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Boston City Zoning Code

ARTICLE 24

OFF-STREET LOADING

Section 24-1.- Off-Street Loading Bay Requirements.

For any Proposed Project subject to or electing to comply with Large Project Review, required off-street loading facilities shall be determined through such review in accordance with the provisions of Article 80. For any other Proposed Project, no structure or land shall be used for any use unless off- street loading facilities are provided on the lot as follows:

Gross Floor Area Number of Loading Bays Required
Group I Uses* Group II Uses**
0—14,999 square feet 0 0
15,000 to 49,999 square feet 0 1

 

* Uses listed in Table B of Section 8-3 under Use Item Nos. 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7A, 7B, 8, 9, 10, 22A, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 39, 39A, 40, 50, 52, 53, 58 and 59; or the following uses listed in Table A of Section 8-3:

- in Open Space Uses: Cemetery, Private Open Space, Publicly Accessible Open Space;

- in Residential Uses: Artists' Live-Work, Supportive Housing - Small, Supportive Housing - Large, Household Living -1-4, Household Living - 5-8 units, Household Living - 9-14 units, Household Living -15+ units, Lodging House, Mobile Home Establishment;

- in Commercial Uses:

Drive-in

Office - Small

Office - Large

Stand alone ATM

- in Health Care Uses: Clinic, Nursing Home Use;

- in Transportation Uses: Airport-Related Remote Parking Facility, Standalone Parking Garage, Standalone Parking Lot, Vehicular Services;

- in Industrial and Storage Uses: Crematory;

- in Accessory Uses: Accessory Car Share, Accessory Drive-Through, Accessory Dwelling Unit (Detached), Accessory Dwelling Unit (NonDetached), Accessory Electrical Vehicle Charging, Accessory Family Day Care Home, Accessory Home Occupation, Accessory Office, Accessory Parking, Accessory Personnel Quarters, Accessory Smoking, Shared Parking.

** Uses listed in Table B of Section 8-3 under Use Item Nos. 11, 12, 13, 13A, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 17, 18, 19, 20, 20A, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 34, 34A, 35, 36, 36A, 37, 38, 38A, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 60A, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, and 70; or the following uses listed in Table A of Section 8-3:

- in Civic Uses: Child Care/Adult Day Health Center, Community Center, Municipal Use, Place of Worship, School (K through 12);

- in Residential Uses: Fraternity or Sorority, Student Housing, Temporary Shelter Facility;

- in Commercial Uses:

Adult Entertainment

Arts Studios

Bank,

Check Casher

Child Care/Adult Day Health Center

Community Center

Entertainment/Events - Extra Small

Entertainment/Events - Small

Entertainment/Events - Medium

Entertainment/Events - Large

Entertainment/Events - Extra Large

Funeral Home

Grocery Store - Small

Grocery Store - Large

Hotel - Small

Hotel - Large

Indoor Recreation

Makerspace

Museum or Art Gallery

Research Laboratory

Restaurant - Small

Restaurant - Large

Retail Cannabis Establishment

Retail Store - Small

Retail Store - Medium

Retail Store - Large

Retail Store - Extra Large

Service Establishment - Small

Service Establishment - Large

Social Club;

- in Higher Education Uses: College or University Use, School (Trade or Professional);

- in Health Care Uses: Hospital Use;

- in Transportation Uses: Gasoline Station, Major Transportation Facility, Motor Vehicle Rentals, Motor Vehicle Sales;

- in Industrial and Storage Uses: Food and Beverage Production, General Industrial, Light Manufacturing or Trade Establishment, Nonretail Cannabis Establishment, Restricted Industrial, Self-Storage, Storage of Fuel or Minerals, Storage of Supplies or Scrap, Urban Agriculture, Warehouse or Distribution Center;

in Accessory Uses: Accessory Entertainment/Events, Accessory Helicopter Landing Facility, Accessory Keeping of Animals, Accessory Keeping of Laboratory Animals, Accessory Research Laboratory.

Mixed Uses. If a lot by reason of a diversity of occupancies falls within more than one use group, the number of loading bays required by the occupancies within each use group shall be determined and then such numbers totaled; and off-street loading facilities with such total number of bays shall be provided.

Pre-Code Structures. If a structure existing when this code took effect is altered or extended so as to increase its gross floor area, only the additional gross floor area shall be counted in computing the off-street loading bays required.

(As amended on April 14, 1967, April 30, 1968, August 12, 1971, July 9, 1973, March 5, 1975, October 19, 1978, November 9, 1978, August 10, 1979, January 8, 1982, and June 29, 1984; Text Amd. No. 471, § 11a., 4-3-2024; Text Am. No. 478, § 3, 1-22-2025)

Section 24-2. - Design.

All off-street loading facilities provided to comply with Section 24-1 shall meet the following specifications:

(a)

Such facilities shall have bays, maneuvering areas, and appropriate means of vehicular access to a street, and shall be so designed as not to constitute a nuisance or a hazard or unreasonable impediment to traffic; and all lighting shall be so arranged as to shine away from streets and residences.

(b)

Such facilities, including all bays, maneuvering areas and access drives, shall be so graded, surfaced, drained and maintained as to prevent water and dust therefrom going upon any street or another lot.

(c)

Each loading bay shall be located entirely on the lot and shall be no less than ten feet in width, twenty-five feet in length, and fourteen feet in height, exclusive of maneuvering areas and access drives. Each loading bay within fifty feet of a residential district shall be enclosed in a structure if the use regularly involves night operations.

Section 24-3. - Maintenance.

All off-street loading facilities provided to comply with Section 24-1 shall be maintained exclusively for loading and unloading purposes so long as a use requiring them exists. Such facilities shall be used in such a manner as at no time to constitute a nuisance or a hazard or unreasonable impediment to traffic.