23.54.037

A. Number of spaces 1. The minimum number of parking spaces for bicycles required for specified uses is set forth in Table A for 23.54.037. 2. Long-term parking for bicycles shall be for bicycles parked four or more hours. Short-term parking for bicycles shall be for bicycles parked less than four hours. In the case of a use not shown on Table A for 23.54.037, one bicycle parking space per 10,000 gross square feet of either short- or long-term bicycle parking is required. 3. The minimum requirements are based upon gross floor area of the use in a structure minus gross floor area in parking uses, or the square footage of the use when located outside of an enclosed structure, or as otherwise specified. 4. Rounding. For long-term bicycle parking, calculation of the minimum requirement shall round up the result to the nearest whole number. For short-term bicycle parking, calculation of the minimum requirement shall round up the result to the nearest whole even number. B. Performance standards. Provide bicycle parking in a highly visible, safe, and convenient location, emphasizing user convenience and theft deterrence, based on rules promulgated by the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation that address the considerations in this subsection 23.54.037.B. 1. Provide secure locations and arrangements of long-term bicycle parking, with features such as locked rooms or cages and bicycle lockers. The bicycle parking should be installed in a manner that avoids creating conflicts with automobile accesses and driveways. 2. For a garage with bicycle parking and motor vehicle parking for more than two dwelling units, provide pedestrian and bicycle access to long-term bicycle parking that is separate from other vehicular entry and egress points or uses the same entry or egress point but has a marked walkway for pedestrians and bicyclists. 3. Provide adequate lighting in the bicycle parking area and access routes to it. 4. If short-term bicycle parking facilities are not clearly visible from the street or sidewalk or adjacent on-street bicycle facilities, install directional signage in adequate amounts and in highly visible locations in a manner that promotes easy wayfinding for bicyclists. 5. Provide signage to long-term bicycle parking that is oriented to building users. 6. Long-term bicycle parking shall be located where bicyclists are not required to carry bicycles on exterior stairs with more than five steps to access the parking. The Director, as a Type I decision, may allow long-term bicycle parking for rowhouse and townhouse development to be accessed by stairs with more than five steps, if the slope of the lot makes access with five or fewer steps infeasible. 7. Where practicable, long-term bicycle parking shall include a variety of rack types to accommodate different types of bicycles. 8. Install bicycle parking hardware so that it can perform to its manufacturer's specifications and any design criteria promulgated by the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, allowing adequate clearance for bicycles and their riders. 9. Provide full weather protection for all required long-term bicycle parking. C. Location of bicycle parking 1. Long-term bicycle parking required for residential uses shall be located on-site except as provided in subsection 23.54.037.C.3. 2. Short-term bicycle parking may be provided on the lot or in an adjacent right-of-way, subject to approval by the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, or as provided in subsection 23.54.037.C.3. 3. Both long-term and short-term bicycle parking for residential uses may be provided off-site if within 600 feet of the residential use to which the bicycle parking is accessory and if the site of the bicycle parking is functionally interrelated to the site of the residential use to which the bicycle parking is accessory, such as within a unit lot subdivision or if the sites are connected by access easements, or if a covenant or similar property right is established to allow use of the off-site bicycle parking. D. Long-term bicycle parking required for small efficiency dwelling units and congregate residence sleeping rooms is required to be covered for full weather protection. If the required, covered long-term bicycle parking is located inside the building that contains small efficiency dwelling units or congregate residence sleeping rooms, the space required to provide the required long-term bicycle parking shall be exempt from floor area ratio (FAR) limits. Covered long-term bicycle parking that is provided beyond the required bicycle parking shall not be exempt from FAR limits. E. Bicycle parking facilities shared by more than one use are encouraged. F. Except as provided in subsection 23.54.015.G, bicycle parking facilities required for nonresidential uses shall be located: 1. On the lot; or 2. For a functionally interrelated campus containing more than one building, in a shared bicycle parking facility within 600 feet of the lot; or 3. Short-term bicycle parking may be provided in an adjacent right-of-way, subject to approval by the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation. G. For nonresidential uses on a functionally interrelated campus containing more than one building, both long-term and short-term bicycle parking may be located in an off-site location within 600 feet of the lot, and short-term public bicycle parking may be provided in a right-of-way, subject to approval by the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation. The Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation may consider whether bicycle parking in the public place shall be sufficient in quality to effectively serve bicycle parking demand from the site. H. Bicycle commuter shower facilities. Structures containing 100,000 square feet or more of office use floor area shall include shower facilities and clothing storage areas for bicycle commuters. Two showers shall be required for every 100,000 square feet of office use. They shall be available in a manner that results in equal shower access for all users. The facilities shall be for the use of the employees and occupants of the building, and shall be located where they are easily accessible to bicycle parking facilities, which may include in places accessible by elevator from the bicycle parking location. I. Bicycle parking spaces within dwelling units or on balconies do not count toward the bicycle parking requirement, except if the bike parking spaces are located: 1. In a private garage; or 2. Within the ground floor of a dwelling unit in an attached dwelling unit. Table A for 23.54.037 Parking for bicycles 1 Use Bike parking requirements Long-term Short-term A. COMMERCIAL USES A.1. Eating and drinking establishments 1 per 5,000 square feet 1 per 1,000 square feet A.2. Entertainment uses other than theaters and spectator sports facilities 1 per 10,000 square feet Equivalent to 5 percent of maximum building capacity rating A.2.a. Theaters and spectator sports facilities 1 per 10,000 square feet Equivalent to 8 percent of maximum building capacity rating 2 A.3. Lodging uses 3 per 40 rentable rooms 1 per 20 rentable rooms plus 1 per 4,000 square feet of conference and meeting rooms A.4. Medical services 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 2,000 square feet A.5. Offices and laboratories, research and development 1 per 2,000 square feet 1 per 10,000 square feet A.6. Sales and services, general 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 2,000 square feet A.7. Sales and services, heavy 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 10,000 square feet of occupied floor area; 2 spaces minimum B. INSTITUTIONS B.1. Institutions not listed below 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 10,000 square feet B.2. Child care centers 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 20 children. 2 spaces minimum B.3. Colleges 1 per 5,000 square feet 1 per 2,500 square feet B.4. Community clubs or centers 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 1,000 square feet B.5. Hospitals 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 10,000 square feet B.6. Libraries 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 2,000 square feet B.7. Museums 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 2,000 square feet B.8. Religious facilities 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 2,000 square feet B.9. Schools, primary and secondary 3 per classroom 1 per classroom B.10. Vocational or fine arts schools 1 per 5,000 square feet 1 per 2,500 square feet C. MANUFACTURING USES 1 per 4,000 square feet 1 per 20,000 square feet D. RESIDENTIAL USES 3 D.1 Assisted living facility None None D.2 Congregate residences 4, 5, 6 1 per 4 sleeping rooms 1 per 80 sleeping rooms. 2 spaces minimum D.3 Permanent supportive housing None None D.4 Other residential uses 4, 5 1 per dwelling unit 6 1 per 20 dwelling units, except none for projects with less than 20 dwelling units E. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES E.1. Park and ride facilities on surface parking lots At least 20 6 At least 10 E.2. Park and ride facilities in parking garages At least 20 if parking is the principal use of a property; zero if non-parking uses are the principal use of a property At least 10 if parking is the principal use of a property; zero if non-parking uses are the principal use of a property E.3. Flexible-use parking garages and flexible-use parking surface lots 1 per 20 auto spaces None E.4. Passenger terminals Spaces for 5 percent of projected AM peak period daily ridership 6 Spaces for 2 percent of projected AM peak period daily ridership E.5. Light rail transit stations Regulated by subsection 23.80.008.L Regulated by subsection 23.80.008.L Footnotes to Table A for 23.54.037 1 Required bicycle parking includes long-term and short-term amounts shown in this Table A for 23.54.037. 2 The Director may reduce short-term bicycle parking requirements for theaters and spectator sports facilities that provide bicycle valet services authorized through a Transportation Management Program. A bicycle valet service is a service that allows bicycles to be temporarily stored in a secure area, such as a monitored bicycle corral. 3 For residential uses, after the first 50 spaces for bicycles are provided, additional spaces are required at three-quarters the ratio shown in this Table A for 23.54.037. 4 For residential structures that are owned and operated by a not-for-profit entity serving seniors or persons with disabilities, or that are licensed by the State and provide supportive services for seniors or persons with disabilities, as a Type I decision, the Director shall have the discretion to reduce the amount of required bicycle parking to as few as zero if it can be demonstrated that residents are less likely to travel by bicycle. 5 In low-income housing, there is no minimum required long-term bicycle parking requirement for each unit subject to affordability limits no higher than 30 percent of median income and long-term bicycle parking requirements may be waived by the Director as a Type I decision for each unit subject to affordability limits greater than 30 percent of median income and no higher than 80 percent of median income if a reasonable alternative is provided (e.g., in-unit vertical bike storage). 6 Long-term bike parking is not required in NR zones. 7 The Director, in consultation with the Director of Transportation, may require more bicycle parking spaces based on the following factors: area topography; pattern and volume of expected bicycle users; nearby residential and employment density; proximity to the Urban Trails system and other existing and planned bicycle facilities; projected transit ridership and expected access to transit by bicycle; and other relevant transportation and land use information. ( Current text Ord. 127376 , § 59, 2026 [renumbered from 23.54.015.K]; Ord. 127228 , § 19, 2025; Ord. 127219 , § 26, 2025; Ord. 126855 , § 39, 2023; Ord. 126682 , § 9, 2022; Ord. 126509 , § 76, 2022 [zone name change]; Ord. 126287 , § 10, 2021; Ord. 126157 , § 42, 2020; Ord. 125558 , § 42, 2018; Ord. 125272 , § 48, 2017; Ord. 124843 , § 48, 2015; Ord. 124770 , § 9, 2015; Ord. 124608 , § 10, 2014; Ord. 123046, § 65, 2009 [renamed charts to tables]; Ord. 122311 , § 68, 2006 [replaced entire text and functionally renumbered from 23.54.015.I]. Prior text Ord. 121828, § 10, 2005 [re-enacted to incorporate prior amendments]; Ord. 121782, § 31, 2005; Ord. 121477, § 30, 2004 [department name change]; Ord. 121196, § 23, 2003; Ord. 121145, § 14, 2003; Ord. 120609 , § 13, 2001; Ord. 118409, § 199, 1996 [department name change]; Ord. 118302, § 13, 1996; Ord. 113263, § 26, 1986 [renumbered from 23.54.015.H and amended]; Ord. 112777, § 32, 1986.)