SURFACE PARKING SCREENING AND LANDSCAPING.
Dallas City Code § 51A-13.408
in effectSEC. 51A-13.408. SURFACE PARKING SCREENING AND LANDSCAPING.
(a) Screening Required.
(1) Off-street surface parking must be screened in the following instances:
(A) Where the parking area serves a nonresidential use contiguous with a residential use or vacant lot in an A, A(A), R, R(A), D, D(A), TH, TH(A), CH, MF, MF(A), MH, MH(A), or RTN district.
(B) Where the parking area serves a multifamily use contiguous with a single-family or duplex use or a vacant lot in an R, R(A), D, D(A), TH, TH(A), CH, or RTN district.
(2) If an alley separates a parking area from another use, the use is considered contiguous to the parking area. If a street separates a parking area from another use, the use is not considered contiguous to the parking area.
(b) Screening Standards.
(1) Required screening for off-street parking must be a brick, stone, concrete masonry, stucco, or concrete wall that is not less than six feet in height. No wall may have more than 10 square inches of open area for each square foot of surface area, and may contain a maximum of two openings or gates for vehicular access (although openings or gates for pedestrian access are acceptable).
(2) Either one large canopy tree or two large non-canopy trees are required along any parking lot screening for every 50 linear feet of the screening wall, with trees spaced no less than 25 feet apart.
(c) Surface Parking Landscaping.
(1) Parking spaces in a surface parking lot may not be more than 60 feet from a large canopy tree planted in a median or island.
(2) Each tree must have a caliper of at least two inches and may not be planted closer than four feet to the paved portion of the parking lot.
(3) A median or island in a surface parking lot must be a minimum of 125 square feet in area.
(4) Where no building lies between the sidewalk and a surface parking lot, a perimeter buffer around the parking lot is required. (See also Section 51A-13.503(f), “Parking Buffer (ST-6).”) The perimeter buffer must consist of:
(A) a brick, stone, concrete masonry, stucco, or concrete wall that is not less than 30 inches in height. No wall may have more than 10 square inches of open area for each square foot of surface area, and may contain a maximum of two openings or gates for vehicular access (although openings or gates for pedestrian access are acceptable); or
(B) a planting strip not less than five feet in depth, planted with landscape materials that will form a continuous, evergreen hedge of not less than 30 inches in height. Landscape materials must be no less than 24 inches in height at time of plant- ing, and must be maintained at no greater than 48 inches in height.
(d) Maintenance of Landscaping and Screening.
The owner of off-street parking must maintain required landscaping and screening in compliance with the requirements of this section.
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-94855Fetched: 10/26/2026