As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT OR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

A.

Any vehicle, trailer or equipment not contained within the definition of "domestic equipment," including boats which are used, designed, designated or otherwise utilized for a commercial purpose or as otherwise specified herein. This term shall specifically include any vehicle, trailer or equipment, regardless of use, as follows:

(1)

Any vehicle of a one-ton rated capacity or more.

(2)

Any vehicle, regardless of rated capacity, which exceeds the size of nine feet high, eight feet wide and 20 feet long.

(3)

Step vans.

(4)

Any vehicle, trailer or equipment that has exterior racks for carrying equipment, tools or merchandise used in the course of a trade or business.

(5)

Any vehicle carrying or containing any equipment, tools, materials or merchandise used in the course of a trade of business which may be observed by a member of the public without the necessity of looking through the windows of the vehicle.

(6)

Any vehicle, trailer or equipment that carries observable signage identifying the business, advertising the business or otherwise identifying the vehicle as being used for commercial purposes; except that any signage which is required by the State of Florida, or any subdivision or department thereof, or Pinellas County, or which is obscured by a magnetic covering or other replaceable covering at all times such vehicle, trailer or equipment is parked in a residential area is allowed.

(7)

Any limousine, taxi or vehicle for hire greater than 18 feet in length or which contains signage of any kind that is not totally covered or obscured while parked in a residential zone.

(8)

Any vehicle, trailer or equipment which is decorated for a commercial use.

(9)

Flat bed trucks or other types of vehicles, trailers or equipment which are designed and primarily used for a commercial purpose and are not sold by the manufacturer as passenger vehicles.

B.

This term does not include vehicles used for business, professional or commercial purposes which are passenger automobiles, pick-up trucks not exceeding one-ton rated capacity, station wagons, minivans, standard size vans which are typically used by the general public for private, noncommercial purposes and which include no signage, exterior modifications or other modifications not offered by the manufacturer as part of the base vehicle price which would allow for the use of the vehicle for commercial or business purposes and all vehicles operated by law enforcement officers, other than vehicles with a greater than one-ton rated capacity. This term does not include vans converted specifically for the use of handicapped citizens which are not used for commercial purposes.

DOMESTIC EQUIPMENT — Accessory equipment and motor vehicles not used or intended to be used for any business, professional or commercial purposes, and including the following types of equipment: All portable structures built or designed to be carried on a chassis and operated or transported, whether or not self-propelled, including but not limited to motor homes, campers, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, tent-trailers, pop-up campers, pickup campers, houseboats, boats, boat trailers, utility trailers and other types of trailers. This does not include passenger motor vehicles, minibuses and vans of like size used only as passenger motor vehicles.

OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE — A minimum net area of 200 square feet of appropriate dimensions for the parking of an automobile, exclusive of access drives or aisles, which should be a minimum of 10 feet wide by 20 feet long or compact spaces of 9 feet wide by 18 feet long or as may be designated by a registered engineer or architect as adequate for such facility.

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, RESIDENTIAL LOT OR RESIDENTIAL PARCEL — Lands within the city bearing the land use designation of Residential Low District, Residential Urban District, Residential Medium District, Residential High District and other lands within the city which have been developed exclusively for residential use in mixed-use districts, such as Residential/Office General District, Residential/Office/Retail District and Commercial General District.

(Amended 5-17-1999 by Ord. No. 99-6; amended 3-20-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-01; amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 1; amended 7-18-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-12, § 1)

A.

Pedestrian circulation facilities, roadways, driveways and off-street parking and loading areas shall be designed to be safe and convenient.

B.

Parking and loading areas, aisles, pedestrian walks, landscaping and open space shall be designed as integral parts of an overall development plan and shall be properly related to existing and proposed buildings.

C.

Use of porous materials.

(1)

All parking and loading spaces required under this code shall be designed to provide for the use of porous paving materials when feasible to foster water conservation, reduce stormwater runoff and reduce water management expense.

(2)

Porous materials shall be used in not less than 25% of the total parking area. Hard surface areas, such as asphalt, concrete or brick, shall be designed to conserve water in retention areas and increase percolation rather than runoff. Parking spaces in the recreation/open space category shall be as directed and controlled by the City Commission.

D.

Buildings, parking and loading areas, landscaping and open spaces shall be designed so that pedestrians moving from parking areas to buildings and between buildings are not unreasonably exposed to vehicular traffic.

E.

Landscaped, paved and gradually inclined or flat pedestrian walks shall be provided along the lines of the most intense use, particularly from building entrances to streets, parking areas and adjacent buildings. Pedestrian walks should be designed to discourage incursions into landscaped areas except at designated crossings.

F.

Each off-street parking space shall open directly onto an aisle or driveway that, except for single-family, duplex and triplex residences, is not a public street.

G.

Aisles and driveways shall not be used for parking vehicles, except that the driveway of a single-family or two-family residence shall be counted as a parking space for the dwelling unit or as a number of parking spaces as determined by the city, based on the size and accessibility of the driveway.

H.

The design shall be based on a definite and logical system of drive lanes to serve the parking and loading spaces.

I.

Parking spaces for all uses, except single-family and two-family residences, shall be designed to permit entry and exit without moving any other motor vehicle.

J.

No parking space shall be located so as to block access by emergency vehicles.

K.

Compact car spaces should be located no more or no less conveniently than full-size car spaces and shall be grouped in identifiable clusters.

There should be provided at the time of the erection of any main structure, or at the time any main structure is enlarged or increased in capacity by adding dwelling units, guest rooms, floor area or seats, sufficient minimum off-street automobile parking space with adequate provisions for ingress and egress by an automobile of standard size, in accordance with the following, provided that this article does not, in the judgment of the City Administrator, constitute an undue hardship or prove to be impossible to accomplish.

A.

Dwelling structures: see land use designations for these minimum parking requirements.

B.

General business, commercial or personal service establishments: one space for each 300 square feet of building area.

C.

Nursing homes: one space for each three patient beds.

D.

Kennels and animal hospitals: one space for each 500 square feet of building area.

E.

Medical or dental offices or clinics: one space for each 300 square feet of building area.

F.

Office buildings: two spaces for each 300 square feet of building area.

G.

Restaurants or other eating places: one space for each four seats.

H.

Public buildings and places of assembly: one space for each five seats in the main auditorium or place of assembly.

I.

Commercial concerns not catering to the retail trade: one space for each two employees, plus one space for each company vehicle operating from the premises.

J.

Hotels/Motels: one-half space per unit, plus 50 percent of the parking required under this section for accessory uses such as restaurants, retail stores, and salons and other personal service businesses.

(Amended 2-14-2005 by Ord. No. 2004-12, § 1; amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 2; amended 11-14-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-22, § 1; amended 7-21-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-06, § 1)

A.

Two or more non-residential uses located on the same or separate lots or parcels may provide for shared parking facilities, upon receiving the approval of the City Administrator, provided that the straight-line distance between the two parcels, from property line to property line, shall not exceed 300 feet. The applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the City Administrator that the uses upon the lot(s) or parcel(s) are able to share the same parking spaces because either the total number of such parking spaces, when combined or used together, are not fewer than the sum of the requirements when computed separately, or that their individual parking demands occur at different times (for example if one use operates during evenings or weekdays only). If a parking reduction is requested, the applicant shall be required to demonstrate to the City Administrator that the type of uses(s) indicates that the periods of usage will not overlap or be concurrent and that a reduction in the total number required off-street parking spaces is justified. The applicant shall submit documentation supporting the request for shared parking spaces that shall, at a minimum, include:

(1)

The uses proposed to share parking and the number of parking spaces required for those uses by this article;

(2)

The location and number of parking spaces that are being shared including a legal description of the property upon which the uses are located and upon which the shared parking spaces are located;

(3)

If a parking reduction is requested, the applicant shall provide an analysis showing that peak parking times of uses occur at different times and that parking area(s) will have a sufficient number of parking spaces to meet the minimum anticipated demands of all uses sharing the joint parking area(s); and

(4)

If the shared parking spaces are located off-site then the applicant shall also demonstrate that a safe pedestrian route exists, or will be provided, for the safety of pedestrians traveling between the premises and the offsite parking facilities.

B.

The approval by the City Administrator shall be documented as a shared parking agreement between the applicant(s) and the property owner(s) in a form acceptable to the city attorney and which:

(1)

Provides access to the shared parking spaces for all uses identified;

(2)

Requires written authorization by the owners of the affected properties;

(3)

Requires the processing of an amendment to the shared parking agreement for any substitution of uses not identified;

(4)

Requires the owner(s) to bear the expense of recording the shared parking agreement and agree that the shared parking agreement shall bind their heirs, successors and assigns;

(5)

Requires the shared parking agreement to be recorded in the public records of the clerk of the circuit court of Pinellas County prior to the issuance of the first building permit or certificate of occupancy for the project and may be voided by the City Administrator if other off-street facilities are provided in accordance with these regulations; and

(6)

Requires the termination of the shared parking agreement in the event of a violation of any of the following; a provision of this Code, any condition of a related development approval, of any term of condition contained in the agreement, upon provision of reasonable notice to the property owner.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 3)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 3, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, changed the title of § 102-94 from "Use of common parking facility by two or more uses" to read as herein set out.

A.

Parking Reductions for Specific Developments.

(1)

To avoid requiring more parking spaces than are actually needed to serve a development, the City Administrator may permit reductions in the minimum number of parking spaces pursuant to Section 102-93 if the conditions and requirements below are satisfied.

(2)

In order for the City Administrator to allow a reduction in the minimum number of parking spaces, an applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the City Administrator that the minimum parking spaces pursuant to the standard of Section 102-93 are not needed, due to one or more of the following conditions:

(a)

The nature and operation of the use are such that the actual parking requirements of the proposed use are less than the minimum number of parking spaces pursuant to Section 102-93. Such claims shall be based on data from similar developments, parking regulation of similar uses in other communities, or a trip generation or parking study prepared by a qualified professional.

(b)

Alternatives to on-site parking shall be provided. Such parking alternatives may include but are not limited to automated or valet parking which allows more vehicle to be parked in less space than conventional parking, remote parking with shuttle service to and from the remote location, and ride-sharing or carpooling programs. All such alternatives shall be made binding on the development through approval by the City of a development order, development agreement, or restrictive covenant.

(c)

For redevelopment of sites that were legally developed prior to these parking standards that do not provide the minimum on-site parking spaces pursuant to Section 102-93 above, applicants may demonstrate to the satisfaction of City Administrator that existing onstreet or remote parking is available to serve the proposed redevelopment.

(Added 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 4)

A.

Dwellings. Parking spaces for all dwellings shall be located on the same lot or parcel with the main structure to be served.

B.

Non-residential locations. Off-street parking spaces required by this article shall be located on the same lot or parcel as the main structure to be served except as permitted for shared parking under Section 102-94.

C.

Plot plans. The plot plan required by this chapter for a building permit shall also include clearly and accurately, when applicable, all parking spaces, maneuvering areas, aisles, driveways, entrances, exits, surfacing material, drainage and the outline of all buildings on the property, including the areas of the proposed uses that such parking spaces are intended to serve.

(Amended 5-17-1999 by Ord. No. 99-6; amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 5)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 5, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, amended and renumbered former § 102-95 as § 102-96.

A.

Residential districts.

(1)

It shall be unlawful for any person, association of persons, firm or corporation to place or park any domestic equipment, as defined herein, upon any residentially zoned lot, piece or parcel of land in the city or upon any right-of-way or easement within the residentially zoned area of the city; except that one piece of domestic equipment may be temporarily placed upon the driveway of the owner of said piece of domestic equipment for the sole purpose of loading, unloading or repairing such domestic equipment, and said one piece of domestic equipment shall be allowed to remain in said place upon such property only for a period of time as is reasonably necessary to actually load, unload or repair said piece of domestic equipment; provided, however, that the time for the loading, unloading or repair of said domestic equipment shall not in any event exceed seven days, whether consecutive or not, within any thirty-day time frame. For the purposes of enforcement of this article, a "day" shall be determined by the appropriate authorities of the city to consist of either 24 consecutive hours or any fraction thereof.

(2)

The mere moving of said piece of property during a day shall not reinitiate the computation of a twenty-four-hour period. During the time that one piece of domestic equipment is allowed to be temporarily parked upon an owner's residential property, said piece of domestic equipment shall not be used for any living or sleeping purposes by any human being or any other living creature.

(3)

Said domestic equipment, when allowed as aforesaid to be temporarily placed upon the owner's residential property, shall be maintained in a neat, clean and presentable manner; and the area beneath the equipment shall be kept in a neat condition; and no accumulation of trash shall be allowed under, near or around said domestic equipment. Notwithstanding the provisions contained in the foregoing subsections, the residents of the city must obtain from City Hall domestic equipment parking permits for the use of said residents' out-of-town guests who bring domestic equipment into the city during visitations in excess of two days with such residents of the city. These temporary parking permits for domestic equipment shall be issued by City Hall only upon the completion of the city's application form therefor by a resident of the city. The permit for the named visitor shall not exceed seven consecutive days, and such equipment shall be parked as provided in Subsection A(6) of this section. It is further provided, notwithstanding any of the provisions contained in the foregoing subsections, that any resident of the city may park or store one piece of such domestic equipment owned by the resident:

(a)

In his enclosed garage out of view of his neighbors and the general public, provided that such storage complies with all safety, health and fire laws of the State of Florida, County of Pinellas, and the city; or

(b)

In back of the existing front building line, in the backyard or the side yard not abutting the street of his residential rear property; provided, however, that said domestic equipment stored outside an enclosed garage is reasonably screened from public view. "Reasonable screening" shall be defined as providing a structural or landscape barrier which screens not less than 80% of the domestic equipment from the view of abutting public or private property, including roads and other public lands. Use of fences for such purpose shall be limited pursuant to the applicable fence codes. Fence and landscape materials may be used in combination with each other to provide the eighty-percent screening standard hereinabove required.

(4)

Permanent residents shall be allowed to moor or store boats used for domestic purposes at their docks or on davits affixed to their docks or seawalls. Any boat used for commercial purposes shall not be moored at docks or stored on davits attached to or connected with residential real property.

(5)

It shall be unlawful for any person, association of persons, firm or corporation to place or park any commercial vehicles or commercial equipment, as defined herein, upon any residential zoned lot or residential parcel of land in the city or upon any right-of-way or easement within the city, except as hereinafter provided:

(a)

A resident of the city may park commercial vehicles owned or operated by the resident in an enclosed garage, out of view of abutting property and the general public, provided that such storage complies with all safety, health and fire laws of the State of Florida, County of Pinellas and the city.

(b)

Commercial vehicles may be temporarily parked for loading or unloading purposes or for the purpose of providing a service to the residential property.

(6)

Parking of motor vehicles between the building setback line and the adjoining street or roadway shall be prohibited except when such vehicles are parked in driveways or parked parallel to and immediately adjacent to the existing driveway located on the premises.

B.

Residential office retail, residential office general and commercial general districts. Except for parking of four hours or less in a twenty-four-hour period, no commercial vehicles shall be parked in the city in commercial districts except in conformity with this section. In all commercial districts as provided for in these regulations, a commercial vehicle which does not exceed a one-and-one-half-ton rated capacity, which is actively used in the business, may be parked in an off-street location at the business location, intermittently or continually, provided that said vehicle shall not be occupied, either temporarily or permanently, as a residence or living quarters. Such commercial vehicle shall be parked in the rear of the business location if such location is available. Such commercial vehicle shall not be parked in a manner that would violate the Sign code of the city. If no parking location is available that would not be a violation of the Sign code, the business signage on such vehicle shall be obscured while such vehicle is parked in such location.

C.

Exceptions. These regulations shall not apply to publicly owned police, fire or rescue vehicles or ambulances.

D.

Compliance. No vehicle, whether in a residential or commercial district, shall be parked intermittently so as to evade the intent of this section, either by the owner of the vehicle, his guest or any other party or parties.

E.

Enforcement. This section on parking restrictions may be enforced by law enforcement or code enforcement officers without notice in writing. Penalties shall be pursuant Chapter 1, Article I, § 1-2, General penalty.

(Amended 5-17-1999 by Ord. No. 99-6; amended 3-20-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-01; amended 12-16-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-4; amended 9-17-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-04; amended 9-17-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-07; amended 7-21-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-04, § 1; amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 6)

Cross reference— See Art. XVIII, Signs.

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 6, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-96 as § 102-97.

A.

Generally. Suitable curbs, wheel stops or barriers to protect sidewalks, walls, fences or landscaped areas and to prevent parking or loading where not permitted shall be provided, except for parking areas for single-family or two-family dwellings.

B.

Required wheel stops. Wheel stops shall be installed at least 30 inches from an adjacent sidewalk, fence, wall or hedge. The stops shall be either a concrete piece at least 48 inches long and permanently affixed to a foundation, a continuous concrete curb or other appurtenances or design features that keep a vehicle from obstructing a sidewalk or making contact with a wall, hedge or fence.

C.

A sidewalk adjacent to a building may be used for vehicle overhang if the sidewalk is not less than 5 1/2 feet wide.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 7)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 7, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-97 as § 102-98.

The following rules and regulations shall be observed in all land use classification districts where reference to these regulations is made:

A.

Every use having a floor area in excess of 10,000 square feet requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicle of materials and merchandise shall have at least one permanently maintained off-street loading space for each 10,000 square feet or fraction thereof of gross floor area.

B.

Retail operations, wholesale operations and industrial operations with a gross floor area of less than 10,000 square feet shall provide sufficient space as may be approved by the City Administrator so as not to hinder the free movement of vehicles and pedestrians over a sidewalk, right-of-way or alley.

C.

Each loading space shall have a direct access to an alley or street and shall have the following minimum dimensions:

(1)

Length: 25 feet.

(2)

Width: 12 feet.

(3)

Height: 15 feet.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 8)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 8, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, amended and renumbered former § 102-98 as § 102-99.

All off-street parking and loading spaces shall meet the standards for stormwater runoff as set forth in this code.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 9)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 9, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-99 as § 102-100.

A.

Generally. In parking facilities containing 20 spaces or more, designated parking and loading spaces shall be marked on the surface of the parking space with paint or permanent marking materials and maintained in clearly visible condition.

B.

Compact spaces. Signs or signs combined with color-coded stall lines shall be used to distinguish compact car spaces from full-size car spaces.

C.

Directional arrows. In parking facilities containing 20 spaces or more, all aisles, approach lanes and maneuvering areas shall be clearly marked with directional arrows and lines to expedite traffic movement.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 10)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 10, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-100 as § 102-101.

All off-street parking and loading areas shall be landscaped in accordance with the landscaping and tree protection regulations in this code.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 11)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 11, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-101 as § 102-102.

Parking lots of 20 spaces or more that are to be used after dark shall be lighted. The lighting shall not shine directly upon any adjacent residence or street and shall not produce excessive glare.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 12)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 12, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-102 as § 102-103.

A.

Where the total number of spaces required under this code is 25 or fewer, one space shall be set aside as a parking space for handicapped persons. Where the total number of spaces required under this code is 26 to 50, two spaces shall be set aside as parking spaces for handicapped persons. Where the total number of spaces required under this code is 51 to 75, three spaces shall be set aside as parking spaces for handicapped persons. Where the total number of spaces required under this code is 76 to 100, four spaces shall be set aside as parking spaces for handicapped persons. Where the total number of spaces required under this code is 101 or more, the number of spaces provided shall equal 2% of the minimum number of parking spaces required.

B.

Access to each principal building shall be provided from rights-of-way and parking areas by means of a hard-surfaced pathway leading to at least one entrance generally used by the public. The pathway shall be at least four feet wide, unobstructed, and devoid of curbs, stairs or other abrupt changes in elevation. Ramps shall be designed in accordance with the ramp requirements of the City Building code.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 13)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 13, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, amended and renumbered former § 102-103 as § 102-104.

Cross reference— See Ch. 68, Building Construction.

An area reserved for off-street parking or loading in accordance with this article shall not be reduced in area or changed to any other use unless the permitted use which it serves is discontinued or modified, except in those situations where equivalent parking or loading space is provided, and such reduction or change shall have first been approved by the city.

(Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02, § 14)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2020-02, § 14, adopted Sept. 3, 2020, renumbered former § 102-104 as § 102-105. Inasmuch as § 102-105 already exists, said provision was renumbered to 102-104.5 at the discretion of the editor.