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City of Seattle Bicycle Parking Ordinance

Bicycle Parking

Note: The latest Seattle Bicycle Parking Guidelines from the Seattle Department of Transportation draft is in review

1. The minimum number of off-street spaces for bicycle parking required for specific use categories is set forth in Chart 23.49.019 A below. In the case of a use not shown on Chart 23.49.019 A, there is no minimum bicycle parking requirement. After the first fifty (50) spaces for bicycles are provided for a use,
additional spaces are required at one half (1/2) the ratio shown in Chart 23.49.019 A. Spaces within dwelling units or on balconies do not count toward the bicycle parking requirement.

Chart 23.49.019 A*

Use 1 space per 5,000 square feet of gross floor area of office use
Office 1 space per 5,000 square feet of gross floor area of office use
Hotel 0.05 spaces per hotel room
Retail use over 10,000 square feet of gross floor area 1 space per 5,000 square feet of retail use
Residential 1 space for every 2 dwelling units

2. Required bicycle parking shall be provided in a safe, accessible and convenient location. Bicycle parking hardware shall be installed according to its manufacturer’s instructions, and the Seattle Department of Transportation design criteria, allowing adequate clearance for bicycles and their riders. Directional signage shall be installed when bike parking facilities are not clearly visible from the street or sidewalk. When any covered automobile parking is provided, all required long-term bicycle parking shall be covered. When located off-street, bicycle and automobile parking areas shall be separated by a barrier or painted lines.

3. Bicycle parking facilities for nonresidential uses shall be located on the lot or in a shared bicycle parking facility within one hundred (100) feet of the lot, except as provided in subsection 6 below.

4. Bicycle parking for residential uses shall be located on-site.

5. Co-location of bicycle parking facilities by more than one (1) use is encouraged.
6. For nonresidential uses, the applicant may make a payment to the City to fund public bicycle parking in the public right-of-way in lieu of providing required bicycle parking on- or off-site, if the Director determines that:
a. Safe, accessible, and convenient bicycle parking accessory to a nonresidential use cannot be provided on-site or in a shared bicycle parking facility within one hundred (100) feet of the lot, without extraordinary physical or financial difficulty.
b. The payment is comparable to the cost of providing the equivalent bicycle parking on-site, and takes in consideration the cost of materials, equipment, and labor for installation.
c. The bicycle parking funded by the payment is located within sufficient proximity to serve the bicycle parking demand generated by the project.
d. Any such payment shall be placed in a dedicated fund or account and used within five (5) years of receipt to provide the bicycle parking.

Bicycle Commuter Shower Facilities
Structures containing two hundred fifty thousand (250,000) square feet or more of gross office floor area shall include shower facilities and clothing storage areas for bicycle commuters. One shower per gender shall be required for every two hundred fifty thousand (250,000) square feet of office use. Such facilities shall be for the use of the employees and occupants of the building, and shall be located where they are easily accessible to
parking facilities for bicycles.

Bicycle Parking Requirements: Outside of Downtown Seattle

The requirements below are taken from the commercial zoning code section of the Land
Use Ordinance 122311, adopted on December 21, 2006.

23.54.015 Required parking.

Bicycle parking. The minimum number of off-street parking spaces for bicycles required for specified uses is set forth in Chart E. In the case of a use not shown on Chart E, there is no minimum bicycle parking requirement. The minimum requirements are based upon gross floor area of the use in a structure, or the square footage of the use when located outside of an enclosed structure, or as otherwise specified.
1. After the first fifty (50) spaces for bicycles are provided, additional spaces are required at one half (1/2) the ratio shown in Chart E, except for rail transit facilities; passenger terminals; and park and ride lots. Spaces within dwelling units or on balconies do not count toward the bicycle parking requirement.

2. Required bicycle parking shall be provided in a safe, accessible and convenient location. Bicycle parking hardware shall be installed so that it can perform to its manufacturer’s specifications and any design criteria promulgated by the Director of Transportation, allowing adequate clearance for bicycles and their riders. Directional signage shall be installed when bike parking facilities are not clearly visible from the street or sidewalk. When any covered automobile parking is provided, all required long-term bicycle parking shall be covered. When located off-street, bicycle and automobile parking areas must be separated by a barrier or painted lines.

3. Long-term parking for bicycles shall be for bicycles parked four (4) hours or more. Short-term parking for bicycles shall be for bicycles parked less than four (4) hours.

4. Bicycle parking required for residential uses must be located on-site.

5. Bicycle parking facilities shared by more than one use are encouraged.

6. Bicycle parking facilities required for nonresidential uses shall be located on the lot or in a shared bicycle parking facility within one hundred (100) feet of the lot, except as provided in subsection 7 below.

7. Bicycle parking may be located in a facility within one hundred (100) feet of the lot that is not a shared bicycle parking facility, or the applicant may make a payment to the city to fund public bicycle parking in lieu of providing required on-site bicycle parking, if the Director determines that:
a. Safe, accessible and convenient bicycle parking accessory to a nonresidential
use cannot be provided on-site or in a shared bicycle parking facility within one-Seattle Bicycle Master Plan – 134 –
Appendix K
hundred (100) feet of the lot, without extraordinary physical or financial difficulty.

b. The payment is comparable to the cost of providing the equivalent bicycle parking on-site, and takes into consideration the cost of materials, equipment and labor for installation.
c. The bicycle parking funded by the payment is located within sufficient proximity to serve the bicycle parking demand generated by the project.
d. Construction of the bicycle parking funded by the payment is assured before issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the development.

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