Flexible Parking Requirements

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Update: Permanent Changes Approved

Learn more about the permanent parking rules approved in August 2026.

Background 

On January 13, 2025, after a public hearing on the topic, Bellingham City Council approved an interim ordinance eliminating Bellingham’s minimum parking requirements – rules that defined the required number of parking spaces that needed be developed with new construction in Bellingham. After extending the interim ordinance several times, City Council approved permanent changes in August 2026. 

The amended rules allow property owners and developers to right-size the amount of parking they provide based on anticipated demand, rather than City mandates. While the new rules provide significantly more flexibility, developers must still provide a certain amount of bicycle parking based on the type of residential or commercial use, and considerations such as ADA requirements and safety will continue to be taken into account.  

State law regarding minimum parking requirements approved April 2025

In April 2025, the Washington state legislature passed Senate Bill 5184 limiting the amount of parking cities can require. Starting January 2027, Washington cities like Bellingham will be significantly limited in the parking they can require for developments. In particular, it eliminates the City’s ability to require parking for: 

  • Residences (dwelling units) under 1,200 square feet.
  • Commercial spaces under 3,000 square feet. 

This means that nearly all multifamily projects (which generally have units smaller than 1,200 square feet) and many mixed-use or commercial projects (which often have multiple commercial uses that are each smaller than 3,000 square feet) must be allowed the flexibility to provide parking as desired. No vehicular parking minimums may be applied in these cases. 

Additionally, the state legislation does not allow cites to require:  

  • Any minimum parking requirements for:   
    • Existing buildings undergoing change of use from a nonresidential to a residential use or a change of use for a commercial use.  
    • Affordable housing.  
    • Senior housing.  
    • Childcare facilities.  
    • Ground-level nonresidential spaces in mixed-use buildings.  
  • More than 0.5 parking space per multifamily dwelling unit or more than one parking space per single-family home.   
  • More than two parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of commercial space.  

>> You can learn more about state rules and find exceptions here. 

Status

The permanent parking flexibility ordinance was approved on August 10, 2026, following a public hearing held on July 13, 2026. These regulations are effective as of August 25, 2026. This ordinance amended the land use code by: 

  • Eliminating all automobile parking minimums in BMC Title 20, while retaining design requirements and other related standards for voluntary provision of parking, including minor amendments to bring Bellingham into compliance with recent state law. 
  • Adopting modernized and consistent bicycle parking regulations citywide with recommended changes related to applicability, parking ratios, and facility design. 
  • Continuing to require accessible parking spaces in relation to the amount of parking that is voluntarily provided on site. 
  • Retaining existing EV charging infrastructure requirements consistent with state statute and building code, based on the voluntary provision of parking. 

>>See the full ordinance.

These interim regulations significantly align with the permanent regulations adopted in August 2026, with several minor differences. The permanent regulations:

  • Are written to amend the Bellingham Municipal Code, so they integrate those regulations throughout the code and remove references to the previous parking requirements.
  • Clarify that the changes do not impact existing parking regulations for Institutional Master Plans, Development Agreements, or existing Planned Unit Developments.
  • Clarify that the removal of parking that had previously been required but no longer would be required is permitted.
  • Provides more categories and increased required ratios for bicycle parking requirements, such as including parking for cargo and electric bicycles.
  • Removes the requirement for a single accessible parking stall when no other stalls are provided, aligning with state requirements. 
  • On February 12, 2024, the Bellingham City Council requested that City staff provide information about other cities that have reformed their parking requirements, and potential options and implications for updating Bellingham’s requirements.     
  • On May 20, 2024, City staff presented parking reform options to City Council during a work session. At the end of the discussion, City Council asked staff to provide additional information on two of the options presented. One option would eliminate parking minimum requirements citywide, while the other would only eliminate them in/near transit-oriented development and urban villages.
  • On November 21, 2024, Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund signed an executive order directing City departments to take immediate actions to increase housing opportunities in Bellingham. One action directs staff to immediately present an interim ordinance to Bellingham City Council for consideration that would remove parking minimums citywide while following best practices for ADA parking, access requirements and other key factors.
  • At their December 16 meeting, City Council was presented with an interim parking reform ordinance. Council voted to move the ordinance forward for a final vote. The draft interim ordinance is available in the agenda for that meeting.
  • City Council approved the interim ordinance January 13, 2025, after a public hearing that same day. The public hearing and Council discussion is available here. 
  • The ordinance went into effect January 28, 2025.
  • City Council voted to approve a six-month extension of the interim ordinance after a public hearing on November 3, 2025. The public hearing and Council discussion is available here.
  • On June 4, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider permanent regulations to reform parking citywide. While similar to the interim ordinance currently in effect, these permanent regulations vary in a few areas as outlined in the Planning Commission packet. The Planning Commission recommended approval of this ordinance with minor amendments to the bike parking regulations, sending it on to City Council for consideration. 
  • City Council voted to approve a six-month extension of the interim ordinance after a public hearing on June 15, 2026. The public hearing and Council discussion is available here. This extended ordinance will be in effect until January 28, 2027, unless extended again.
  • The Bellingham City Council held a public hearing on July 13, 2026, to consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation for the permanent regulations. 
  • The Bellingham City Council held an initial vote approving the permanent regulations on July 27, 2026. The final vote will take place on August 10, 2026. 
  • The Bellingham City Council approved permanent regulations on August 10, 2026, following an initial vote on July 27, 2026.  These regulations are effective as of August 25, 2026. 

Why did the City make parking development fully flexible?  

Parking requirements limit what can be done with land and have led to an overabundance of parking in areas of the city. At the same time, the need for additional housing and environmental and climate mitigation measures have increased. Parking requirements didn’t reflect our current priorities – the last time Bellingham’s parking requirements had been substantially updated was in the 1960s.

Supporting housing opportunities 

Parking takes up our limited buildable land that could be used for housing. Parking mandates limit the number of housing units that can be built on a site because, in order to develop a housing unit, a certain number of parking spaces must be created to support that unit. If required parking can’t be built, then the housing unit can’t be built.

According to research published in November 2024, making parking fully flexible – in other words, doing away with minimum parking requirements –  can help spur more housing availability.  

  • Parking requirements often limit the number of units that can be built due to limited space for parking on a site. The cost of constructing the parking can also make the project unfeasible.  
  • Each parking space generally costs more than $20,000 in Bellingham and can be upwards of $60,000 per space for structured parking. Homeowners and renters ultimately end up covering these costs through increased purchase prices or monthly rent. 
  • By increasing housing supply, removing parking minimums may also help stabilize housing costs. 
  • This change has the potential to encourage development. For instance, in 2023, the City Council agreed to eliminate parking requirements in Old Town. That change was one of several elements that supported renewed development interest in an area that went underdeveloped for decades. There are now plans to construct at least 500 new residential units in this area over the coming years. 
  • By not requiring every structure have a certain minimum number of parking spaces, people can make site specific decisions that allow them to use land more efficiently, and not build unused parking.  
Employee Benefits

Housing Executive Order Calls for Parking Reforms

Learn more about the order signed in November 2024 that called for expediting these actions.

Supporting the environment and climate mitigation 

Parking minimum requirements are at odds with Bellingham’s climate goals. They increase urban sprawl, and they result in a greater amount of pavement or other impervious surfaces, which increases the heat island effect.  

  • Removing parking minimums can increase urban density, and denser urban development supports greater preservation of forested lands, agricultural lands, urban trees and other critical areas by reducing the impacts of urban sprawl.  
  • Removing parking minimums encourages use of alternative modes of transportation, which can help us meet our climate goals. The City’s 2018 Climate Action Plan calls for reducing vehicle trips by 27 percent by 2036 and identifies greater urban density as a requisite to support that goal. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Permits can now be submitted for projects that allow for new construction or remodels that don’t meet the previous code’s minimum parking requirements.   

For instance, a property owner could submit permits for a project to build an additional townhome on a lot with several existing townhomes. This might mean that they would lose parking spaces required under previous code for those existing townhomes. Before passage of the ordinance, homes were required to have a minimum number of parking spaces, and, if homeowners wanted to add something like an additional townhome to their property, they would have needed to be able to accommodate parking requirements for that new townhome in addition to parking for existing buildings.  Removal of minimum parking requirements will allow property owners to determine how many parking spaces they would like to maintain, and opens the door to construction of other housing units on their property.

Developers have the option of submitting permit applications for projects that reflect the amount of parking they think is reasonable for their projects. They can decide whether to create the number of parking spaces they would have previously under the code, or to use some of that parking land for additional housing units instead. They may also amend previously issued permits. 

Before approval of the ordinance, Bellingham’s parking space requirements would need to be used to determine how many parking spaces must be provided on a property based on what that property is being used for. Those requirements are all listed in the history of our municipal code. They were based on land use (what type of building use is proposed) and geography (some areas of the city are already exempt from parking minimum requirements).  

Some examples include requiring: 

  • For multi-family residences in most areas of the city, the total number of parking spaces is based on the unit type:
    • Studio: 1 space per unit
    • 1-2 bedroom: 1.5 spaces per unit 
    • 3+ bedroom: 2 spaces per unit
  • Single family residences must provide two parking spaces per house and then an additional space for each bedroom beyond three bedrooms. 
  • Furniture and large appliance stores must have four spaces for every 500 square feet of gross floor area. 
  • For parking in urban villages, the residential requirements vary, but are generally less than the single/multi-family requirements outside Urban Villages. Non-residential requirements vary, but include 1 parking space for every 500 square feet of office space. Downtown, Old Town, and Fairhaven all have some areas that are exempt from parking requirements.

In addition to a total vehicle parking space requirement, previouse code included the following: 

  • Bicycle parking was required for projects proposed within Urban Villages. A similar use-based ratio calculation was used to determine how much is required. Now, a similar calculation is used for calculating required bicycle parking citywide.
  • For most projects (other than small residential projects exempt from including ADA dwelling units) a portion of provided vehicle parking had to meet ADA standards for accessible parking. This proportion is defined by the building code rather than by local standards. This continues to be the case under permanent regulations.  
  • A portion of provided vehicle parking had to meet state energy code requirements for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. This may include EV charging stations, EV-ready parking spaces, or EV-capable parking spaces, each with different requirements. This continues to be the case under permanent regulations. 

In 1947, the City of Bellingham adopted its first zoning ordinance, which included three parking standards. In 1969, parking codes were substantially updated. Although there have been minor revisions over the last several decades, the codes had not seen any major citywide reforms in more than 55 years before the interim ordinance was approved in January 2025. 

Most municipal parking codes in the United States were developed in the 1930s and 40s. At that time, parking policy across this country was mostly a copy and paste exercise, rather than based on the parking needs of individual communities. 

To establish minimum parking requirements, many local governments used manuals created by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), founded as an organization focused on moving as many cars and trucks as fast as possible in the 1930s. They used standards that didn’t consider or prioritize pedestrians, mass transit, or alternative modes of transportation. Also, most parking space requirements were developed based on peak parking demand. All of this led to an overabundance of parking spaces. For each car in this country, there are six parking spaces. 

“Urban planners who use the ITE manuals to set minimum parking requirements therefore shape a city where everyone will drive wherever they go and park free when they get there.” (Truth in Transportation Planning UCLA.edu) 

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