transit routes. Denver and other cities must comply with this legislation by June 30, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are parking ratios? 

The Denver Zoning Code requires that most developments provide a minimum number of off-street parking spaces. These requirements are defined by certain ratios. For example, apartment buildings have to provide one parking space per dwelling unit; retail shops and office buildings have to provide 1.875 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area; and bars and restaurants have to provide 3.875 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area. 

These ratios were set in an era when Denver was responding to the proliferation of cars and more car parking demand. Since then, the city has seen huge expanses of asphalt dedicated to parking lots that are often underutilized, yet in most instances the ratios haven’t been recalibrated since the 1960s, despite advances in mobility options.


Why is removing the parking ratios a good thing? 

Removing parking ratios does not remove parking or prohibit the building of parking spaces. It allows market conditions to determine how many parking spaces should be provided. In actuality, Parking ratios are not good predictors for how much parking will be provided as most new development provides far more parking than is required.  

Minimum parking ratios also have some negative effects. Parking minimums can make housing more expensive because a developer has to dedicate a lot of space to parking, and parking spaces are expensive, a cost that gets transferred to residents in more expensive housing prices. A parking space in a structured parking garage can add as much as $50,000 to the cost of a dwelling unit. 

Additionally, reviewing and complying with parking minimums produces a time-cost for the City and County of Denver and developers alike. Both spend time on parking compliance that could be heavily reduced by moving to a more flexible parking system.

Removing the minimum parking ratios could produce better outcomes for the city in all these areas, and it has worked in nearly 90 other cities across the country, including Longmont, CO; Minneapolis, MN; Austin, TX; San Francisco, CA; and Raleigh, NC.


Does this mean there are going to be fewer parking spaces downtown? 

Likely not. We have seen that the market tends to dictate the number of parking spaces provided by new development, not minimum parking ratios. As an example, 1901 Lawrence St. is a new office building that had no parking requirements based on its zoning, and it still provided 633 spaces. We expect this trend to continue. 


Won’t this increase traffic in Denver? 

Actually, car parking encourages car ownership, resulting in more driving, contributing to traffic congestion. Where parking is limited, people tend to take alternative transportation, like riding the bus/rail or a bike, which reduces car parking. 


Why aren’t we just complying with the state law? Why are we going further? 

The City and County of Denver agrees with the State of Colorado that removing minimum parking requirements is sound policy. As mentioned, parking ratios defined by zoning don’t dictate how many parking spaces are provided in new development. They produce administrative burden for the city in reviewing development proposals for parking compliance, and they restrict how much of new development could go towards new housing or other public goods. The state law prohibits Denver from enforcing minimum parking requirements for certain residential developments within a quarter-mile of frequent transit service. For the best outcomes and to prevent patchwork parking rules (which are difficult for the city to administer), Denver proposes to remove car parking ratios for all uses in all zone districts citywide.  


Will this make parking more expensive throughout the city? 

Parking already comes at a cost. Developers are in a better position to make financial decisions on how much parking is necessary. In some cases for residential development, that means reducing the number of parking spaces than currently required, thus allowing for more housing units at a lower cost for residents.


Does this mean future apartment buildings won’t have parking spaces? 

Not necessarily. There are already areas downtown that don’t require parking. New development in those areas typically provide ample parking. Removing parking minimums allows the market to dictate how many spots should be provided, not an arbitrary number provided by the city. Banks that provide loans for new developments typically dictate how many parking spaces are necessary for a project to be financially viable – attractive to future tenants and competitive with other projects, considering that most people want to drive their cars and access convenient parking.


How will this affect residential neighborhoods? 

This project won’t affect single-family homes or accessory dwelling units as these types of housing already don’t require parking spaces. This will affect new developments like apartment buildings, businesses, schools, and churches, which are still anticipated to provide ample parking. In residential neighborhoods that are already experiencing a lack of on-street parking, DOTI has implemented Curbside Area Management Plans intended to prioritize on-street parking for residents, and they will continue to monitor the need for more curbside management and enforcement.


Is the city going to improve public transportation options? 

Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure continues to work on improving pedestrian safety and access to public transportation to Denverites. Learn more about DOTI’s initiatives

In addition, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) plans to improve transit service. RTD had to cut back service due to COVID-19 and staffing reductions, but its future budget includes hiring more staff to increase the frequency of service at its bus and rail stops, and implementing Bus Rapid Transit corridors along such streets as Colfax and Federal, making transit a more convenient option. 


How does removing parking minimums connect to providing more affordable housing? 

When a new development is required to provide a minimum amount of parking, the space used for parking could be space that is used to build housing. This drives up the costs of the units because parking is expensive to build, especially if underground, and because it decreases the number of units for rent or sale.